financial support

[wobbie66]

can I claim pip after by pass surgery?

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I am unclear as to why you want to claim PIP. The majority return to their normal lives 3 - 6 months after OHS (open heart surgery). Unfortunately your bio says little more than you have had a bypass.

[wobbie66 in reply to MichaelJH]

Was wandering how everyone manages financially for the recovery period

[Hidden]

Eligibility for PIP is based on the effect of your condition and how it limits you day to day, rather than what’s wrong. To be considered for it, the limitations have to existed for at least 3 months, and be expected to continue for at least a further year, so the likelihood of being considered eligible on the basis of having a bypass is very, very small, if not outright non-existent.

Assuming you’re expected to make a full recovery and have no other grounds on which applying for PIP might be appropriate, you may be eligible for other financial help depending on your personal circumstances. If you’re employed and in receipt of statutory sick pay, you might be able to claim universal credit to top that up. Putting my Human Resources hat on for a moment, if you’re really struggling, you could also ask your employer about using any annual leave entitlement you have remaining, as that would be paid at your usual wage. However, the obvious downside to that is potentially not having leave to take when you return. Your employer isn’t obliged to agree to this, either, it is at their discretion, but it may be worth a conversation if you have a lot of your leave entitlement remaining.

If you’re not in employment, or on a zero hours contract, I would suggest contacting an organisation like citizens’ advice for further help and guidance. You can also use a benefits calculator like the one at Turn2Us.org: I’ve used it a couple of times previously to look at the impact of a change of circumstances on my finances, and it’s been a reliable indicator of what I was entitled to and how much I might get.

[Anon2023]

Hi. If you are employed and have exhausted all of your statutory sick pay then, if you have accrued enough National insurance contributions then you should be able to claim Contribution Based Employment Support Allowance (ESA). I believe that it is £77 a week for 13 weeks while you are assessed. I don’t think a lot of people are aware that they can claim this even if they are still employed but on sick leave. You can claim it on top of any wages you are still paid as long as you have exhausted 28 weeks ssp and are still being signed off sick by your doctor.

If you have no other income then means tested ESA may be a possibility. I think they assess any savings over £16,000 and any income earned by you and a partner if you have one. Check with citizens advice and see, you might be surprised.

[Hidders in reply to Anon2023]

Income based ESA doesn’t exist any more, anyone on a low income is expected to apply for Universal Credit.

[Anon2023 in reply to Hidders]

Hi. Thanks. The government website still talks about new style esa. Very confusing which is probably why a visit to citizens advice might be beneficial.

[Hidders in reply to Anon2023]

New style ESA is effectively contributions based ESA so not means tested at all, you just have to have made enough NI contributions during the last two years and you can only claim it for 365 days if you’re not put in the support group. If you’ve not been working enough to pay NI you need to claim UC instead.

[Hidden]

Dear wobbie66

As other have said it is very doubtful that you will get awarded PIP, if you go on the internet you will find questions that they ask for PIP.

Its many designed for people a lot worse than us, although saying that at the beginning of my journey { is it really that long ago? } my Dr told me to apply for it, I think I got 2 points, so a no { and rightly so } for me.

I have just applied for Capability for work because I am on a little Universal Credit and my treatment has gone a bit wrong and it looks like that I will be out of the job circuit for a longer time.

Take care and I hope that your return to some form of normality is soon.

[Hidders]

Dear Wobbie66

As others have said you are unlikely to get PIP purely because of having a bypass. You have to have been struggling to manage day to day tasks (the descriptors) for 3 months already and expect those difficulties to last for another 9 months. It isn’t intended as a temporary benefit to support you while you are out of work, in fact it can be a in work benefit although the amount of jobs you could do and still qualify for it is limited. In your situation it’s worth thinking about applying for Limited Capacity to Work on Universal Credit or New Style ESA if you have run out of statutory sick pay.

I myself was recently awarded PIP but it’s for the impacts of chronic fatigue as that is what prevents me from doing things not my heart issues (tachycardia) although they were mentioned in my application. If you decide to go ahead and try to apply for PIP I am happy to help you. If you go on the Benefits and Work website they have a questionnaire where you can see if you are likely to be eligible for PIP. Remember to be classed as not able to do something or to need help with it you only need that help over 50% of the time in order to be classed as needing it.

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Benefit and works website is very helpful.

I followed their guidance when I successfully applied for my PIP.

On my review a few years ago my award was enhanced for both sections, indefinitely, with no review before 2029.

benefitsandwork.co.uk/