‘I was rejected for PIP because I had a degree and smiled during my assessment’

A woman suffering from anxiety and depression which led to two suicide attempts has revealed how she was rejected for personal independent payment (PIP) following a review for “having a university degree” and smiling during the assessment.

Kate, who has asked for her real name to be protected for fear of repercussions from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), had her PIP payments restored following a tribunal, but told i she now lives in “abject fear” of the DWP attempting to withdraw her payments. .

She shared her story after i spoke to PIP whistleblowers concern the process and claimed the system is “set out to fail” with assessors under intense pressure to hit daily targets.

Whistleblowers previously told i they were even told to note down claimants’ appearance and “how they smelled” with one former assessor describing how they were encouraged to put down things like: “Looked well-dressed, didn’t smell, so they must be able to wash themselves.”

Kate, 38, who lives in Cardiff, told i she has been on the DWP benefits system since the age of 26.

She completed her masters degree while working for a supermarket but became ill and ended up having a stint 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.

Kate was put on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) about six months later in 2012, then in 2014, her support worker helped her to get put on PIP.

However, just two years later, following a review assessment, Kate had her PIP payments withdrawn. On the advice of a welfare officer for a charity, she did a mandatory reconsideration and received a letter back saying the decision was upheld.

“Their reasons for rejecting my PIP were that I had a university degree and that I had been smiling during the assessment – which I don’t actually remember doing at all. I laughed politely at the end of the assessment because the assessor made a joke about my T-shirt.

“They tried to say that my anxiety had clearly diminished by the end of the assessment.

“But even if I did smile or laugh, are they saying people with anxiety and depression can’t ever smile or laugh?”

File photo: Kate says the fact she laughed politely at a joke a PIP assessor made about her T-shirt was held against her and she was rejected for the benefit at a review. However, she won it back at tribunal (Photo: Getty Images)

Kate won her PIP back following tribunal in 2017 although the date was initially set for just before Christmas, but was cancelled just before it was due to happen.

“I was so frightened of them trying to find a reason to reject my PIP after what they had said about me smiling, that I stopped taking my medication for over a month before the tribunal so they could see me for what I was without being medicated,” she said.

“I ended up in hospital two weeks before the tribunal after another suicide attempt because I could not face the thought of the tribunal.”

Kate eventually had the PIP tribunal in January 2017 and although she says it was a complete blur and can’t remember much, she was not only awarded her PIP back, but was given enhanced PIP for one element of it.

“Apparently, the judge said that my Masters degree was before I became ill so it didn’t count as a reason and he also said the reason I was smiling was probably relief.”

Kate suffered further anguish in 2021 when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and was asked to have a telephone PIP review the day before she was due to go in for surgery. When she asked if her partner could speak for her as she wasn’t up to it, they refused, so she ended up backing out.

In January 2022, she was told that they had put her down as a no show for her assessment and threatened to take her PIP away from her. By this point, she had also been diagnosed with autism and was told by an autism representative that it wasn’t true that her partner couldn’t speak on her behalf.

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Kate had her PIP reinstated and is currently on the benefit for depression, anxiety, autism and for being in remission for cancer. However, she says she lives in constant terror of having it taken away from her.

“I am absolutely terrified and am always waiting for that knock on the door or telephone call or letter telling me that my PIP is being taken away from me,” she said. “Or that I’m going to be arrested for fraud even though I know I haven’t done anything wrong.

“If they can use reasons such as having a degree or smiling as an excuse to take my PIP off me, heaven forbid if they knew I had gone down the road to a cafe to meet a friend.

“It has made me so fearful of doing normal things and I feel like I can’t have a life. I am too scared to go out of my house or go anywhere unless it’s health related such as a GP appointment or a hospital appointment.

“It is having a huge impact on my mental health. Every time a PIP assessment comes round, I am back to square one and I have to re-heal myself from the psychological pummeling I have endured.”

PIP is currently in the spotlight after the Government revealed it was considering an overhaul of the system which could see some people have their benefits reduced or removed altogether.

Kate says PIP is already horrendous and she is hoping the Conservative government won’t win the general election and that whoever comes into power next will abandon the planned reforms.

“There is this rhetoric that people on PIP are lazy, workshy, greedy individuals who want to extort the state and sit on their backsides all day watching television or messing around on social media,” she said. “But this couldn’t be further from the truth and the PIP system instills fear into people.”

The DWP told i it is modernising its disability benefit system to ensure people with health conditions and disabilities are receiving the right support and is encouraging everyone to respond to their consultation, which includes questions on how the PIP assessment process can be changed..

The department said that health professionals are trained to treat claimants 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 factual assessment back to the DWP.

It added that PIP is awarded based on how conditions affect the claimant and is meant to cover the additional living costs incurred as a result of the health condition.

If you have been impacted by this story please contact the Samaritans by calling 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

You can also contact Suicide Prevention UK on 0800 689 5652 or visit their website for additional help