A woman suffering from anxiety and depression which led to two suicide attempts has told how she was refused personal independence payment (PIP) because she “had a university degree” and smiled during an assessment.
Kate, 38, had her PIP payments restored after the tribunal, but they said and she now lives in “terrible fear” of the DWP trying to withdraw her payments.
She then shared her story and has spoken to PIP whistleblowers who are concerned about the assessment process and say the system has “failed”, with assessors under intense pressure to meet daily targets.
Whistleblowers have previously said they were even told to note applicants’ appearance and “how they smelled”, with one former assessor describing how they were encouraged to write down things like: “They looked well dressed, they didn’t smell so they must know how to wash .”
Kate, who lives in Cardiff, asked to protect her real name for fear of repercussions from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). She said and has been on DWP benefits since 26.
She completed her master’s degree while working in a supermarket, but fell ill and ended up in hospital. Her GP signed her off work with severe anxiety and depression. She then attempted suicide and was later diagnosed with PTSD as well.
About six months later in 2012, Kate was placed on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). In 2014, her support worker helped her get onto PIP.
The benefit is designed to help with extra living costs for a person who has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and has difficulty with everyday tasks or movement.
However, two years later, following a review, her PIP payments were withdrawn. On the advice of the charity’s social worker, she attended a mandatory review and received a letter back saying the decision had been upheld.
“The reason my PIP was refused was because I have a university degree and I smiled during the assessment – which I don’t actually remember at all. I had a polite laugh at the end of the assessment because the assessor made fun of my shirt,” said Kate.
“What they were trying to say was that my anxiety was clearly reduced by the end of the assessment. But even if I smile or laugh, do people with anxiety and depression say they can never smile or laugh?
Kate got her PIP back following a tribunal decision in 2017. The date was originally set for before Christmas but was canceled just before it was due to happen.
“I was so horrified that they were trying to find a reason to refuse my PIP after what they said about my smile that I stopped taking my medication for over a month before the tribunal so they could see me as I am without the medication.” ,” she said.
“I ended up in hospital two weeks before the tribunal after another suicide attempt because I couldn’t face the thought of the tribunal.
The hearing took place in January 2017 and Kate said it was a complete blur and she didn’t remember much. Not only was her PIP reinstated, she was given enhanced PIP for one element of it.
“Apparently the judge said my masters degree was before I got sick so that didn’t count as a reason, and he also said the reason I was smiling was probably relief,” Kate added.
She suffered further agony in 2021 when she was diagnosed with colon and rectal cancer and was asked for a phone PIP check the day before she was due to have surgery. When she asked if her partner could speak for her since she was not up to it, they refused, so she eventually backed down.
In January 2022 she was told she had been stood down as a no-show due to her assessment and threatened to withdraw her PIP. At this point she was also diagnosed with autism and was told by an autism representative that it was not true that her partner could not speak for her.
Kate has had her PIP reinstated and is currently on benefits for depression, anxiety, autism and being in remission from cancer. However, she says she lives in constant fear that it will be taken away from her.
“I’m absolutely terrified and I’m always waiting for a knock on the door or a phone call or a letter to say they’re taking away my PIP,” she said. “Or that I will be arrested for fraud, even though I know I have done nothing wrong.
“If they can use reasons like graduation or a smile as an excuse to take my PIP off, God forbid they know I went down the road to a cafe to meet a friend.
“I’m very scared to do normal things and I feel like I can’t have a life.” I’m too scared to leave the house or go anywhere unless it’s health related, like seeing a GP or going to the hospital.
“It has a huge impact on my mental health. Every time a PIP review comes around, I’m back at square one and have to recover from the mental toll I’ve taken.”
PIP is currently in the spotlight after the government announced it was considering an overhaul of the system which could see some people’s benefits reduced or removed altogether.
Kate says PIP is already terrible and hopes the Tory government won’t win the general election and whoever comes to power will abandon the planned reforms.
“There is this rhetoric that people on PIP are lazy, hard-working, greedy individuals who want to blackmail the state and sit on their backs in front of the TV or social media all day,” she said. “But that couldn’t be further from the truth and the PIP system is scaring people.
The DWP said so and is modernizing its disability benefits system to ensure that people with disabilities and impairments get the right supports.
She added that she was encouraging everyone to respond to their consultation on the proposed reforms, which included questions about how the PIP assessment process could be changed.
It stated that health professionals are trained to treat applicants fairly and with respect and are professional clinicians who use their skills in history taking, informal observation and examination to provide an impartial, independent and objective assessment back to the DWP.
PIP is awarded based on how the conditions affect the claimant and is intended to cover additional living costs incurred as a result of the medical condition, the department said.
If you are affected by this story and need someone to talk to, contact Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org. You can also contact Suicide Prevention UK on 0800 689 5652 or visit their website here for further help.