I’m a PIP assessor - is there anything I can help you with?

[Candledrip]

Please let me know if I can help

Sit on a chair?! You can put a small plastic stool /chair in the shower. Put a microwave on a table and sit on a chair to use it?

If you can entirely control a car with your hands I'm pretty sure you could sit on a chair in a kitchen and manage to microwave beans, put bread or a jacket potato in a toaster, heat a microwave meal.
You can either use your hands and arms reasonably competently (eg react quickly and responsively to hazards while in control of a vehicle!!) or.... you can't!

Maybe because the PIP criteria are quite different to DLA.

@Sunnysideup4eva requiring aids for the activities such as preparing a meal and bathing scores points. Being able to use a microwave but not a conventional cooker scores points.

I think they look at ability to cook a simple meal from scratch on the hob. You couldn't put a chair close to the hob if the oven was also on as it would be unsafe.

There’s that. Some of the criteria are very, very different.

Also, as someone ages, it’s expected that they’ll take control of their own condition. In the case of T1DM, why isn’t someone aged 16+ able to learn to interpret blood sugar results, to inject insulin? In the absence of a learning issue, it’s absolutely expected that they’ll do it themselves.

Do you qualify for PIP or a similar benefit if you are unable to work whilst undergoing cancer treatment

And what extra costs are there? genuinely asking as my friends 23 year old has recently been diagnosed with type 1 and he has had everything provided like one of those libra machines that checks blood sugar etc. I guess if a young person is needing an adult to work less hours to check on them all the time/ be a full time carer etc as blood sugars are not well controlled then that is different.

PIP isn't really about working as many people who claim PIP also work. You could look at New style ESA or Universal credit if unable to work as they are earnings replacement benefits. PIP is based purely on difficulties you have with things like washing, dressing , managing treatments, mobility etc, so you may well also meet the criteria for PIP it would depend how your illness and treatment is affecting you and how long you are expecting to have difficulties etc. You need to reasonably expect to have difficulties for at least nine months to claim PIP. I used to work as a Macmillan benefits advisor and lots of people with cancer did qualify for PIP based on the side effects etc. Speak to Macmillan for help.

Maybe the person who asked can elaborate on that. They might be referring to appointments and the travel expenses. Other than that, food intake is generally normal - healthy, balanced - so should be comparable to someone without diabetes.

Ultimately, people are expected to manage their own health. Someone with diabetes can learn what their condition is, can learn to carb count if required, can interpret their sensor readings, to recognise hypo/hyperglycaemia, to take their insulin independently. Lots of kids are competent at all of these, so I wouldn’t allocate any points to an adult who says the can’t, unless there was clear rationale for the reported difficulty (learning disability, blindness etc).

@RaininSummer
I've been helping my neighbour with her PIP review. I have no idea what rate she is on.
But an observation on mobility.
At a guess I would say her bills are quite high as she never leaves the house
She has to pay someone to do everything for her, every thing is delivered, she has a dogwalker. Before you have a go at why she has a dog, the dog is her main companion.
If she has a medical appt she needs to get taxis, I've been with her when she's spent £40 on a taxi for a hospital appt.
Im sure there are other impacts.

Do you also through your teeth like the PIP assessor has done on their feedback from my very disabled teenage daughter assessment.

We have a tribunal very shortly after an extremely stressful year and a half of fighting this BS.

I don't know how you and your colleagues do your jobs;you couldn't pay me any amount to do what you do.

Candledrip
This is my query from my thread yesterday and I was directed to this one. Thank you

justforthis · Yesterday 17:40
Possibly no one can answer this but I thought I'd ask anyway.
DS awarded high rate mobility and care for the past 4 years. He is now living semi independently but still struggles with the same things to some extent. His recent review knocked every box down to zero and they've stopped it completely.
He has moved from England to Scotland and ADP have the details and are in the process of transferring but I've not heard.from them since the PIP response on Friday. How likely is it that they've scored zero on everything as the claim is moving to ADP Scotland? I assumed they'd likely reduce the PIP of course but to score zero across the board is a massive shift.
I will try and call in the week but I thought I'd put it out there in case anyone has any insight. Tia

Are you a nurse who does the interview and marks how many points someone is awarded on the call / face interview and refers it on or do you actually make the decision if someone is eligible

Do you take full advantage of the overtime rates they pay when there is a backlog dsis does the same job nurse doing interviews at one point she was being paid £750 per day overtime

Since well over 50% of appeals are successful there is clearly something seriously wrong with the assessment process. The tribunals use exactly the same criteria and come to a different conclusion and award. In a fair and balanced process one might expect 5-10% of appeals to be successful because it’s not straightforward but a success rate of 50-70% means the assessors or their masters are making a poor job of it and wasting a lot of public money on the appeal process as well as putting vulnerable people through a hideous ordeal.

I have been waiting over a year for my court appeal - but then I'm told this is normal?

Also, with the same claim, the assessors didn't read what I wrote or what I said when I clearly told them the difficulties I was facing but awarded 0 for everything. The process is long and for me I felt vulnerable and humiliated by having to ask for help - so to then to not be listened too?

Of course it is. I got the threatening, "We will ban you if you continue to point out ableism" email for saying so, though.

Do you know that cars with hand controls don't need you to be able to walk 50m?

My assessor told me I could walk because I could drive a car with hand controls.

@Candledrip can I ask why does the system seem set up to deny people that are clearly in needs?

A relative is in heart failure only 10% of their heart is functioning therefore they can hardly sit up let alone walk, wash themselves, cook etc etc, they need full time care. Their legs are rock solid tree trunks due to fluid retention. It is terminal and they have been given 1 year to live as it’s more than 6 months they can’t get attendance allowance, pip were aware of the terminal diagnosis. Their pip assessment came back they were perfectly fit and well, zero points and was capable of working, to say I’m shocked is an understatement!

Somebody asked about extra costs.

I use a wheelchair.

My small town has a bus service and a train station.

The buses according to the website are wheelchair accessible. They are not. I can't use the buses.

The train station is unmanned. You need a ramp to get on the train. Assistance is only provided between 8am and 8pm and you need to book preferably two hours in advance. Even then they sometimes don't turn up.

I've literally just driven my wheelchair forward over the gap off the train before and hoped it didn't get damaged.

Two local taxi firms have a wheelchair taxi. One starts at 7am and goes off shift at 4 and is not available during school drop off or pick up times. The other I rang once and they told me they were fully booked for the next three weeks.

So I have a car. That's what my pip mobility money goes on.

I think that a lot of people think that PIP assessors know about the disabilities that they have. They often don't. They have a decision maker's guide that gives them an overview of many conditions. They have a 'medical team' who they can contact for advice. But they often won't know about the specific condition that the claimant has. Then, of course, within any condition there will be a spectrum of severity. That's before you get to overlapping conditions that increase the severity of the claimant's needs.

I have 3 children with SEN and I always fill the claim forms in as if they have never heard of their condition. I spell out every detail of why they need assistance/supervision/prompting with each activity. I explain what would happen if they don't get that support.

I've found, anecdotally, that PIP is better for ASD than DLA. One of my children got high rate care and low rate mobility for DLA, then Enhanced for both on PIP. One got middle rate care and low rate mobility for DLA, then Enhanced for both on PIP, and one currently gets middle rate care and low rate mobility for DLA and will transfer to PIP later this year.

You really can't use logic. You have to be really explicit and look at the wording carefully. For example, if you start telling them how difficult it is to prepare a Sunday Roast for the family, when the criteria is a simple meal from fresh ingredients for one person (such as an omelette), then you'll score no points. They don't care if you can't bend down to the oven, or if you can't lift something out of an oven, because the criteria is based on using a hob. They don't care if you can't lift a big pan of boiling water, because the criteria is a meal for one, and they would expect you to scoop the food out of the water. So you have to look at what the criteria is and how you meet that.

People with learning disability/mental health needs often meet these criteria more easily because the cognitive skills required for cooking, such as knowing how high to turn the heat, knowing how long to cook something for, knowing how to check that it's cooked, knowing what to do if it burns, remembering to turn the heat off after cooking, and knowing what to do if it goes wrong, make cooking a risky activity that may require supervision or prompting.

Request an updated letter from your last doctor or professional who gave you the diagnosis.

I've just written to the DWP to try and get another two points for enhanced mobility. They gave me standard daily and standard mobility, but things are getting worse.

Do you know why some people with stage 4 cancer. could be refused pip?

I'm a member of two quite reputable S4 Breast Cancer FB groups. The number of people who are struggling with obtaining PIP is incredible! Their mobility, daily living AND mental health, all shot to pieces by cancer eating away at viral organs and yet they are having to go to appeal.

When I was diagnosed, I had to ask a benefits advisor at Maggies, to help me fill out the form. Otherwise she said I could get rejected. I could barely breathe on that day, due to fluid in my lung. So I had the fear of rejection, alongside not being able to breathe? Why would that be, I asked Maggies? The wording they said. You have to word it carefully. Why is that?

If someone has a prognosis of less than 12 months then they need to ask their health care professional to issue an SR1 ( special rules) form. the top rates of the appropriate benefit would then automatically be awarded within a few weeks with no telephone appointment needed. I have made hundreds of applications for people using this form and only once or twice have they been turned down because the DWP didn't accept the prognosis.
With you mentioning Attendance Allowance, normally you have to have had difficulties with daily living activities for six months to claim, but if applying under special rules then that six month waiting period does not apply. I have had three clients recently awarded AA under special rules.

I'm very confused about the impact of pain on the mobility bit of PIP.

It asks about distance walked but I don't really understand whether if you are eligiblr if can do it, but in pain and then need a rest.