I claim pip and esa ask me anything

[Plopandflop]

I lot has been said on here about benefits and people who claim them and supposed how easy it is. I claim pip and esa because I have epilepsy and narcolepsy. My husband has just been diagnosed with MS and is currently going through the process.
I also used to work for a disability charity who supported disabled people to claim benefits so I have quite a bit of knowledge about how the process is for people with different disabilities.
there is a lot of misconception out there so if anyone would like to ask me anything about the process, or my disability or how the process made me feel or how I feel now being on benefits please do.

Can you claim PIP for ADHD have you seen a successful claim for it? Thanks

Surely that would be almost impossible. Disabilities don't exist in isolation to "normal" life. For example, with arthritis causing painful hands a person may need to pay extra for pre chopped veg with their weekly shop. Someone with mobility/circulation problems may need the heating on more. Someone with incontinence may need to run the washing machine twice as much. Working all this out would be futile

But that's the point of this thread isn't it? To dispel myths?

Another related myth - slightly tangential to this AMA - but well worth dispelling, as so many people, including journalists get confused, is that not all PIP claimants are not in work. If you fit the requirements of needs, you are entitled to it, regardless of employment status.

Are PIP assessments as scary as they say? My daughter has Down's syndrome and currently on DSA. Whilst the DSA form is awful, I'm not looking forward to when she moves over to PIP and I'm glad it's a good few years away!

I've heard all sort of awful things, such as the assessors asking claimants how long they've had their Down's syndrome!!

AI fail?

What education/qualifications do you have?

What is the PIP assessment actually like? Asking for someone currently applying for PIP

How much information should you include on a PIP application to have the best chances of getting it approved? Is it better to dump lots of supporting information there or save that for mandatory reconsideration? (Is it true most people who get PIP get it from mandatory reconsideration and not the initial application?)

If you work, to what extent do you need to explain that? I've heard that assessors use being in work as a way to reject your claim even though PIP isn't means tested and you are allowed to work when claiming it.

What evidence is useful beyond a medical report? I've heard people send in supporting statements from friends and family, but surely those have no weight?

@MugsyBalonz Thank you for your response which @Plopandflop is probably still mulling over...

So whilst you're here Mugsy, I wondered what your take is on my second quandary.

Swan matches used to be 'strike anywhere' and were great fun, but as a result of EU regulations in 2018 banning the necessary chemicals, Swan matches became 'safety matches'.

Consquently, it could be argued, that the country is now at risk of producing a generation of 'risk adverse' adults who may shy away from dealing adequately with terrorism and even internal threats to the British way of life.

Having left the EU do you think we should reinstate Swan matches to the way they were? (I know I do.)

What has this got to do with claiming pip/esa?
For what its worth there's lots of different people claiming benefits with lots of different educational backgrounds. Anybody can become disabled at any time in their life. I was fit and healthy till aged 35. I'm degree educated but at 36 the nhs dismissed me with an ill health pension and wrote I'd never work again (I get esa and pip).

1. "AMA"
2. Answering someone else's question
3. I'm unemployed with a PhD... so...

I've read that along with being employed, PIP assessors don't take kindly on you having a good education. So, if that came up in the application process, it's not a dig, it would just be really helpful to know how you dealt with it!

(Well, maybe not you personally as you didn't say we could ask you anything, but the OP. Unless you're comfortable answering, then great!)

I'm pretty sure I'm eligible for PIP, I just keep writing and rewriting the form as I don't know how to get it across. I manage to hide my condition from most of the world, but it doesn't mean I'm not constantly exhausted/broken and worthy of support.

I get the sense that PIP isn't just about whether you qualify, but whether you manage to tell that in the right way?

I mean DLA of course! Apologies, too many acronyms....

My son gets pip he is autistic, he will probably claim UC when he leaves college as will be in a minimum wage job.

We’ve been claiming UC since October, my DH has terminal cancer. They’re still conducting ‘fit for work’ interviews. They do them on the phone because he’s too sick to get to the job centre. It’s insane! They’ve had his medical info since the start and we’re still waiting for LCWRA.

Not OP but will add my experience to the mix. I’ve had two reviews now and both have been ok. The scariest part for me is opening up as I’m a very closed person and I find the whole process mortifying.

The assessor I had for my most recent review was nice. He seemed to spend a lot of time trying to make sure he understood what I was saying rather than just scribbling down his interpretation without really listening. I started crying at one point because laying it all out in such stark terms makes me feel utterly worthless. He was nice about that too, said he understood and suggested we take a break.

I feel fortunate as I know not everyone has an assessor they feel treats them like a human.

You can record the call/meeting as long as you ask their permission before you start recording, then you have a record of what was said or not said if you need to challenge anything.

If someone is terminally ill with a prognosis of less than 12 months then they should ask their health care professional if they will issue an SR1 form. If this is submitted to the DWP then LCWRA ( and highest rate of PIP daily living) can be awarded without any assessment. just highlighting this in case it applies to your dh. With the SR1 form I have rarely known any problems, always awarded quickly within a few weeks of the form being submitted. I worked as a Macmillan benefits advisor for many years,

Ah but he has Multiple Myeloma, so whilst terminal can be over a year. It simply depends when the myeloma cells start climbing again.

Unfortunately the cancer destroyed 6 vertebrae on its march so he’s very disabled.

Thank you though x

I completed a degree while claiming PIP and was upfront about it. The degree took me longer than it should have because of my disabilities though, and I think I gave examples of the difficulties that contributed to this in forms. It didn’t seem to have any negative bearing on my claim.

I manage to hide my condition from most of the world, but it doesn't mean I'm not constantly exhausted/broken and worthy of support.

This is how I feel and why I got so upset at my last review having to admit it to myself and someone else. I hate thinking or talking about what I can’t do because I spiral into a pit of despair. I survive by focusing on what I can do, which might not be a lot but I try my best. I can’t bear the thought of appearing weak or vulnerable so am able to put on incredible acts of being capable and self-assured during brief encounters with people, but inside and in private I’m a mess and can barely take care of my basic needs.

I get the sense that PIP isn't just about whether you qualify, but whether you manage to tell that in the right way?

Yes, this is correct. I would recommend asking CAB for help with how to apply the impact and symptoms of your condition to their questions. In my initial application, I ticked ‘no’ for anything that referred to the need for another person to do something for you or prompt you to do something because I didn’t have anyone in my life to fulfil that role. I was later told that whether I had someone to help or not, the need for it was there. So, for example, I often don’t have proper meals because I’m too unwell to cook anything despite being hungry. Other days I might feel too unwell to eat even though I know I should. It’s not unusual for me to go a whole day having eaten nothing but a couple of biscuits, and even that can be a struggle. I hover between the lower end of a healthy BMI and underweight, depending on how my condition is affecting me. So in my next review I explained this and I was awarded points for those categories. I can use the money to buy things like pre-prepared salads or some kind of ready meal that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford. I still don’t always manage to eat enough (I truly would benefit from being prompted) but it’s made things easier for me.

I have primary generalised epilepsy and constant tinnitus, both are exacerbated by fatigue, which is unfortunate as the tinnitus still gives me problems sleeping.
I get PIP. The assessment was so hellish I still remember it. I had a seizure because the witch in charge wouldn’t cover a flashing router light, my husband tried to cover it with paper from her desk, which she got ratty about, when he saw the myclonic seizures start, I don’t remember much after that. I thought she had relented when she helped me to the toilet to clean myself up but the cow just wanted to see if I could walk the specified distance unaided. She then denied the seizure ever happened.
I went to a tribunal and won. Cried my eyes out they didn’t contest.
They conduct a war of attrition and humiliation and rely on the fact that most people won’t want to carry on with it.
I work. I know many people with disabilities and perceived disabilities who work and the two most insulting posts I have come across are the ones asking bluntly how much the OP gets (is it any of your business?), can they work with epilepsy and narcolepsy? ( and the presumption is…? The OP has a jewellery business ), does the OP declare her jewellery earnings? (I don’t declare my earnings and Im not a benefit cheat, check out the difference between benefits, legacy etc.)
I wish the OP the best it is wretched having an unseen condition that really affects you or a condition that is in the main asymptomatic but horrendous in its effects which its symptoms occur. Not to mention the side effects of the drugs which the assessments never actually take into account because they are different to each individual and dosage dependant, but they can really wreck your quality of life.

ADHD isn’t classed as a recognised disability, so no.

Yes it is and yes you absolutely can get DLA/PIP. DC do.

Yeah I just googled, they seem to have changed it now. Not a great success rate sadly but hey, a possible avenue for sure.

Are you as shit scared as me about the migration to UC from support group ESA? i got the dreaded letter last week, so my ESA is now officially closed and i get my last ever payment next tuesday.
I am now in limbo not knowing if i will auto convert to LCWRA and get the £500 something a month element on top of the £393 standard rate because i was in the support group, or if i'm going to have to have an assessment in the next few weeks where they could decide i don't meet their qualifying and only get graded LCW, which means no added element and a loss of £240 a month i can't afford.

I'm either going to be about £150 a month better off, or £240 a month worse off. I can't find information anywhere if i'm guaranteed that even if a reassessment only puts me at LCW, the transitional protection still applies and they can't pay me less than what i was getting on ESA, or if a reassessment would count as exactly that, and that protection is void.

Extra costs due to my disability are my seizures make me very very cold so I have the heating on most of the time. If I have to journey by myself I will take a taxi instead of public transport (have a very good taxi company who know me and know my needs). I use CBD oil which is helping. I am better when I eat a healthy diet so all these things do add up over the money. I will be honest and say maybe not all of it goes towards my disability. When I do a craft fair i will have someone with me or I my mum will do it for me so I give her a bit of something.