PIP verdict victory

A man with a severe mental illness who was refused proper disability benefits has had the decision overturned at a tribunal thanks to the help of Unite Community volunteers.

The vulnerable man, in his late thirties, was told last year he was not entitled to a full personal independent payment (PIP) after attending an assessment in Newcastle – despite his medical records showing he was clearly at risk.

For more than 12 months the man, who UNITElive is referring to as PTR, was wrongly denied financial support and left struggling to pay for his living expenses and food.

At one point PTR resorted to sleeping on a landing, as his issues became increasingly compounded because of the decision.

This week, after members from Unite Community’s Newcastle branch heard about PTR’s plight and launched an appeal against the decision, a tribunal ruled he should receive an enhanced PIP daily living allowance.

‘Absolutely shocking’

Unite Community Durham branch secretary Trevor Bark represented PTR at the tribunal and described the case as “absolutely shocking”.

“The initial assessment disregarded the medical evidence and PTR is completely incapable of defending himself. The companies that carry out these assessments are paid to create a narrative that says there’s no need to provide support and they trip people up and downplay issues in their attempts to do that,” Bark explained.

“When the tribunal ruled in his favour, PTR didn’t understand and we had to explain to him outside. When the decision came through it was a euphoric moment. But it was tempered with thoughts of ‘does it really have to come to this?’ I was cut up about it.”

Unite Community regional coordinator John Coan praised the efforts of the Newcastle and Durham branch members who fought to see justice for PTR done.

He said, “What happened to PTR is obscene. Unfortunately we see vulnerable people in similar situations regularly. They’re trying to scare people off getting the vital support they need by putting up more and more hurdles.

“Quite often people give up because it’s a very very stressful process that they put people through. When you see it first-hand it’s heart breaking – it really is.”

Coan added, “The wholesale wrongful sanctioning of people’s benefits is an entirely immoral policy and if the government had an ounce of compassion the entire policy would be withdrawn.”