I’m a PIP assessor, happy to advise if I can

[Impr90]

Hello all,

If you’ve got any questions you think I might be able to help with, please let me know

All the best for the New Year

Yes, it is clear. Even if you didn’t know what biologics were, the use of ‘severe asthma’ is self explanatory.

What point are you trying to make here? Surely even just ONE assessor deliberately making things up is one too many?

But writing severe asthma with no qualifiers doesn't meet the criteria. Anyone could say their condition is severe, and then still run a marathon before catering a 6 course meal for the queen. The qualifying statements of how it affects a person are the crucial element, otherwise everyone will just write on their form "severe". Even with mental health what you and I call severe isn't severe medically, it's moderate.

Perhaps you missed my last but one post despite replying to it. I will repeat it for you. I wasn’t commenting on the form. I was commenting on the use of mild when it is clear from the post that isn’t the case.

Severe asthma is a specific diagnosis.

You have no idea what I call severe mental health difficulties.

TBF I would LOVE to be a traffic warden if I was capable of it... people park illegally, dangerously and like twats all over where I live especially around school areas where they suddenly think the law and common sense doesn't apply.

I think wardens could make a real difference to safety which is completely different to those irritating, opportunistic and predatory parking charge companies like ParkingEye.

DLA used to allow for common sense and gave the assessor some leeway. PIP doesn’t. Aspects of a condition which may be glaringly obvious will still not count towards a PIP award unless they are specific to the assessment criteria. That’s the reality. And for clarity I don’t agree with much of the way PIP is assessed, but I’ve had to work within the guidelines and eventually advising claimants accordingly becomes second nature, regardless of whether it’s morally right or not. It’s whatever scores the points.

And you're spectacularly missing the point I'm making. Just calling something severe doesn't make it eligible for a claim in the world of PIP. Saying "severe asthma that stops this person dressing, cooking, washing and leaving the house" will.

Severe asthma may be a specific diagnosis. So are very many other conditions. Doesn’t change the fact that the condition itself is not what qualifies a claimant for PIP. It’s the functional assessment - how the condition affects them from day to day.

FFS, I haven’t missed your point. You have missed mine! I wasn’t commenting on the form (or even PIP in general). I was commenting on the use of mild when it is clear from the post that isn’t the case. Severe asthma is never mild.

I will repeat what I have posted to the other poster. I wasn’t commenting on the form (or even PIP in general). I was commenting on the use of mild when it is clear from the post that isn’t the case.

I know exactly what is involved in PIP claims. I support parents of disabled DC, including completing the form and supporting with assessments and appeals.

The system isn’t corrupt as such. Effectively the assessor is making the decision on the number of points for each activity/descriptor. The decision maker is basically marrying up the total points with the level of award they merit, and communicating the decision to the claimant. DWP don’t directly employ medical personnel and assessment providers are contracted in by DWP to assess and provide evidence as to the eligibility of claimants for PIP.

RE: the use of “severe”.

This is something we see daily. Severe asthma, severe anxiety, severe autism.

It can be a legitimate diagnosis in some cases but very often it’s purely the claimant’s perspective on how bad they feel their condition is, so further investigation is required.

In relation to that particular post, the asthma obviously isn’t mild. The person is on biologics. Someone with mild asthma wouldn’t be on biologics for it.

I know that. But if the biological are working and effective, their functioning might be decent enough to warrant no award.

The functioning doesn’t need to be brilliant to end up with no points; just reasonable.

If you read the thread I have repeatedly posted my point wasn’t about the form or even PIP at all. It was about the use of ‘mild’.

Although if you read the thread you would also see the biologics aren’t controlling the asthma since the poster also poster “In and out of hospital
On a constant high dose of steroids”

Sorry replied to wrong person

Spot on. The premise of PIP is that disability/heath conditions affect different people in different ways. That’s why the award is made on the impact of the inability on the individual, rather than just the fact that they have a specific condition.

I know exactly what is involved in PIP claims. I support parents of disabled DC, including completing the form and supporting with assessments and appeals.

Wouldn’t that mostly be child DLA though ? PIP isn’t applicable to under 16s and the criteria are very different.

It involves DLA and PIP (and several other benefits). Many (sadly not all) disabled children turn into disabled 16 year olds still being cared for by their parents. Many services who support parents of disabled DC support well into the 20s now - in part because of the changes in SEN legislation to encompass young people until their mid 20s. I am well aware the criteria are different. If I had meant DLA, I would have said DLA.

Your communication style is awful.

Same could be said about your posts.

But there's been no complaints about my writing style.

Except yesterday when I pointed three times to you specifically something I had written and you kept posting ignoring that part of my posts.

I think the point here is the PIP assessment takes into account the role of medication - the benefits as well as any side effects. If an activity can be undertaken safely and reliably with the medication then that’s what will be assessed. It’s the same with pain relief, the assessment looks at how well pain is controlled and the subsequent effects on the activities assessed.

I only queried it because you said you were supporting parents with disabled DC - that suggested child DLA and not PIP. Was just clarifying.