Is it worth applying for PIP

[backtoworknextweek]

I suffer from a bone condition which means I am constantly in pain which, for the past few years, massively effected my mental health. I work part time because I am unable to full time because of my condition.

Is it worth applying for Pip. Will I be knocked back and is it a stressful process to go through. Will I need to send my doctors letters with my condition

A PIP award is based on your ability to (a) carry out daily living activities such a preparing and eating food, washing, dressing, using the loo etc and (b) mobility.

Worth reading this as an intro and then coming back, or going directly to CA, with questions.

Definitely worth it. You need to think how your condition affects your daily life and mobility. If you feel it’s impacted please apply.

It's worth a try I think - I'm imminently about to get a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (doctor says it's RA just needs confirmation from a rheumatologist) my quality of life is severely impacted- I'm like a little old woman . Stairs are an issue, I can't do my own housework anymore, driving is an issue , just normal day to day activities leave me with huge swollen joints .

I've gone from a fit active woman to a shell of my former self . I'm turning down invites to everyday things because I know I'll suffer for days after .

I intend to put a claim in - it could help me with help around the home (I live alone) I work from home at min as can't get to my place of work , I can't walk my dogs , I'm completely debilitated. So figuring that's what it's there for I'm going to apply - even if I get a small amount it could help pay for the cleaner I've had to employ.

Definitely apply but chances are you are in for a long slog to get an award.

Unless your medical evidence is rock solid (and even if it is), the DWP routinely turn down deserving PIP applications forcing you to appeal to a tribunal. They are hoping people will give up along the way and many do.

If you are up for a test of endurance, get your supporting medical evidence ready. Read the CAB guidance notes carefully and get all your supporting evidence in hand before requesting the PIP application form as you only have one month to complete the form.

Try to get help from an independent advisor (look for one in your area). Do not ask for help from the DWP helpline or any of their people. Everything you say can and will be twisted and used against you to turn down your application.

Thank you for replying.

So my quality of life is definetely impacted and more so the past 3 years. I have Gp letters to back up but some days are worse than others. It's a funny condition I have. So some days I can be okay but then i could wake up the next day and can't physically get out of bed. I work part time and want to continue working but there is no way I can work full time, I have to work every other day I.e can't work 2 days in a row because it takes time to recover.

@AnyaMarx good luck with your claim please keep me updated and I'll let you know how I go

One thing I did benefit from with all of covid lockdown was applying for PiP. I had an interview over a laptop rather than seeing them in person and they quickly awarded me standard mobility rate.

My condition has since worsened so I’m currently applying for a change of circumstances. It’s so much harder now. I have to fill in a lot of paperwork and collect evidence which has taken the doctors 3 weeks to put together.

We shall see I guess if I manage to get standard daily rate

PIP is not about whether you can work. It is about whether you can cook a simple meal from scratch, wash and dress yourself, communicate, manage your medications, budget, mix with others and how far you can mobilise. It also looks at whether you can do these activities reliably, safely, consistently etc for at least 50% of the time. You need medical evidence to back up what you are saying and it's often refused. I help quite a few people to claim it, I'd say about 50% get awarded it straight off, others have to go to appeal.

@Babyroobs can you claim Pip if you work and does income or partners income affect it.

@Soubriquet will your GP supply you with a letter for them or do you have to pay for it. My doctors not very helpful can't imagine them doing a letter for me. I have all my copy letters from hospital

Yes you can claim it if you work and partners income has no effect. It's a non means tested benefit.

@Babyroobs thank you that's really helpful.

We recently applied for DH for the first time, we submitted the form backed up with hospital letters, personal statements from me and him and information relating to his conditions and how they affect him. He got a phone call out of the blue from an assessor which lasted about 10 minutes. He was awarded the lower rate.

Good luck.

They are supplying the letter. I haven’t had to pay for it because I haven’t had the doctor write the letter, I’ve literally requested my medical data from the last few months.

I would access it myself but I have no photographic ID so it was easier to do it this way. Didn’t realise it would take them so long to put it all together.

Im collecting it on Wednesday

You don't need a special letter from the doctor. Copies of correspondence with your consultant for example can be used. You can also do a free data subject access request to your GP to get a copy of your medical records and use those as evidence.

You can get PIP for variable conditions but generally you need to be impacted 50% of the time.

The key is to get the forms right. Is there a charity for your condition? They often have good free guides tailored to the condition.

Theres a charity called fightback for justice on facebook who are amazing at pip Forms. They have guide that are condition specific

couldn’t recommend them enough

Definitely worth applying but you need to really get to know the activities and exactly what they involve as far as the DWP are concerned. PIP info is a good website for that, or try and get a welfare rights advisor or contact a charity that covers your condition(s) as suggested above. You need to be affected in a manner covered by a particular descriptor more than 50% of the time to score points. Also as above, whether or not you can do the activities reliably, safely, within a reasonable timeframe, and as often as required, can be crucial.

Being physically unable to get out of bed is not covered by any of the descriptors. Amazingly. The mobility question that deals with moving around is concerned only with your ability to stand and walk on at least one biological foot on even, mostly flat ground outside. So not being able to manage stairs, for example, or move around in your home, is irrelevant.

In terms of daily living, they want you to imagine that you are in whatever room trying to do each activity even on days when you can't. So again, even though not being able to get out of bed on a given day literally stops you from (for example) preparing food because you can't get to the kitchen, they don't give a shit. Not saying that's how you'd answer that question, but I've seen people querying this sort of thing on disability forums and wondering why they didn't score points. DWP's idea of preparing a meal involves meat and veg, chopping and peeling the fresh ingredients, and cooking at waist height (so on hob or in microwave). They don't care if you typically cook your food in the oven and can't bend down to put it in, and they (stupidly!) don't consider moving the food, heavy pans, plated meal, etc from place to place in the act of cooking.

If you can get medical or occupational health evidence that backs up your own descriptions of difficulties you have in each area, that is the most useful. Letters confirming diagnosis probably less so. I've never sent in any medical evidence in 18 years of claiming sickness and disability benefits and never had to challenge a decision. Understanding what the questions are asking and being able to answer them with detailed accounts and specific examples of struggles I've had is the way I always go.

Pip has multiple sections each about a different aspect of daily living, scores are 0-2 for each section. They include do you need help showering, using the toilet, managing medication, preparing food, etc then there's a separate section on mobility. Unfortunately many do not qualify because even though they are tired or in pain, these aren't on the form

Good luck applying OP.

For reference. I have CFS, fibromyalgia, orthostatic intolerance, postural hypotension, hyperacusis, tinnitus. I can't stand for long or cope with noise. I can't do housework. I can barely manage personal care. It takes all my energy. I can't stand for long. I use a mobility scooter.

I scored 0 points.

I don't reckon much to the PIP process.

They'll request information from your GP and consultants if you have any.

What have you got to lose really.

It's 💯 worth it I get Pip with my RA.

Don't trust that they will contact medical professionals. They often don't. Make sure to send plenty of evidence.

Look up the PIP descriptors. They will help you gauge where you think you may score and then you can gather evidence accordingly. You don't need a doctor letter the DWP will contact your GP if they need to. Also you can claim and work but only if your job doesn't contradict your claim. So you can't say you are unable to cook but work as a chef. You can't say you are unable to walk far and do a job that requires you to be in your feet all day.

Holy crap! How did you not get awarded anything

Basically they called me a liar.

That's the invisible illness penalty.

Although when I applied the NHS had not sent me for the tilt table test at that point so didn't have the evidence to prove anything about my claim other than testimony. I can't be bothered reapplying until a new Gov gets in power. The PiP assessors are on bonuses for hitting targets....I pressume that means the less they approve the more they get paid in bonuses.

I didn't send any thing from my GP because they aren't really involved in anything to do with my condition as I attend a neuromuscular clinic in hospital. I had the latest letter from the clinic and sent that in. I had a phone assessment and was awarded standard for both.

My advice would be to read over the criteria very carefully. There were loads of things that I wouldn't have thought to mention on the form but a charity that deals with my condition had a booklet with examples to consider and there were loads of things in it. I also got someone from CAB to help with the form.