Can you claim PIP with no actual diagnosis but still have ongoing difficult symptoms?

[JayneS5]

Firstly I will say I have OCD and anxiety since I was a child, my mother never got me help for it so I brought it into adulthood but I got diagnosed with it in 2010 but the CBT didn't work and I think it was because I was never honest to her about my intrusive thoughts due to feelings of shame so I relapsed.

Anyway for about 4 years I have had many physical symptoms that I have been to the doctors for and have had tests but I've been told they are normal and I would just have to live with it. One of true symptoms is back pain on one side, I struggle to pick my baby up and do other things and I was sent to a physiotherapist and I asked what is causing the pain and she said 'nothing, it's just pain' when I asked her what will happen if the exercise don't work she said 'you will just have to learn to live with it. And there are several other symptoms that I have been told to just live with but no actual reason for the collection of symptoms which do affect my daily life. Walking a short period wipes me out. So can I claim PIP on the basis of these symptoms even though I've not got a name for them as they affect me every day. Also can you claim it when you have a husband who works? He doesn't support me much financially and the bit of child tax credit/ child Ben we get I use to pay rent and other bills and I don't even have access to his wage or his bank statements so I don't even have money to buy clothes or anything. We don't have a joint account. So I need my own income but I am not well enough for work due to these symptoms and I can never concentrate fully on a task due to my intrusive thoughts. I have always been a stay at home mum due to this but I don't get the support from my husband and I hate asking him for money because he's earned it and I have not. He doesn't understand how all this affects me on a daily basis.

When applying for PIP your GP will be asked for a medical report. Since you haven't actually been diagnosed with anything I think it's unlikely that you will be awarded PIP.

Your DH appears to be the main problem here, yes you can claim it even if your DH works but PIP isn't paid to replace what your DH should be providing, it's paid to enable you to live a normal life as possible. For example I have used mine to buy indoor and outdoor walking frames and have had the two steep steps up to my front door replaced by four shallower steps on which I can place my walking frames securely.

To be frank your DH sounds useless - I would be telling him to pay up or leave.

Hope you feel better soon and good luck.

It's not impossible but you would need as many reports from DRs/ physios as possible to support your claim.
Look up the PIp descriptors online and see where you might score points. can you cook a meal for yourself/ bath or shower yourself/ manage bills/ go out on your own/ mix with others?
Pip is all about the effect that your disability has on your life.
To apply for PIp you must reasonably expect to be ill/ have the disability for another nine months at least.
Pip is a non means tested benefit so it doesn't matter that your dh earns, but as pp says it is not an earnings replacement benefit. pip is a benefit to help pay for the additional costs of a long term disability so things like paying for help if you can't do the housework/ paying for taxis if you can't walk or use public transport/ paying for extra heating if you are housebound or paying for aids/ therapy etc to help your condition. No -one checks up on what it is used for though.

I should it is pretty hard to get and even people with long term debilitating conditions like epilepsy are being turned down for it.

Are you currently on maternity leave ? If you worked or on mat leave and have paid national insurance contributions in the past 2 tax years you could possibly claim contributions based ESA which would give you some income of your own. you would need to go for assessments/ send in fit notes etc to say you were unfit for work.

I really dont know what to do. I am struggling at the moment and I feel like I am doing everything alone. Money is a real issue but my husband has an overdraft problem due to having financial difficulties in the past where he had to use his overdraft so when he gets his wage it just takes it to pay his overdraft and fees and also has or pay for the car which he needs to get to work and it makes life easier for us with the kids. We don't live beyond or means or anything like that. We just have a basic life. I hate asking him for money. I know if I find a job I will struggle because if everything going on at the moment and I won't be able to fit it around his job anyway so I'm stuck. I need him here to help with the kids and if I left him my life would just be more difficult. I feel like I'm stuck. And financially I would be even more worse off because I would have to make a new tax credit claim which would then make the 2 child rule apply to me so would lose a lot of income that way so would be worse! I feel like there is no why out and things will not get better.

I have been at stay home mum for several years so I wouldn't be entitled to ESA

Regarding the tax credits, if all the children were born before April 2017 then I think you continue to get tax credits for them all. The two child rule only applies to a third child born after that date.

PIP doesn't require a diagnosis but you do need to be able to articulate what the impact of your symptoms has on your daily living.

Your GP will not necessarily be asked to provide a report by DWP or Atos, and it will cost you if you ask them to provide you with one. Even then if you pay for one it may not be written in such a way as to support a claim. Any letters or reports you provide need to either be a confirmation of a diagnosis or describe their observations of your symptoms and how they impact your daily living.

For instance: Physio - Jayne has attended weekly for 12 weeks. She has followed advice but we have not seen an improvement in her impairment. She is unable to lift her left arm above shoulder height without pain or carry weight with this arm. (Obviously made up but you get the point)

It's not helpful to have a report that says:
I have seen Jayne weekly for 12 weeks. She continues to report paint in her left arms when lifting weight or raising above shoulder height. There has been no improvement despite exercises prescribed to strengthen shoulder.

There are lots of good websites and forums with advice on disability and claiming PIP. Try Yourable or benefits and work.

There is a guide to claiming PIP on the CAB website and I think it said something about applying of you don;t have a diagnosis. I'll try and find a link for you. I think a diagnosis / meds and some kind of referral to 'specialist services' helps with PIP, they seem very keen on evidence. HTH.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/

The OP says she does have a diagnosis of OCD.

How about some support with the OCD itself, it doesn't seem like you have had that..it might be an idea to ask for something. If you are on any meds as well. Also another things may be ESA cont based, if you have worked in recent years.

My PIP awarded enhanced as I couldn't walk more than 2miles when making the application in Januray 2020 but as at mid March 2020 i can now walk for 15 to 20miles. Will this affect my mobility award. I still cant walk too far I can walk from my house to my car outside in the car park I still have pains in my leg and nueropathy in my feet and hands which makes me fall over randomly.
I prefer driving as result of this falls .I have spoken to my occupational therapist and physiotherapist they have written to the council regarding this and adaptations are put in place in my home an d when driving i have the urge to use the toilet every few minutes so i stop randomly when driving to use the toilet most days I wet myself this is so sad a d embarassing please advice
Thanks

OP

Don’t waste your time filling in the enormous form until you have medical confirmation of your diagnosis.

No ifs or buts

**PIP doesn't require a diagnosis but you do need to be able to articulate what the impact of your symptoms has on your daily living.
**

Incorrect
It requires medical input