Dotty G

I think that currently when you report a change in circumstance to the DWP, the system is very rigid, and that even though you have to declare a change in circumstance whenever it happens by law, often it feels like you get penalised for doing so.

An example of this, was when I reported a change in circumstances to the DWP regarding my PIP claim, as my medication had changed.

As a result of me reporting this to them, the DWP stopped my claim, and I had to re-apply for my PIP all over again from scratch.

In fact, once I had reapplied, I had to be reassessed all over again, and this time round, the DWP only awarded me 7 points (you need a minimum of 8 points to qualify for the standard amount of PIP) which meant that I had to request a 'Mandatory Reconsideration' in order to justify why I needed the extra point in order to have my payments restored once again. A Mandatory Reconsideration is the process that you have to go through before you can request an appeal to have your case heard in court.

It was a very frustrating process and experience for me and I lost out financially.

I think what needs to change is for there to be less layers of bureaucracy regarding reporting a change and for there to be more trust between the DWP and claimants once again.