Goodmorning.Im new on this group.I have fibromyalgia and degenerative disc disease a heart condition and mental health problem.
I was awarded standard daily living rate and no mobility for pip.
I asked for a mandatory reconsideration and still no change..
Im just wondering in what bad shape does one have to be to be awarded mobility?...
How many more health problems do i need to have...Im struggling enough as it is..
Hi there, it's not the amount of illnesses a person have. Most illnesses and pain can be managed with medication. While it may alter a persons way of doing something it won't always stop them doing it altogether.
Mobility or lack of mobility is different. In my case I need a wheel chair. I also can not leave my home or go out anywhere without another person due to my lack of mobility not to mention my agoraphobia /social phobia.
I guess there is a long list of how illnesses and mobilty are assessed. For example even been in a wheel chair may get down graded if the chair is electric for example. I am guessing here.
Did you check out the mobility criteria for pip? Do you fit that criteria? If you think you do then take your claim to a tribunal.
Momo
Im sorry to hear about your struggles.I think i might have to take it to a tribunal because i struggle to move around,walk etc etc..i even use a walking stick.Im always in pain even on medication.Im just wondering how these cases are looked at in tribunal.Are they more succesfull there or do they just constantly fail?
Hi, I have never been to one myself. But from what I read and have heard from others the success rate is quite good.
From what you’ve said, you sound like you should definitely get mobility - even if it’s standard rate. Try and bolster your evidence; g.p letter for e.g and prepare for attending a tribunal. Remember you have to be able to do a walk on an as and when required basis, repeated and without pain etc. review the criteria. Citizens advice page is good. Don’t be scared about a tribunal - most people get no change when asking for a mandatory reconsideration. Tribunals are usually a lot less intimidating than you anticipate. You either meet the criteria or you don’t - but the DWP do strange things, like give those who struggle immensely zero points!! Good luck with your tribunal - the panel are sensible professionals and you should get the outcome you deserve. But do bolster evidence if there are any ‘weak’ areas evidentially.
it's not you personally!!! It's everyone again. I say again because they want the 3 million that's off work beck into work. I guess we're the easier target. Good luck luck and do what your meant to do "answer the questions" don't waffle on about something else.
Hi, I don't think your reply was meant for me?
Sorry must have pressed the wrong reply button. Lol
Snap, I was lucky I've had decent assessors, and got the enhanced mobility right from the off,
Just wondering weather or not to tell them about what has been gone on with me this year?
My P.I.P is still not to be re-assessed until 2027 so nothing to do for a while, thank goodness
Hi, as you are already receiving the enhance payment I can not see what benifit it would be to you to inform them of anything further. At least not untill your next assessment.
True, They would probably try and make it less,
No dont even know how..bit new to all this
If you google pip appeal success rate the percentages will come up. It may be to your advantage, if you are going to Appeal, to use one of the charities or a company who are au fait with the Appeal process and used to using the correct terminology and phrases. It's not often what you say but the way it is said using the descriptors the DWP are used to. Some of the charities charge a fee as do of course the private companies. Some offer instalment payments.
You can contact our benefits team for advice and guidelines on appealing the decision
Can you please tell me how to contact them
Oops - forgot to add the leaflet
Hi Nahr, the mobility side to pip is a difficult one for fibro. But you mention ddd, heart condition and mental health. You were not awarded mobility.So yes, take it further with them! Make them physically see how you are and push your words nicely and strongly about your constant battle!
Prepare, get it written down, write records on each little thing you do that will get you that pip! Stay strong, Health.
HiyaWe would like to add to what others have put here,
From our personal experience we were told by a PIP assesor to answer with what our worst day is like
And so
We got the lower mobility by adding that we need someone with us when we go to a place we have never been before
And
Need someone else with us when we are taking a route that we are not familiar with
And have to pay for them to come with us also cos they can't always afford to do so
And that we have to pay our dad for him taking us places in his car due to him not being able to afford all that it costs for diesel..
We remember that this isn't all the time
This is as and when it is needed
Cos as that one pip assessor also satated
We aren't the same from moment to the next and we aren't always having our worst moments every day,
Along with the fact that we aren't always needing to go out places
Such as appointments to a dr or the hopsital or for treatments ect.
We even decided to put that as we can't take prescription
Medications and have to try to find alternatives
Such as herbs, flowers (dried and steeped in warm water) ect
And then tinctures ect
By off chance
We had a call from someone working for PIP
And they asked more about this
As they told us that they are strating to notice how some people cannot take any medications and have to use alternatives which can cost so much more in the lomg run
Yet can help more when we know how to utilise them personally to gain the benefits they have.
We can walk unaided still luckily
Although our knees are definitely getting weaker and worse
And so is our back and neck ect
Fibromyalgia recent possible diagnosis
And awaiting to see a Neurologist for posssible Occipital Neuralgia.
We have been getting pip for a few years now along with
Income based ESA support group
And all that we can get for severe disability
It truly is about expressing what our worst possible moments are and how much we do need the help in those moments
Even if we aren't able to get said help
It still doesn't mean that we don't need it
Hope you get all the help that is needed
Also would like to add that we said that we n33d help with reading signs for when a train or bus is arriving ectDue to the stress of being in a busy area making it difficult for our mind to even concentrate
Every little bit of information truly does help
As we stated
Even if you don't get that help,
Yet you yourself know that you are needing it
Tell it as what you need help with
Not what you do get actual help with
Goodmorning to you Nahr79,I too have Fibro, degenerative disc disease & a heart condition amongst other things & I am only receiving the standard daily living amount of PIP.
I am really struggling too.
I did write back to them but they weren't going to change their minds & I didn't have the strength in me to fight it.
I am grateful for the receiving what I do but it makes me cross when I see people out & about who are receiving maximum benefits & really shouldn't be getting them!
Take care x
We are more than likely that person that you may well see "Out and about"
And be thinking
"Why are they getting more than me when i suffer more than them and are struggling more than them?"
Yet
We are definitely struggling amd suffering more than what appears to be at face value
As to seeing us for only parts of what we sre doing with our life,
Like there are days here and there where we are personally
Lucky enough
To still be able to get up and go out for a nice nature walk for anything from 30 minutes
Upto a few hours
And if someone saw us and decided that they need to report us for this due to their own personal miseries and bitterness
Due to them not being happy about the fact that they believe they deserve it
Either more than
Or
Just as much as me
This sure as heck
Wouldn't be great for us
Cos those are very few and far between
Moments that we get some well deserved relief from life
And even then we get worried about how we may not be able to get to our flat ect
It sure does take a lot of convincing from ourselves to get up and do this
And yet when we do it sets us up for when we aren't able to
Like right now it is 7.24 am and we've been having really horrible and painful toilet visits since 3 am
3 times already
Our knees are really hurting
Our head is exhausted
Feel like we want to be sick
Have had some of our neck pains aggirvating us
The other day we have severe hip and lower back pains
And yet
Sometimes the only relief we get is when we are in nature
Not sitting at home having the same amount of pain that we can get also whilst walking
Sometimes even our knees need a good popping back in place whilst we walk
And yet
Sometimes we have to get out and about no matter what...
What we see
Isn't what someones body is telling them
We can be in copious amounts of severe pains
And still need to go for a walk as it can sometimes be at least a little relieving..
Pain shows differently for everyone.
We hate being stuck indoors for at least 70% of our life though
Some people need to get out and about to relieve themselves of all the pains and traumas
And
You only get to see what is on the surface
Masking and hiding what is truly happening is now second nature to us through fears of being shouted at and abused even more
As we have had done to us in the past
Someone shouting at us and getting annoyed after having a panic attack
Or
Cos we are in pain and struggling to do anything
Exactly my thinking.I see and know some out there that dont have nothing and just by lying they get everything.We that have all the pmworst conditions for mobility dont get nothing.It truly is a broken system
Just curious how you would feel if someone said that about you. Not trying to be argumentative but we hate when others question our eligibility for a blue badge as "we look fine." Assuming others are lying is a poor starting point and fostered by our media/politicians/society unfortunately.
Even with a walking stick most of your conditions are invisible. We can never say what someone else is going through. benefits are not just evaluated on physical conditions so there are plenty of people that are being awarded for MH / psychological issues.
Fibro can cause mobility issues but not everyone and there are plenty with fibro that are still very mobile and would not be eligible for a blue badge for example. I am one of those.
They system is not great but othering people is not productive. One example of a fraudulent claim or story does not tell the whole story. If you look at the fraudulent claim rate it is very small. If you look at unclaimed benefits it is not small. £1.6 billion in JSA and £2.7 billion in ESA unclaimed. Fraud rate is 3.9% which is up from 2.4%.
I had the same experience as regards to Mobility part of PIP. It is good to find someone who can help you with the appeal process. I have all the same issues as you, and also anxiety and arthritis. I did the mandatory reconsideration and it stayed the same. I then had help to take it to the appeals process, as struggled to explain how my mobility is affected by my conditions. I won the appeal, and didn't have to attend an appeals court. I could not have done it on my own, so definitely get help with it.
That is great news.Did you get standard or enhanced mobility? Can you share who helped you? I have been helped by CAB and apparently they can also for the tribunal
Hi, I have most of your conditions and it took me two attempts to get full mobility payment. It depends on how far you can walk or get around outdoors. It's not easy to get but keep at them.
Hi Nahr79I have Standard rate for living and mobility. They refused me it went to MR where they refused me again. I took it to tribunal and they gave me Standard for both without having to go to tribunal. It can just depend on the words you use or the person you get. So please do take it further.
There are plenty of support groups to help you. Such as CAB, Fightback4Justice, Benefits and work to name but a few. Please don't give up.
Love and hugs Lilly
Make sure you complete any forms you are asked to for your PIP entitlement with how you are on the worst day as people with Fibromyalgia have good days, bad days and some days where you cannot doing anything at all which is a worst day ever, what happens on the worst of the days is what should be completed on the PIP form, reconsideration, and the appeal.
A few people have suggested completing your form with how you are on your worst day. Putting everything as your worst day is incorrect - and can lead to you being accused of a fraudulent claim . You should report how you are the majority of the time (50% or over)
If your worst day is how you are more than 50% of the time then yes, that is what to put. However, using my own personal situation... I would be lying if I said my wrist day was every day. My worst day is not being able to leave the house and often unable to get out of bed. However I work 3 days a week (2 in the office) and I can leave the house most days for a short period of time. If I described my wrist day it would totally contradict what I am able to do.
Our benefits team can offer free advice and guidelines on the best way to apply for benefits or appeal a decision
We actually got told to reply to the questions asked by the assessor we sawTo state our worst possible days
This was when we decided to tell her that we don't beleive that we should be claiming pip anymore cos we are much better right now,
Which was a biiig mistake btw
Cos we were back to square one within a few months
We can have a month or so with barely anything
Yet then we can also have 3 to 6 months of near enoigh every day having flare up in multiple joints
And digestive system
Ect
Then again
A cycle of being ok for a few weeks to a fee months
Depending upon where we are at personally.
Luckily we took the advice of that assesot the next time we applied for pip
And we didn't get penalised for it by the assessor that came to our flat as to assess us
He infact asked us to do tasks such as finding out our glasses ect
As to see how we walked
And soon realised that we may have been exaggerating a little
Luckily he used to be a care nurse or something like that
A nurse or other health care professional of some kind
Before going into pip assessor
And he was very relaxing and calm
And exactly what we were needing
He wasn't
"Out to get us"
Or to
"Prove us wrong"
He was simply analysing how we were reacting
Aswel as
Responding to what he was asking us
(He would have been a great psychologist)
And he made sure that we were at ease with him
He in the report that we received a copy of
He didn't put anything along the lines of us being
"Deceitful"
Or anything of the likes
And just simply may have realised that we may well have days where we struggle more than others to walk a ceratin distance without any form of aid
It was all legitimately told via how things affected us and how we percieved this to be a part of pur life
No matter how regular or often
And we sure as heck were not done for being fraudulent just for simply stating how we perceive our worst days and moments.
Guess it all depends on the assessors
And we may have been lucky to get really great ones
I did not intend to put over that everyone would be accused of being fraudulent - but it can lead to claims.
Using my self as an example - my average week is working 3 days (2 days in office) and also 1 day where I socialise with friends and do my weekly shop.
The other 3 days I need to rest acbd recover and would class as mild flare days
My worst days might happen once or twice a month where I literally cannot get out of bed.
If I was to describe my worst days at assessment then it would not be an accurate picture of how I am. (I do receive pip myself)
Hi, I have the exact same health issues as yourself and took DWP to tribunal and got enhanced for both components on PIP. Don't forget with fibromyalgia walking can be difficult it you're in pain and are prone to falling, therefore you cannot complete this activity safely even if you can manage more than 50 metres. I hope this is of some help to you that's if you are in pain and prone to falling
Did you get standard rate for both first time or after MR? I Only got standard for daily.living.How long did it take you after MR to get the tribunal outcome ?
You now need to submit an appeal, its best to get an official to do this for you such as a solicitor. Its often the questions and wording that trip people up, remember its NOT the conditions they are interested in but how they affect your day to day life so you have to say what you are like on your WORST days don't underplay how bad each day can be due to pain/stiffness and confusion (often as a result of medication) therefore its best that forms are filled in by someone experienced in completing them such as Citizens Advice. Compile ALL medical evidence such as consultant letters, x-rays, scan reports etc
My cousin suffered 2 severe strokes and was finished from his job as a mechanic because every time he tilted his head and looked up he became dizzy and blacked out. His son lives with him and is his primary carer, his original claim for PIP was declined so a new claim was submitted using medical evidence by a solicitor and he was awarded higher care and mobility.
Don't give up as that's what they rely on
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