Pip

[Antstarr]

Hey was just wondering has anyone been awarded pip particularly the mobility side of the claim I’m currently on daily living the standard rate with no mobility. Just filled in a change of circumstances form with my new diagnosis of fibromyalgia and am now waiting on a decision to be made.. I’m really scared they will take it all away

[FRreedman]

If you are no better than you were before, they won't take away your benefit. If they do then ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration, and then you can appeal if that also fails. If you have trouble walking then you may qualify for mobility of some description. It all depends on how you are coping as a person and not what illness you have got

[WF2k]

Yeah, I was awarded enhanced for both mobility and daily living. Mines mainly based on my mental health problems, I wasn't diagnosed with FM when I first applied for PIP.

[Antstarr in reply to WF2k]

Did you fill in a change of circumstances form when you was diagnosed with fibro?

[WF2k in reply to Antstarr]

No, I didn't need to because I was already on enhanced, I've read you only really need to do that if you're on a lower rate and want to be reassessed for your changes. Also, the PIP award was mainly based on my mental health problems.

I've currently got a review though. Nothing has changed apart from being diagnosed with FM, just hoping they look at that fact and don't start trying to drop the rate or stop PIP altogether. Also waiting on an ESA assessment.. they like to stress out, don't they.

[M0AL61 Moderator Volunteer]

PIP is not awarded because of a diagnosis, but on how you're affected on a daily basis. x

[releasethemagic]

As others have said PIP is not awarded on the basis of what illness you have, but on what you can and can't do. The mobility rules are fairly simple. You need 8 points for Standard PIP and 12 points for Enhanced.

Moving Around

a) Can stand and then move more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 0 points

b) Can stand and then move more than 50 metres but no more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided. 4 points

c) Can stand and then move unaided more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 8 points

d) Can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20 metres but no more than 50 metres. 10 points

e) Can stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided. 12 points

f) Cannot, either aided or unaided - (i) stand; or (ii) move more than 1 metre. 12 points

Planning a Journey

a) Can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided. 0 points

b) Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 4 points

c) Cannot plan the route of a journey. 8 points

d) Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. 10 points

e) Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant. 10 points

f) Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, an assistance dog or an orientation aid. 12 points

You get one score from each section. They add the two scores together. They tend to award the lowest score that applies to your situation.

[Antstarr in reply to releasethemagic]

Thank you all

For the replies, yes I understand it’s not based on the illness but the way it effects you, I think I’m more scared Because I felt the assessor wasn’t really interested in my mobility side of

Things the questions that was asked were not really things that would describe how my illness effects me I’ve also read that some assessor are not

Completely honest in the interviews so I am dreading the outcome,

I guess we will just have to wait

And see thanks

[Hidden in reply to Antstarr]

Don't forget that all sorts of paranoid and hallucinating people also apply for pip.

They may say the assessor was not honest, but the assessor is a registered health professional like a physio, nurse or paramedic who has spent years in the NHS helping people and has a legal duty to be honest.

They are more likely to be telling the truth than someone on the internet who is unhappy with how much money they got.

Pip is all about how you as an individual look like you can cope with your symtpoms most of the time.

Someone on the internet saying they can only walk 5m might have actually said in the assessment that they walk the dog 4 days a week as well and then only said thwy can walk 5m during the mobility question because they can only walk 5m once a week.

In their mind the assessor lied but actually the assessor was just looking at the big picture.

If you are being honest with the assessor, and being honest with yourself, and your story makes sense all the way through, you would get the correct amount, according to the rules.

If you can actually walk more than you think, for example you are only thinking of bad days but most of the year are good days, then you would obviously get less money than you asked for...

but if you say the right amount, and it seems realistic and logical then of course they would find that you can only walk that much.

[releasethemagic in reply to Hidden]

If all of this is the case, then why are 78% of PIP appeals successful? A Capita disability assessor is expected to complete 20 cases a week. That includes reading the files (my own DLA file had over 1,000 pages I have been told by DWP), visiting the claimant to do the assessment as Capita visit everyone, and completing the paperwork to return to DWP. They get 30 minutes with each claimant, that’s all. No wonder the system results in reports full of glaring mistakes, errors and omissions. The nurse that did my review had a lamentable knowledge and understanding of my condition. She recorded my repeat prescription drugs and put my statin down as a painkiller and my hay fever medication down as a pain killer too. My complaint about her was upheld by Capita and DWP, and I won my appeal against her recommendation that had been rubber stamped by DWP. All the evidence suggests that these posts have not attracted the best healthcare professionals and many are out of their depth.