0 points for PIP? (advice please)

[Catastropher]

Sorry I didn’t know where else to put this. I have autism and I haven’t worked for eight years because of it. I also have stomach issues. I applied for PIP and the DWP has rejected my application with 0 points.

I have no cognitive impairment because I drive a car.

I have no difficulty planning journeys because I drive a car and walk the dog round the block. Also I attended the assessment (which they forced me to attend otherwise I couldn’t get PIP).

I am able to cook and wash and budget etc (despite me saying I struggle) because I’m not cognitively impaired and I drive a car (a complex task).

There is no evidence of MH support (I’m on duloxetine and had 2 courses of therapy in the past year).

There is no evidence of nutritional support (I’m permanently under a dietitian, annual hospital reviews and blood tests, permanent prescriptions for vitamin supplements, bone scans every couple of years).

They said I can converse fully without prompting. I am diagnosed with autism!

I don’t know what else to do at this point. Does anyone have any advice please?

But did you have proof?

If you acted as her so story then you have the proof that she couldn’t fill it in.

No way could my 17 year old ASd dd fill it in. She’s in her 2nd year of burnout, and is struggling to read.

I did say this. Said I only do a limited number of familiar journeys. I never drive for more than 10 minutes. Once I’ve planned a journey I cannot deviate from my memorised route, if I arrive and can’t get parked as planned I have a meltdown and don’t know what to do. I’m unable to plan an additional route to another car park on the fly, so I will just sit there panicking and have to call DH. For this reason I don’t go places where I can’t guarantee 100% I’ll get parked.

Still got 0 points. Because “there is no proof of cognitive impairment” and “I drive a car therefore I can plan journeys”.

My son has autism and gets pip. Are there any aids that you use to help you do things? Doesn't have to be an official disability aid, things like Sat nav or alarms on your phone all count. Any tiny bits of evidence you can gather are all useful, even email or text conversations with friends saying for example you can't meet up for coffee because you are struggling with anxiety. Also wording is important. I try and pretend that the assessor is a child who isn't really paying much attention. If you respond to a question with "yes I can do x but I need help" then the assessor will just see the "yes" and award 0 points. But if you say "no, not without help. I need to use Google maps on my phone so I don't get lost and I take travel sickness meds" for example then you are more likely to get awarded. At my son's assessment they kept trying to get me to tell them he could do things e.g. They asked if he could go to the cinema on his own or with friends and I said no. Next question was "when he goes to the cinema with his friends, does he need support with x?" (Can' t remember exactly what support they were asking about now.). I told them that I'd already said he couldn't go out without a carer. Also if you can cook food but need to be reminded that it's time to start or reminding to turn the cooker off then that counts as support. My ds can wash himself but needs to be reminded to do it so he gets some points for that.

It says on the form that she can tell me what to put and I can write it in the first person (I find it hard to...) and then she signs it.
You don't need proof for that.

I think you need proof for the one where you write in the third person and then sign for them (Dd finds it hard to....)

Yes I have said I rely on alarms and calendars to help me do everything from taking meds to school pickup, posting a letter, making a phone call. I am unable to do anything without a reminder. Sometimes multiple reminders. I rely on sat nav to drive. For a new journey (which I avoid as much as possible because it’s so stressful) DH helps me pre-drive it on Google maps and I memorise landmarks and signs and what lane I need to be in, I select a car park and check the prices and count out the correct change.

Still 0 points.

Your Autism diagnosis / assessment report should confirm the 'cognitive impairment'

Tbh, I just screenshotted my Autism diagnosis coded entry from my electronic GP record.

The driving thing they tried in me first time round and it made me so angry when I think about how limited I am Second time around I stated on paper and asked to state in the assessment that ONLY drove for 10 mins per day in order to take my DD to school. I said this was important as it was for me to maintain the MINIMAL AMOUNT OF PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE I still had left. It seemed to shut them up.

Anyway, like I say, I'd go to the GP and ask to be refereed for help to complete a Mandatory Reconsideration.

even email or text conversations with friends saying for example you can't meet up for coffee because you are struggling with anxiety
I don’t have a friend to meet for coffee. I’ve never had a friend. Because I’m autistic.

Your Autism diagnosis / assessment report should confirm the 'cognitive impairment'
I sent the full report which explains the reasons why I was diagnosed with autism. Assessor still said no evidence of cognitive impairment.

Unfortunately that still counts as being able to do it, to a degree. Albeit with prompting. Maybe 4 points at a push. I got the 10 points as I have to have my Dad take me.

Does your DH not come with you? Has he been able to help you with the process of applying?

Did you say your Dh supports you?

Did he write a statement saying this?

Did you send in a photo of your calendar?

Have you contacted them for a mandatory reconsideration yet? It sounds like you meet the requirements.

No he wouldn’t help me or come with me. He’s Very Important at work and can’t possibly take a half day off to support me. The only reason I’m still married to him is because I couldn’t cope on my own.

Thing is, PIP isn't there to recompense those with medical conditions. It is to assist with the costs associated such as equipment and carers. Not private counselling.

You'd be better off claiming ESA (contribution based isn't means tested but is dependent on national insurance contributions).

I'm sorry you can't work but if you can manage all the descriptors independently, even if it is a challenge, then you won't be entitled to PIP.

It didn’t occur to me to send a photo of my calendar. I mean I could have just put anything on there, it’s not proof of anything.

No DH didn’t write a statement. I didn’t realise he could. I said how he supports me but still awarded 0 points. DH does support me but he’s very angry about it and shouts all the time about how he’s sick of me, and wouldn’t have married me if he’d known I was autistic. I thought if I got PIP I could get paid help so he wouldn’t have to do it and he wouldn’t be so angry all the time.

That isn’t correct. You can use PIP for therapy and counselling.

You'd be better off claiming ESA (contribution based isn't means tested but is dependent on national insurance contributions).
I can’t claim ESA because I haven’t worked for 8 years due to my condition, which means I haven’t paid any NI.

God, that's awful.

I actually amazed myself at what I'm capable of since I got rid of DP 10 yrs ago. I get so stressed and burned out being in a relationship that the energy saved and stress I now don't have enables me to put that energy to better use. I also feel much better about myself, as he made me feel like shit.

Appreciate that financially, its now always possible to go it alone though.

I'm still limited, and I might be a bit fucked if my Dad dies, mind.

Can your dh write a statement detailing how he supports you? I did this when my dm applied for attendance allowance.
re appointment letters etc you can access all of this data to support your claim. Through my care?

I have no income. If I left DH (a huge upheaval which I’m not sure I could manage) I’d be eligible for benefits. Whether I could get them is another matter. I was unemployed when I was younger and I didn’t claim Jobseekers Allowance because I couldn’t cope with going to the job centre and speaking to strangers, and being harassed and bullied and forced to attend interviews. So I didn’t claim - I just lived with my mum and ate as little as possible. I’m not confident in my ability to deal with the benefits system if I left DH, they are notorious bullies and I can’t cope.

Also DH has said previously if I leave him he’ll take custody of DC away from me because I’m autistic. I can’t have that. He said he’d put DC in care 12 hours a day while he works. DC is also autistic and wouldn’t cope with that.

No he won’t. And I think if he actually sat down and realised the amount of stuff he has to do for me, he’d get really angry. I could write a statement and get him to sign it.

Thing is, PIP isn't there to recompense those with medical conditions. It is to assist with the costs associated such as equipment and carers. Not private counselling

Pip can be used for anything. I have no equipment or carers ( except Dh)

I do have a cleaner, a gardener, a lady who comes and does the laundry every day. As I’m mainly bed bound. And DH was starting to lose his mind doing everything including dd and working full time.But l have these things as l can’t do them. I also spend some on private therapy appointments. As we have no nhs.

Do you at least get carers allowance if your son claims dla and also child benefit in your name? You need to claim the cb to get NI credits

I can’t claim Child Benefit because my DH earns too much. I do get the NI component. But I think you have to have NI payments from working to be eligible for ESA?

My son doesn’t claim DLA. He has difficulties and he’s clearly autistic based on what doctors and SEN staff have said, he has support in place as if he’s autistic, but he doesn’t have a diagnosis because he’s still on the waiting list. I’ve been advised he’ll be waiting up to 5 years for a diagnosis, and he won’t get benefits until he’s diagnosed, and even then he might not get them. I mean, I actually have a diagnosis and I can’t get benefits, so what chance does he have when he’s got no diagnosis?

I don’t get carers allowance for him. I was advised I can’t be a carer if I’m disabled and claiming PIP myself.

And DH was starting to lose his mind doing everything including dd and working full time
This is why my DH is so angry. He’s always screaming that he’s the only one who works, and he has to do everything else as well, and he just wants some help. Hence why I applied for PIP. But I’ve been turned down with 0 points.

I appreciate that you've already said you struggle with the benefits system. I've cried my way through it myself, but I get DLA for DD who is Autistic. I was on the DLA waiting times threads for months just reading about everyone else's experiences and advice.

Lot of people are receiving DLA for their kids who are on the waiting list for assessment. Mainly because it's on how it affects the child, not the actual diagnosis. And also people shouldn't have to wait years anyway.

I did my PIP claim and DDs DLA claim together. I'm a single parent. I don't know how I did it, but I did and I'm so pleased I did.

I'll just mention again that GPs can get you support to claim.