Hi Fantasy, so sorry to hear you've been turned down for PIP.
Did you explain fully in the boxes provided with an explanation about each question?
I'm asking because my daughter filled in my form & told them, eg yes my Mum can make toast & boil a kettle to make tea but she couldn't prepare or cook a meal because she's unable to lift & carry pots to the cooker.
If you give a full explanation I think it helps.
Good luck with your appeal. I personally think it's crazy you're not being awarded this, as let's face it, our condition is not going to improve.
Take care 🌹
I'm just so sorry that you have been treated like this. My local council decided after 16 years to make me have an assesment for my Blue Badge which is my lifeline. When I went for the assesment I took ages to walk in,flatly refused to go up any steps and refused to goout with her for a walk. SHE gave me the PIP form. I tookthe same attitude to that. I can only walk 10 metres because I need the other ten metres towalk back. I need someone to come inwhen I have a shower because the steam etc means I get breathless and may faint, hurting myself. I get too sob to cook and canforgetfor a long time soneed help for that. I cannot use public transport because Iget too breatless to access the bus stop etc or climb on to the vehicle. I get anxious when I amgoing shopping because even the blue badge spaces can be too far fromthe door and breathlessness means that I have often to lean on the wall in shops. If I amplanning a journey I have to stop and speakto my childrenseveral times on the way because I am anxious about something happening and being stranded and breathless.Anxiety plays a large part inthe tick box exercise and it affects so much of our lives because of the difficulties of our condition. I hope you get the picture for your appeal. They try to assess you based on the problems which people with bad legs, backs etc have. You have to make them see the much worse problems which come with breathing difficulties. I got standard daily living and upper level mobility. Good luck. Make them write the correct things down.Sorry about the words stuck together. Silly ipad.
thanks notobad I get very cross because all of the forms, questions and assesments are geared to purely skeletal and a few mental disorders. there is nowhere obvious that we can showhow much our disability affects us. So the chances of us passing an assesment are skewed against us. I sat down and figured out that there has to be a way round it and basically it boils down to insistingthat we can't do anything and what we are forced to do makes us anxious. When I was asked why I don't have a walker I asked 'and who would lift it into the car and out of the car and up the curb? I certainly don't have the breath to do it and anyway I am too short of breath to push it.' One stunned assessor. We have to learn to use their rules to our own advantage.
I was awarded pip a few weeks ago and most of my point were for the things I use to keep me indipendant as I have arthritis as well as COPD. But you are right you have to watch what you are saying and play them at there own game. Witch isn't right as we have a condition that is not going to get any better. And that alone should be enough.
You have to clearly state how you are on both good and bad days, what your actual limitations are (eg cannot lift heavy pans, dressing takes full half an hour because of stopping to get breath) and how uncomfortable being sob can be (describe effects such as palpitations, panic, anxiety, head pounding, can't get breath in or out, need to wee urgently etc etc).
The PIP assessment is supposed to take in to account discomfort , pain and time taken to achieve tasks as well as ability to perform them (including mental health limitations). I was honest and said that I have full mobility in arms and legs but got very sob as soon as I exerted myself, walking, bathing, dressing etc
Remember that the person reading the form is having to make judgements on how able you are but may not know everything about every condition, so you have to be explicit and explain every aspect of your abilities
Wow, that's what I call excellent advice, well done, it also helped me no end, thank you so much for posting! 😚
yes everythingyou say is true. I am trying to say to you that you find out what they. want and what they base it on and you give it to them. It is not too wise to tell them yourbest and worst because they willbase their decision on your best. As you found out. On the strengthof that they decided you didn't need the PIP. If you make your worst your best you have a chance of meeting their criteria. I was given mine. Now you need to stop agonising about what was said and begin preparing your appea.As I said before, you have a good start because they did not listen to you. good luck
I also have a blue badge but I do now get ESA Support, but did not when I had a blue badge before that. Councils have decided that they will use the PIP Mobility as a factor to guarantee a badge. However a little common sense has prevailed and they still have the right to grant them to people that they deem deserves one. They will use the 20 metre rule though but it is important that the rules state that it is "unable to do without severe discomfort"
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