PIP for high functioning autism?

[Saramia]

The specialist who diagnosed me with autism told me to apply for PIP. I struggle with social situations and people exclude me because they don’t like me. This makes it difficult to get a job because employers also don’t like me. When I have managed to get work, I’ve been sacked for being “weird”, eg sitting in the cupboard on my lunch break because it’s dark and nobody can talk to me.

I applied for PIP but got 0 points because I’m functional and independent. I have no physical disabilities. I can cook, eat, wash and dress myself. I can drive and with the help of satnav I can get around (going to unfamiliar places makes me anxious but I have ways to cope with that). I can read and I’m qualified to postgraduate level. I can express and understand verbal information - I don’t like talking to people and it makes me anxious and they dislike me, but the PIP criteria are focused on whether I CAN do it, and I can. To get even a single point you have to use an aid or appliance to communicate, or receive support with communicating, and I don’t.

There’s nothing in the PIP criteria which covers “I can force myself to talk to people for a short period and we can understand each other, but afterwards I’ll be shaking and possibly have a meltdown, and I certainly can’t cope with being exposed to people for an 8 hour shift every day”. PIP is only focused on the first part - ie I CAN do it. It makes no provision for the meltdown I have after forcing myself to do it, or the constant anxiety I feel if others are around and might try to speak to me.

I went back to my GP and she said “but you’re unable to work due to autism so you should get PIP?” But it seems that PIP doesn’t actually cover my difficulties. It’s for people who CAN’T function - it’s not for people who can force themselves to function but experience great anxiety and panic whilst doing so. It’s not for people who can function but get discriminated against by others and that’s why they don’t function. PIP is to pay for care needs - it’s not for people who don’t specifically need care but are excluded from work due to their disability, and it’s not for people who need money to live on because they’re not working due to their disability.

I have the option to appeal the decision and they’ve booked me in for a face to face meeting, but I’m considering cancelling because I don’t feel like I can show any evidence that I’m unable to function. Because I can function. Maybe only for short periods, with a lot of anxiety, and I frequently get discriminated against and blocked from what I want to do, but in the most basic sense I CAN function. Which seems to indicate that I’m not entitled to any benefits?

I get full PIP on my first attempt because of the system you're describing. Unfortunately you can see from this thread alone that there is a whole industry growing up around helping people 'game' the system. Organisations earning money to help people claim PIP. It's completely insane. It means that the attitude of assessors is now very much: treat everyone as a scammer.

I have no shortage of evidence because I've had lots of engagement with the NHS, scans, appointments etc.

With things like anxiety - a lot of the 'evidence' will be the person describing how it allegedly affects them.

Wow! Maybe he lied?
My DH refuses to lie, he is a highly ethical person. So he ends up in an NHS funded wheelchair, needing help to shower, and getting turned down for PIP repeatedly in spite of CAN help.

I got PIP at my first attempt and I didn't use any organisation to help me fill in the form I did it myself and I told the complete and utter truth.

Not everyone is a scammer who gets pip and you can get pip and work as well.

Really? Well I have no idea how your bil diabetes impacts him personally, but I know how it affected my Fil. He got what he was entitled to, for very good reasons imo. And why should you be ashamed because of your Bil receiving it, anyway?

I know you can get PIP and work, my DH works. But the questions do seem geared more towards neurodiversity, mental health and learning difficulties than physical difficulties.

Washing and bathing, toilet needs, moving around, dressing and undressing and going out - all those I answered truthfully and they had very little to do with my ASD and ADHD.

You have to be very severely physically disabled to get enough points though. My DH can drive, move about the house, dress himself although needs help with shoes, and cook a microwave meal.

The people I know who get PIP for purely physical disabilities (not fatigue for ME for example) all have daily carers. They can not get out of bed or eat without carers help.

So you're implying i'm lying?

My car is adapted.

I use crutches and a wheelchair.

I can get out of bed. I can eat.

I can't reliably prepare a meal so I use ready meals (thank you M&S) and I can't always reliably get out of bed but I have a zimmer at the side of the bed. Upstairs zimmers and downstairs zimmers and crutches and perching stools.

I swallow a fuckton of tablets every day to keep me functioning.

I access private therapy and private physio and sometimes private consultant appointments.

But because i can eat without help you're implication is I'm lying and not entitled to PIP.

How dare you.

Good grief there is so much ableist crap on this thread.
Let’s hope that those judging get to experience the joys of being disabled one day then they too can live the high life on PIP.

I did not say or imply you are lying. I am saying it is hard to get PIP. You get 1 point for only being able to prepare a microwave meal.
But my DP can get out of bed, so your physical disability sounds worse than his.
My whole point is that it is harder to get PIP for a purely physical disability than other disabilities because of the questions. I regularly see people I know who get PIP living a life my DH is unable to. I am not saying they should not get PIP, I am saying it should be easier for physical disabilities. So there is nothing about being able to do housework. Being able to shop for food. These are essential for daily living and my DH can do neither.

And everyone I know with neurodiversity who gets PIP is shocked when they learn my DH is not entitled.

Yes you clearly are. I have been assessed by the relevant people (phone call only - they didn't even ask me to go to the centre) and have been awarded PIP - standard rate daily living and enhanced mobility. It's £556-something every 4 weeks. I would hand it all back tomorrow if I could be un-disabled at the same time.

Your DH should go and take advice and reapply and go to MR and tribunal if he is refused.

@tacosforbreakfast he did get help from CAB. He will not go to a tribunal as he is not well enough to manage to cope with it. His assessment was done by phone and he did ask for a reconsideration.
And of course my DH would rather not be disabled.

Not me. I would not wish ill on those people. I just think that they should listen to those who are living with disabilities, and actually hear them.

I am in receipt of pip…..I can get out of bed….I don’t have a daily carer….I can eat ….and I work ….loads of people like me ….guessing you don’t really know that much about the benefit

"Really? Well I have no idea how your bil diabetes impacts him personally, but I know how it affected my Fil. He got what he was entitled to, for very good reasons imo. And why should you be ashamed because of your Bil receiving it, anyway?"

I have already stated that the way it impacts him is that he has to watch it at the cruise buffets. I'm sure he doesn't like that! And I don't think it takes too much sense to realise I'm ashamed as he's a member of my family!

2 points for microwave meal prep

The thing you need to understand is doctors rarely understand the benefits system properly. So they're not always accurate in the advice they give. Sometimes they have almost no knowledge. Other times they did know, but the benefits systems and who qualifies keeps changing so often it's hard for people to keep up with what the current rules are. Especially if their job is something other than benefits advisor, so they're focused mainly on other things and keeping up with the knowledge relating to their own job.

You probably do qualify for PIP because I doubt those issues you have at work occur solely at work. If you can't be around people for 8hrs at work, you probably couldn't go out for the day with a group of friends either? Unless they were acting as support for you, altering the trip/their behaviour to do/be whatever you need to enable you to take part.

You probably don't have true insight into how ASD is affecting you because you've never not had it, so you've got nothing to compare it with and because it affects the brain, looking around at other people's lives and trying to compare their lives to yours isn't going to give you that insight because of how your brain works.

The DWP assessors routinely turn people down who are entitled to the benefit, because many are too ill to fight back and they know this. So it's an easy way for DWP to keep the benefits costs down.

Due to the doctor saying "you can't work so claim PIP" you may have filled the form in focussing on what happens at work and why you can't work when you should have been focusing on what happens in daily life and how you're impacted. But without the insight into how you're being impacted you'll never be able to answer the questions accurately. You can't give them information if you don't yourself know it. That's why you're going to need help with the forms.

I know it's still the mental strain but in case you didn't know, you can have a closed tribunal. That's where you don't attend and the tribunal considers your claim and any additional evidence you provide in your absence, you submit evidence as paperwork.

And I would say that you have not told how it affects him at all. He has to watch what he eats on the cruise buffets, so what, lots of people have to watch what they eat. That is not explaining what the consequences would be for him, if he does not eat right, does it? I would venture to say that your post is just designed to just stir up a certain emotion in some readers. Like you needed to state that you are ashamed. Who really cares.

"And I would say that you have not told how it affects him at all. He has to watch what he eats on the cruise buffets, so what, lots of people have to watch what they eat. That is not explaining what the consequences would be for him, if he does not eat right, does it? I would venture to say that your post is just designed to just stir up a certain emotion in some readers. Like you needed to state that you are ashamed. Who really cares."

You obviously seem to care enough for some reason to reply. I would have thought having explained he has diabetes, most rational people would assume a consequence of eating the wrong food would be a spike or fall in his blood sugar? Surely that doesn't need pointing out. It does not impact him in any other way. As you say, a lot of people need to watch what they eat for various reasons.

It's rare to age with no problems at all. So yes I'm glad the DWP are trying to stop this nonsense and keep it for people who genuinely have a need.

Maybe instead of caring enough to reply to me then, you should be asking yourself why you seem to think that your Bil is swinging the lead@ohthejoys21 You are the one who is implying that he is. This is indicative of what some people who claim sometimes have to put up with. People thinking that they know the whole story, and gleefully awaiting their being caught out. How sad.

Diabetes has many more effects than just spiking blood sugar.

Just because someone makes a joke or tells you part of their medical conditions doesn't mean you know it all.

Perhaps with good reason LadyKenya? Perhaps you think it's a rare occurrence? In this instance BIL was proudly telling his family how his allowance just goes into his cruise fund. Perhaps you think that's acceptable because he's "entitled".. I don't and neither does my dh who pays 50% of his salary to support it.