PIP, Universal Credit or ESA refused —
even after Mandatory Reconsideration?

If the points below describe your situation, this is where we can help. One thing first: this page is for the tribunal stage. If you haven't asked for Mandatory Reconsideration yet, do that first — it's free and the box below shows you how.

• You have your Mandatory Reconsideration Notice — and the answer is still no PIP, Universal Credit (including work capability decisions), ESA, Attendance Allowance, or Carer's Allowance. The DWP has looked twice and you still believe the decision is wrong.
• The assessment report doesn't match what happened The assessor's report says you "walked unaided" or "showed no signs of distress" — and it bears little resemblance to your daily reality or what you actually said in the assessment.
• The clock is running You usually have one month from the date on your Mandatory Reconsideration Notice to submit the appeal. Late appeals are possible with a good reason, but they can be refused — starting on time matters.
• The odds at tribunal are better than people think A majority of benefit appeals that reach a hearing succeed — most often because the tribunal sees evidence, properly organised, that the DWP decision-maker never engaged with. The hearing is free, and there's no risk of paying the other side's costs.
• The evidence exists — it's just scattered GP letters in a drawer, consultant reports in an app, prescriptions, care diaries, the assessment report itself. What the tribunal needs is all of it, organised against the points and descriptors your award actually turns on.

Benefits is one of the best-served areas for free advice in the country, and some services will represent you at the hearing for nothing. Whatever you do about documents, start here.

Every pack is built around your specific decision — which benefit, which descriptors or conditions the decision turned on, and what evidence exists to test it. Here's what's in a typical pack.

• Grounds of Appeal The structured written case that goes in with your appeal — which parts of the decision you dispute, and the evidence behind each point, organised against the specific descriptors and points your award turns on. The document the tribunal reads first.
• Personal Statement Your structured account of an ordinary day — what you can do, what you can't, what help you need, and what it costs you to push through. Written in your words, organised so the tribunal can map it to the law. Ready to sign.
• Assessment Report Commentary A point-by-point table setting the assessor's report against your account and the medical evidence — where it's inconsistent, what it missed, and what the evidence actually shows. Tribunals work through exactly this kind of comparison.
• Chronology A dated timeline — diagnosis, treatments, the claim, the assessment, the decision, the MR — so the tribunal sees the whole story in one page.
• Exhibit Index Every piece of evidence — GP letters, consultant reports, prescription lists, care diaries, the assessment report — numbered, described, and submitted the way the tribunal service expects.
• Evidence Gap note What's missing and exactly how to get it — the letter to request from your GP (and what it should address), the hospital records request, the medication print-out your pharmacy can produce in minutes. Targeted at the descriptors in dispute, because generic "to whom it may concern" letters carry little weight.
• Document Usage Guide A plain-English explanation of each document — what it does, when to send it, and what to bring on the day. So you walk into the hearing knowing what every piece of paper is for.

Benefit appeals don't use county court forms — the route runs through HM Courts & Tribunals Service, free of charge.

These organisations and websites may provide useful guidance on benefit appeals. DocketWorks does not endorse any external site — these links are for information only.