PIP Higher Rate

[MeganBoo]

Hi all, was hoping to ease my anxiety by hearing some positive experiences on receiving higher rate pip for both daily living and mobility.

I’ve been receiving lower rate daily living pip since the start of the year for my mental health which is very severe…I’m unable to leave my house as have panic attacks, go weeks without washing, can’t make myself food the list goes on…the mental health nurse who visits me weekly said I should be getting the higher rate so I requested to update my pip claim back in May. I also added a claim for the mobility part as I think I could easily qualify for the higher rate for that since I’m unable to leave my house due to mental health and also have bone problems in my hips and legs causing me pain and I can’t walk too far. I had a telephone assessment 2 weeks ago and I’m now waiting to hear back from them, been extremely anxious and paranoid that they may down play my health and I may not qualify for the higher rates that I could be getting also I remember the assessor asking how many bus lengths I can walk and I felt a bit overwhelmed and didn’t know what to say, I regret not giving an answer to that. Hoping to hear some positive experiences from people who managed to get the higher rates also how long you waited.

The answer is less than 1 bus
the thing with asking for an early review is you have to be very sure that you are elegible and that you have solid evidence as they can also take away the claim you already have ….if they score you less than 8 on DL ……have you had the text that says your report has been sent to the DM?

@Kitkat1523

The whole bus question was a bit overwhelming for me as I was trying to picture how long the buses were and then me walking besides them, I think I made it more complicated then it needed to be but regret not saying a number. I’m 100% sure they won’t take away my current claim as to be honest I didn’t exaggerate and get across how bad my health is in my first claim but managed to this time so if anything I should hopefully get more points added, it honestly has a massive effect on my life. I got a text on the 15th to say they’ve recieved my assessment and they’ll contact me within 6 weeks

In reality no one knows - I got higher rate for my Ds . He is on a safety plan if he leaves the house and a risk to himself .

I have read so many stories where they feel the report bares no resemblance to assessment not to believe it ..

The wait is hard so try distracting yourself the best you can.

@Starlightstarbright3

The internet isn’t helping right now as I’ve also seen the stories of the assessor's down playing the assessment which has got me anxious.

Thank you, trying to stay as busy as possible, hopefully not long now.

Trying to find a substitute for metres (as per the guidance) on how far you can walk is a nightmare even where you're on the side of the claimant and trying to help.

Buses? Cars? Houses on an estate?

@Bromptotoo

I had no idea how to answer the bus question and panicked a bit, wish I at least gave an answer though as I now feel like the assessor may assume I can walk further then I can so really worried about that bit. Although I did say that I struggle to walk from my front door to the gate at the front of the house which I hoped would give them an idea of my struggle.

If they turn you down, do a mandatory reconsideration, ring up for the assessors report & then go through it & rip it apart. Use bullet points for your arguments & keep on repeating reliably, safely & repeatedly. If you are in so much pain after doing one task that you need to rest & take pain relief, say so, the same for If doing one thing wrecks you mentally & emotionally. If you can't do something over 50% of the time, you can't do it at all. Like you, I can't get showered & wear the same clothes until they are absolutely scruffy before changing them, I use wet wipes instead of showering because the council refuse to remove the bath & make me a wet room in. If the MR fails, then appeal, over 70% of appeals are successful, the DWP has 28 days after you apply to appeal to look at the case again, they often change the decision then, I was told that they only look at the form & not at any reports or letters until you actually appeal.

@Nat6999

Thank you really appreciate the advice, hoping I get the points I should and won’t have to appeal as I’ve heard that takes a long time and would cause me more stress. Sounds very similar to me, feel better knowing I’m not the only one who struggles to wash and change clothes, thank you for sharing that.

@Nat6999

I haven’t got my letter explaining the decision yet but I called them and found out how much my next payment will be and from that I figured over been upgraded to enhanced daily living but standard mobility which I think I should get enhanced for…I’m now gonna have to wait for the letter and appeal it which has made my mental health worse I now don’t feel like eating and feel sick. I’ve heard appealing takes months it’s so disheartening

You have to do a mandatory reconsideration first, you need the assessors report to pick your arguments & find discrepancies from what you told them.

How do your health conditions affect your mobility?

There's a useful self help test here:

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-self-test

@Nat6999

Thsnk you for getting back to me. So when I get the letter I contact them and ask for a reconsideration or so I send a letter I’ve seen people say to send a letter. Also do I need to get medical evidence from my gp and if so how do I do this? Do I call my gp and ask for a copy of my records. I’m aware I have a month from when I get the letter to take it to tribunal so I’d need DWP to
reply to my reconsideration asap also I’m not sure if I’ll have enough medical
evidence from gp regarding my physical health problems as I’ve only been to the doctors for it once and that was years ago at a different gp, they diagnosed and said I have uneven hips and one leg longer then the other which in result causes pain.

First you need to get a copy of the assessors report from the DWP, you have 28 days from the date on your award letter to tell the DWP you will be doing a mandatory reconsideration, then another 28 days to submit it. You don't have to have additional medical information, did you record your assessment? You just need to present your arguments, don't forget the phrase reliably, repeatedly & safely, if you can't do a task over 50% of the time, you can't do it at all. You could send a diary of a week, what help you need & what you can't do.

@Nat6999

I just looked online at my medical documents and have loads regarding my mental health but unfortunate none for my physical health (I have uneven hips so one legs longer then the other causing pain). I remember they diagnosed my physical issue years ago but it was under a different gp that’s now closed and I did make an appointment regarding my hips a few months ago where they did blood tests and found out I have anemia and unfortunately the hips got brushed under the carpet and they focused on my anemia so no medical evidence regarding this. I could easily make a doctors appointment to have them check my hips again and supply evidence however I think any evidence I submit has to be previous evidence so bit of a dead end. Was thinking I could wait a bit and report a change of circumstances again in a few months but not sure if that’s possible and would rather it’s sorted asap.

It's not the condition, it's how it affects you, so if you suffer hip pain & back pain from your hip problem & this reduces the distance you can walk, this is what they look at. I was born with congenital dislocated hips, so I know how much this can affect getting around. I was told by someone from the DWP that they only look at additional information when you get to appeal stage, they only go with what is on the form. I would do a 7 day diary & put down each day how much you are affected, just don't forget that you should only count being able to do a task reliably, repeatedly & safely. If say you can only walk to your gate once & then had to rest, take pain medication or go to bed or if trying to walk to your gate again meant you would fall, then you can't do it reliably, repeatedly & safely.

What pain medication are you prescribed OP? if you are saying you can’t walk due to pain the.nThey will be looking at evidence of your pain…..ie your meds….for example naproxen or tramadol?? Then you can send in the repeat prescription copy

@Nat6999

The bone condition I have does effect me a lot and is another reason to why I don’t go out much…I can’t walk far without the pain kicking in or feeling like I’m limping and standing is hard as well…I did tell the assessor that simply walking around the house causes me pain and that I can’t stand and cook long meals due to the pain. I got my letter today and saw regarding mobility I got 10 points for planning and following a journey which I’m happy with but then 0 for the physical part which is disappointing I think I could’ve at least got the minimum as most days I’m in bed not only due to mental health but because of my bone pain. I’m aware it’s because I don’t have strong medical evidence regarding this so that’s something I need to gather ready for the appeal, I’m gonna make a doctors appointment for this week asap.

@Kitkat1523

Unfortunately I don’t have any prescribed meds as only been to the doctors regarding the bone issue twice. Once when I was much younger with my mum, where they diagnosed me and then again a few months ago but the doctor brushed the bone issue under the carpet and spoke about how I need a blood test to rule out anything else first and the blood test revealed I had anemia so that became a priority. I’m gonna have to make a doctors appointment for next week to speak about the issue properly and be assessed and hopefully that’ll lead to some evidence I can put in the appeal. I never bothered going to the doctors about it due to my anxiety and I felt like it wasn’t something they could fix unless I have bone surgery to fix the uneven ones.

@MeganBoo ask the citizens advice bureau for help with the mandatory reconsideration. They were very good helping me and I got my award upgraded.

@shellyleppard

Thanks, I did try calling them Friday but it was near closing time so they didn’t pick up. Will try again Monday.

@MeganBoo good luck x it might take some time to get through so brace yourself