PIP

How do you know SO many people are not entitled to it (who get it?) You don't know everything about everyone. What a ludicrous post.

Ain’t that the truth!

my DH has been diagnosed with myeloma and has 5 broken vertebrae. He’s bed bound and can’t walk at all. I’ve had to give up work to look after him and our 2 small kids.

we got awarded lower rate care. That’s it. Now we have to deal with the appeal process on top of everything else.

Crikey, no wonder some people keep it under their hat that they are on disability benefits. With such judgy people around.

People with disabilities are allowed holidays and decent cars @Ostagazuzulum I am just speechless at this thread.

There are some helpful posts on this thread. There is also misinformation and massively ableist assumptions.

I claim pip and it took me years to get it having had rheumatoid arthritis for twenty years. I also recently developed fibromialga.
I am also a 45% tax payer. Why do I claim it? When I was ill for 9 months this year, bed bound as I am now for the last five days, I could claim nothing. DWP currently use NI contributions from 2020/2021 when I was a shielder. No one would employ me and I was awarded nothing due to no contributions in this year. This is unfair and I currently pay huge returns. If I'm ill again will I get anything other than my pip? I doubt it. I have lived with RA for decades but the fibromialga is a complete bastard. Don't underestimate the pain. It's hell.
I have had to give up jobs due to illness and believe me that is heartbreaking. I've lost a home and hundreds of thousands in income. Don't begrudge your friend a little money. I would willing give back my £274 for a pain free life and normal loo seats/ no walking stick.

The whole system of PIP is a complete shambles imo. A lot of whether a person is awarded it, or not boils down to whoever they happen to see at an assessment.

That actually isn’t necessarily contradictory.

@Superunknown1 agreed. I am ds1's appointee and during his PIP assessment the assessor kept trying to trip me up. E.g. She asked if he could go to the cinema with friends. I said no. Next question was So when he goes to the cinema with friends, can he get to the cinema on his own. I told her that I'd already said that he couldn't go out to the cinema with friends. No doubt if I had just said no to the 2nd question the assessor would have written that he could go out unsupervised.

I 'm just relieved I could do the phone call on his behalf. He is autistic and would get very upset if someone tried to manipulate his words like that.

Indeed you can because my son does.

His autism and high anxiety means he can't plan and undertake journeys on his own. Once someone has done the journey with him a few times, then he can find his way. But any new journey (like starting a new job in an area he is not familiar with) requires assistance to plan and then accompany him.

So he gets the higher rate of PIP for mobility, so he can cover the costs incurred by other people helping him (usually me) which most people wouldn't need. His needs have affected my ability to work full time and therefore it has affected my income, so his bit of PIP to pay for petrol etc., is appreciated

It does not entitle him to a Blue Badge though. In order to qualify for a blue badge the higher rate has to have been awarded for a specific category of need, which he didn't meet.

I,m, on the DLA equivalent groups of course there are people who try it on but most who try it on don't actually get anywhere with their claim.

Anyone winging about this has clearly never tried to get awarded PIP, Capita are renowned for lying about assessments, and generally making life hard for people entitled to help. Either your ‘friend’ had a lot of time and patience to appeal and an abundance of medical professionals willing to lie for her in reports, or she is clearly affected more than you believe by her illnesses. It’s not easy to claim PIP at all.

PIP /DLA was a godsend for us. DD has autism, and the ££ allowed me to reduce my working hours to look after her, and pay towards a private school.
Now she has a motorbility car. She can walk perfectly well, but cannot navigate on foot or by public transport without getting confused or panicked.
There has been a few serious incidents when we have tried in the past. Having a car (with a satnav!!!) has changed her (and our) life.

But just to confirm - she can walk more than 20m!

OP step down from your ivory tower and stop judging people. I’m sure the lady in question would rather have her health than a chronic painful condition

I've come across a few people who are trying to claim for poor eyesight...but their vision is good enough for them to drive

I read a woman complaining of n a fb group juts the other day that she didn't get any points. She worked 2 days a week in a pub and could walk for 15 mins at a time is what she told them. Obviously this totally contradicts a claim that you need help to eat/medicate/understand information/toilet etc

Woman was livid

I applied and got it first time. I have MRIs which show my degeneration quite clearly. They're hard to argue with.

People like me are having to wait months and crawl over broken glass to get it because everyone is treated like a scammer. Those how to get PIP groups disgust me to be honest. I've seen threads on here where people quite openly just fancy a few extra pounds. They cite illnesses without any empirical evidence then complain bitterly when they get zero points. If you are getting zero points ... you don't need PIP.

Took me years of applying before I got it and I have autism and mental health and mobility problems. How does it help me it pays for a car and a carer

I agree but that professional evidence is usually still word of mouth ie complaining to the GP about this or that symptom, something that cannot be verified via medical testing.

To be able to complain… I’m often too weak to speak. My amazing gp has been nothing but lovely and supportive. I can’t walk more than 10 paces. How is this complaining?

I get pip. I am not fit to work anymore. So get pip.
I pay to go to a hydrotherapy pool to help with balance.
I have to buy pads for incontinence problems.
I get someone to cut my toenails as I am diabetic but I have movement problems so don’t want to accidentally cut myself and lose a toe if it gets infected.
I hate the progressive neurological disease I have.
I enjoyed my job.
Then you have people like you who would prefer me to be stuck at home not able to do anything. Where is the empathy in this world?
I hate the fact I have lost my independence and it’s getting worse.
Then you are begrudged the money to make things easier.
How could I have afforded to buy the electric ride on scooter with no money.
Not everyone is financially comfortable.

Complaining to a GP? Are you seriously trying to say that people on the highest rates of PIP are able to claim them based on complaining to a GP? 😳 What?

I am under 5 different specialists. I have about 8 severe long term debilitating conditions. One of them alone - lupus- generally qualifies for PIP alone. I have enough medical evidence to fill a library. As do most people with severe health issues. I really doubt people claiming on the basis of moaning at the GP get very far.

Ok, but if she takes more than twice as long as could reasonably be expected (including any breaks) she is not considered to be able to manage the task to the required standard.

If she isn’t able to stand reliably for long enough, then she could benefit from a perching stool in the kitchen and a shower seat. Those are aids.

If she isn’t able to walk the required distance without stopping to catch her breath, she qualifies.

if there is constant unpredictable risk of a severe asthma attack where she would need assistance, that qualifies as requiring supervision.

etc etc

She may well qualify. The system does stink, but please don’t think that she isn’t eligible because she has been turned down on the first application. The majority of people are.

This makes no sense at all though. Unless her friends, or complete strangers have access to her financial accounts, why on earth should anybody know? It is down to people to keep their business private.

I agree but that professional evidence is usually still word of mouth ie complaining to the GP about this or that symptom, something that cannot be verified via medical testing.
This simply isn’t how it works. You need letters detailing your needs from consultants and specialists plus test results and evidence from teachers etc. Even then you will probably need an interview….and then do similar for a BB

The few weeks on holiday each year I spend somewhere warmer are the most pain relief I get
I can’t use public transport so if I’m too ill or in too much pain to drive I have to get a taxi
Some of my benefits go on private physio and hydrotherapy
I have better quality hearing aids and glasses than the nhs provides
my special diet costs a lot more, I have to buy over the counter medicines as well as pay the annual prescription fee
I am currently considering if I can afford private counselling
I work full time but also like to have some savings in case I need to take more sick leave than my company pays for