PIP and beyond! : Hi I've had my PIP... - Fibromyalgia Acti...

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PIP and beyond!

Tracy45 profile image
21 Replies

Hi I've had my PIP assesment a few weeks ago and struggled to walk from the waiting room to the assesment room yet I have only been scored a 4 on mobility, this doesn't seem to make sense to me. Any way I have applied for my blue badge anyway. Here's hoping! I also applied for a disabled rail card and even they want a copy of your PIP to prove that you are disabled, not that I blame them.

Back to work next week not sure how thats going to go as still can't get my pain under control. But i have started hydrotherapy yesterday so lets hope that is helpful.

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Tracy45 profile image
Tracy45
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21 Replies

Im so sorry to hear about your PIP, will you appeal? I just got my pip results myself a few weeks ago and got my mobility and it makes such a difference in applying for other stuff. If you get a blue badge that will help opening doors too. I think the PIP is just a lottery and your results depends on the assessor that day. They use the distance you walk from the waiting room to the assessment room as part of the assessment. Please do not give up if you believe you should get more points. I Hope your hydrotherapy will be useful for you, Im waiting for hydrotherapy myself and hope it will improve my mobility. Take care and look after yourself :-)

Tracy45 profile image
Tracy45 in reply to

Thank you. I think im going to try and apeal the mobility part of the PIP as its this part i need, I live in the south of Devon and its very hilly where we live and a blue badge would be a great help.

Myrtle30 profile image
Myrtle30 in reply toTracy45

I’m not sure if ur aware of this but at the time I didn’t have mobility side of pip only standard living and I applied for blue badge. I went to the assessment centre and they issued me a blue badge. Basically they said to me why isn’t pip giving u mobility they said u should have been awarded. Which made me realise that I needed to speak pip. Basically u don’t need pip to apply for blue badge. Just get a letter from gp, friend and family and letters of you diagnosis etc proving about ur mobility issue and they should issue it.

Myrtle30 profile image
Myrtle30 in reply to

Best advice I can give you is keep appealing. I have fibromyalgia and someone I know has Parkinson’s. We both only got given standard living we both appealed and got highier rate on both. Basically I handed in even more information from the doctors. Just hand in as much eveidence as u can my doctor also wrote a letter saying my condition is unlikely to change for several year. They proplem with pip I feel is if u have mental illness they give it straight away like my sibling he has ptsd he got the award for full everything. Yet I was on it several years before him and in a much worse situation on walking stick couldn’t get out of bed etc. But someone that has fibromyalgia and Parkinson they tend to just give bare minimum at first. U have to keep appealing to get what you need. I know several people that have had the same problem. If u have to u take it to court. They are trying to only pay the bare minimum to people if they can. It also feels like not all but some of the staff who do the assessment treat u like ur the one in the wrong when ur not u deserve the help.

nigel59 profile image
nigel59

I think you need to appeal against there decision, how long did it take after your assessment to get your letter from them

Tracy45 profile image
Tracy45 in reply tonigel59

thank you you have inspired me to do so xx

TheAuthor profile image
TheAuthor

I am so genuinely sorry to read about your PIP result. I want to sincerely wish you all the best of luck with your blue badge and rail card.

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken

skit profile image
skit

Please appeal.

Check out web benefits and work as they have great info about PIP and other benefits.

Pray hydo helps.If you are able to work fantastic.Disability at work officer via local job centre is a good thing too.

Keep going.

Tracy45 profile image
Tracy45 in reply toskit

thank you i will look into it :)

Hello Tracy45,

It is a long hard slop when claiming PIP.

For me, if you just need the Blue Badge to help you on a day to day basis then just apply to your local council. I was not on any benefits when I applied. I had to have an assessment which consisted of answering questions and then doing a bit of moving about. A few weeks later, the Blue Badge arrived. It really is a great help.

If you are going to ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration, please be aware that they review the whole claim.

Good luck whatever you decide.

Best wishes.

Dave

Tracy45 profile image
Tracy45 in reply to

hi

thanks, i've already asked for a review of my PIP as with everything it would help me alot to get a higher claim, so that i can reduce my hours at work as i'm back to work next week and already planning on usung my holiday to help with my hours. I dont claim for anything and didn't even know about the PIP until i looked at the blue badge.

Blue badge could help as I can then park outside work rather than walking or shufferling in my case across the site.

keep your fingers crossed and here's to the slog x

I can appreciate the tactic of using holidays when ill. I used to get through all my holidays within 3 months. I was fortunate enough to get ill health retirement in the end.

Just to reassure you that the fight is worth it. In 2014 I started off with low rate daily care and 4 points for mobility which was insufficient for an award. I did not appeal as it had taken over a year to get an award and I did not want to lose everything. One year on and my mobility had got even worse. I was having to use a wheelchair and mobility scooter more and more. I asked for a review and went for an assessment which was a nightmare. I ended up with low rate daily care still (missed high rate by 1 point) and got 10 points for mobility (low rate). I asked for a Mandatory Reconsideration and within a couple of weeks got awarded high rate mobility (12 points). I still missed out on the enhanced rate for daily care by 1 point and decided that the battle had been won by that point.

I can recommend a website called Benefits and Work which provides guides to how to fill the forms in. It also provides advice on how to provide information for a Mandatory Reconsideration. It is £20 for a year and I found it extremely worthwhile.

The slog is worth it. Just pace yourself.

Tracy45 profile image
Tracy45 in reply to

Thank you. I have been to see my GP today and he is going to write them a letter comfirming that i can only walk a short distance without stopping.

in reply toTracy45

I am sure that will be of use. Make sure that you keep a copy for your own records.

determined56 profile image
determined56

Hi Tracey its all about £cuts!

My assessor reckoned I could walk43mtrs in 1min .where did that come from?

Obtain the assistance of an experienced assessor and go for reconsideration subject to extra written evidence

Then Tribunal . you have nothing to lose.

I have just received my preliminary tribunal letter..

I have support from a charity...who will come with me.

DONT give up.keep a diary & at work make a note if you get or don't get any extra help

Take Care. What work do you do?

Hugs Shirley

Tracy45 profile image
Tracy45 in reply todetermined56

Hi Shirley I work as a chemotherapy nurse and sometimes I think they want to help me and keep me there and other times it's like they want to get rid of you. I mentioned I needed to walk with a stick and my managers response was how are you going to carry the chemo tray. But I still going to fight on and thank you for your support and help

Tracy

determined56 profile image
determined56 in reply toTracy45

I know how priceless you are as my mum went through recently NHL large B cell chemo & 1987 I had breast cancer chemo ...so don't let managers get in your way. You can use wheelie trolleys and get support from that.

Join benefits & work amazing info ..

Even down to my fight & flight on planning journeys makes sense now as I have CAH and supported with pred.

Also keep that diary of all encounters with managers dept.

If you succeed in gettingPIP yyou may be able then get ESA & cut your hours.

I bet you love your patients and they love you as a familiar contact

GO 4 IT lots of hugs Shirley

Tracy45 profile image
Tracy45 in reply todetermined56

Thank you, Yes I do love my job they are a great patient group to work with and so are the team that I work with.

I will try and keep up the good fight :)

Mrs-Darling profile image
Mrs-Darling

Hi Tracy, as Dave says they will reconsider your whole claim not just the mobility part so I would contact someone like Fighback4justice who are a disability rights charity and experts in claiming benefits such as PIP. I should have got the higher daily rate but I was just so relieved to get anything I'm not going to ask for a mandatory reconsideration. I just couldn't go though that process again as I found it too distressing. Please consider the advice that Dave gave about asking your council for one first as you may be fortunate like him.

I'm sorry but to those who say 'you have nothing to lose' - this isn't correct unless they've rejected your whole claim. If you have to go through the process again and are not well prepared and don't have support from medics and the advice from Fightback4Justice, you could actually lose you whole claim. I don't want to put you off a mandatory reconsideration, I just want you to be well prepared.

Best of luck.

Tracy45 profile image
Tracy45 in reply toMrs-Darling

Hi I've never heard of them, but I will look them up. However, my GP has agreed to write a letter for me and so has a Physio that has been working with me. We did a walk test over 1 minuet and I managed amear 18 metres, which she said was well below there limit and she is going to write about how changeable the condition is as well. Keep your fingers crossed and thank you xx

Brighteyedbabe78 profile image
Brighteyedbabe78

Contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau. They will be able to help with mandatory reconsideration form etc and will even go with you to tribunal. They helped me a great deal.

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