PIP when working FT

[BoardLikeAMirror]

Just wondering if anyone has experience of this, mainly on the mobility element, difficulty with getting out and about. I rarely leave the house without my husband because I'm afraid of getting lost and having a panic attack. Driving is out of the question for me (poor co-ordination) and I get anxious using public transport on my own.

I have lots of daily difficulties at home but I mostly cope with the support of my husband (helping me when I am having a bad day and can't get dressed etc). Struggling with COL as everyone is - I work FT (mostly from home) but husband isn't working and to be honest I would struggle if he did work because I need him around for daily support. It's all a bit of a mess.

I thought about a PIP claim but I'm scared of making it in case they think I am claiming fraudulently. The rational part of me says that if I answer honestly I have nothing to fear, either they will make me an award or they won't, but I don't want to get into an unpleasant experience that will send my anxiety spiralling.

For context, I am diagnosed autistic although I am aware it is symptoms not diagnosis that they will consider.

Any experiences/advice would be greatly appreciated.

You should claim. PIP is not means-tested so it doesn't matter if you're working full-time or not.

It would be worth getting advice from a Welfare Rights person, to make sure you fill the form in well.

Remember that if you are refused, you should appeal. More than 70% of decisions refused by the DWP for PIP are overturned on appeal, which strongly suggests that the DWP are wrong far more often than they are right.

Your should claim ASAP. I have a lot of experience with PIP and I get it myself. It took me over a year to get my Appeal heard when they turned me down, but it was allowed, and I eventually got backpaid a year of PIP in one go.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk is an invaluable resource, too. It is well worth joining, to get the advice and support.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/subscribe?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Benefits%20and%20Work&utm_content=V2%2023%20November%202022%20News

Thank you so much for your reply and link. That must have taken a lot of courage to pursue an appeal for a year! I've read so many horror stories about the DWP; it's the feeling of being judged that scares me, and having to talk to hostile people, and the difficulty of being honest about my daily struggles, possibly to someone who is hostile, when I am used to covering them up.

When it comes down to it, I am ashamed of the way I live - there are so many things I have to hide, like wearing the same clothes for days on end because I can't face changing them; if I have to go into the office, getting dressed the night before and sleeping in my clothes in case I can't get dressed in the morning. Having to take my husband with me to do simple things. I would be mortified if people, e.g. at work, knew these things about me, so the idea of disclosing them is very difficult.

I started a thread here the other day saying if you have applied for pip do not give up. Mine went all the way to court (via video) and I work full time and even had my boss sitting in with me for the hearing as my representative
The court awarded me standard living and mobility to be backdated and valid until 2026
it was VERY stressful I have to admit and there was many times I email them to say I cannot do it but everyone pushed me and I guess it was the right thing to do cos the court agreed with everyone that know me and not the dwp
Not sure if that will help you but good luck 🤞

I totally get the shame OP honestly the way I live is shocking cos I live by my own since my dad died 😢
the pip money will mean I can pay a cleaner to help me with the house cos the house is a state
I can buy a dishwasher so not more reusing plates, bowls, cups and cutlery for so many weeks it become impossible to wash them
i totally get it and to be fair I not good at hiding it so everyone around me aware how bad it could get which is why they push me to do it
I hoping in a few months time my life will be better if I can have a clean house and clean dishes every day

The only thing to watch out for is them saying because you do X you can do Y. This often translates to doing something work related so they assume you can do something not related at all.

Your courage in going to court is amazing, PinkBuffalo and it sounds like you have a great boss to advocate for you. I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. It makes all the difference when you have someone to help keep the show on the road at home and be your emotional support as well.

I can very much imagine that happening, softpillow. My job is mostly putting numbers into spreadsheets, analysing data and so on, and probably sounds more skilled than it is.

Thank you for your replies which are really helpful

I work full-time and get PIP (standard rate for both components). The application was horrendous and I needed two deadline extensions to get it finished, and honestly the assessment was really invasive and exhausting. I requested a copy of the assessor's report and she had twisted my words, left out things I'd said, and made so many assumptions without actually asking me. Not to mention outright lies she told.

I phoned the DWP and basically rebutted the whole report line by line while the person on the phone took notes. I was in tears and shaking on the call but I somehow managed to get my point across.

It took 32 weeks from start to finish but I was shocked to find that they awarded me PIP first time, I didn't need to go to mandatory reconsideration. A friend (who had been helping me) said I could probably have pushed to get a couple more points for higher rate daily living but I was so drained, I couldn't face it.

OP please, please get help with your application from a welfare rights advisor.

I am so glad that I did. Yes, I echo PP's comments about it being draining. It was very, very draining and upsetting, but it was absolutely worth it in the end.

I went from being assessed as "entitled to nothing" to getting the care component for life. I should probably have pushed a bit harder for the mobility component but I just couldn't face it by then.

However, the care component is brilliant, because it means that you can then claim Carers Allowance (or rather your partner can) and you also get Pension Credit when you reach pensionable age.

I got my state pension this year at last, and am getting an extra £114 a week just in Pension Credit, thanks to both DH and I getting PIP care component (daily living). That's on top of the state pension and also means that we get Council Tax Reduction (which is about £75 a month in our case).

Thank you for your further advice. It is the draining/intrusive bit that worries me - I can imagine the process taking over my whole life. I will see if I can source a welfare advisor, it would help me, I think, to have a general chat with someone experienced about my exact struggles in daily life and how they would relate to the PIP criteria, as I don't want to waste either my own time or the time of people involved in the assessment process, when I know many people are probably waiting for a claim assessment and some of them will be in a 'desperate' financial situation

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

This is the ultimate website for Autistic women claiming PIP.
There is a pay portal and believe me it is worth it, I used it and it helped me with the PIP system of points and I was awarded PIP.
The money pays the people who give this service and it is the best on the internet and used by some charities to help people.
It is manned by ex DWP people who are now doing everything possible to help people claim what they are entitled to receive.
Also imposter syndrome is something that is a massive thing for Autistic women who have suffered and masked for a lifetime and been late diagnosed.
Be kind to yourself, your masking has hurt you, but it was what you needed to do to try and survive as an undiagnised neurodivergent woman.
It is going to take you some time to unpick the mask and what it has been hiding for all this time. PIP is going to help you have the time to do this.
Lots of love xx

@BoardLikeAMirror how
did u get on? X

I have tried to apply for PIP as an autistic person but basically if you work they use it against you. They say you must be capable of communicating because you can work, and you must be able to cook because you’re fat, and if you look clean and don’t stink that means you can get washed. So they give you 0 points.