PIP - the moment has arribed

[freesthomas]

Hi... received the infamous brown envelope in the post today advising that I need to apply for PIP as DLA is being retired. I've gone through the telephone application process so am waiting for the form to arrive. I could really do with some good advice to fill this in. I have juvenile idiopathic arthritis and was diagnosed late on so a lot of damage already happened. I have a lot of help from my husband and can't walk very far and am a part time wheelchair user. I get good days but they are few and far between. As most of us know, arthritis is very unpredictable so when it comes to form filling, do I need to consider how I am on a bad day? Any advice would be great 😊 Xx

[Hidden]

Hi freesthomas,

We have a publication on how to claim PIP on our website which you can download: nras.org.uk/publications/ho...

You can also get help filling out the forms through your local CAB:

citizensadvice.org.uk/

Alternatively, please feel free to give us a call on the helpline where we may be able to provide further assistance: 0800 298 7650.

Hope this helps.

Katie

(NRAS Helpline)

[freesthomas in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Katie. It's good to know there's support out there.

[Jneverlands in reply to Hidden]

We had a lot of help from the Citizens Advice Bureau

[freesthomas in reply to Jneverlands]

Thanks - I'm waiting to see what the form looks like and have ordered the NRAS booklet. I work during the week so it can be tricky to get into the CAB - but if necessary I will see if I can go later in the day. Thanks for your reply xx

[Biofreak]

Hi freesthomas

You do have to consider how you are when you are at your worst and not how you are on a good day. There is a website called Benefits and Work ( their website has a sketch of a dog as its emblem) which has a wealth of advice on how to complete these forms and how the assessment interviews are carried out by Capita and Atos. They also have guides which you can download. There is a small subscription to join the site to enable you to download the guides but I found the information very helpful. At that time I wasn't aware that the NRAS had a publication with information to help with the process. Good luck and best wishes.

[freesthomas in reply to Biofreak]

Hi Biofreak... thanks for the info. I've sent off for the NRAS booklet today but will also take a look at the website you mentioned. I do t think you can ever do too much research with something as important as this. I've been expecting it for a while but when I saw the envelope I just thought I would tackle this head on 👊😊!

[Biofreak in reply to freesthomas]

You are right of course. There is a forum on the website I mentioned where people can share their experiences. Its always good to know you're not on your own.

[popsmith1874]

Hi freethomas although it can be very stressfull filling these forms in all you can do is tell them how it is on your worst days and there is a lot off help from NRAS and the Benefit and life website , hope you get on ok and get what you deserve without too much stress xxx

[nomoreheels]

As previously recommended both the NRAS & Benefits & Work benefitsandwork.co.uk/perso... are good places to start. Take your time filling it in, take a few days if that's easier for you but take into consideration the return by date given on you accompanying letter. Think carefully before you answer the questions preceded with "We want to know if you can do this safety, to an acceptable standard, as often as you need to and in a reasonable time", some haven't & at their face to face when talking through what they can & can't do it's become apparent to them there's more they can't do than they've admitted in the form. Use the additional information pages to expand on answers, add more if necessary. Remember to copy the form before returning the original.

I hope you've not long to wait before you receive your assessment date & that all goes well on the day. Keep us updated.

[freesthomas in reply to nomoreheels]

Hi there... that's great advice - thank you for taking the time to let me know 😊...I will be glad to get it all done to be honest. Think the waiting is what drives me around the bend! I will definitely keep everyone updated. It's always good to know what others have been through and if I can help anyone in the process - that would be brilliant ❤️

[Eiram50]

Speaking of PIP - I too received a lovely brown envelope with a letter telling me that my benefit had been increased by 1.58 per week.

Not sure what that's about - did everyone Receive this?

All in all, it seems. A system that is at worst, harsh and uncompromising and at best, just crazily unpredictable!

[freesthomas in reply to Eiram50]

Hi...I did receive a letter from DWP a few days ago advising an increase as from some date in April. Then today, I received the letter advising my DLA is ending and asked if I wanted to apply for PIP. I hope the decision they make is fair. I wouldn't apply for anything if I felt it wasn't right. I work part time (hours reduced this year as it was getting too much) and have always managed to work since I was 18. Really hard at times especially as some people are so ignorant about arthritis. Anyway, I remain positive and hope that others will have the right decisions made too 🤞

[nomoreheels in reply to Eiram50]

Yes, they should have Marie. It's the annual rates review, the changes are from 10th April. I received notification of mine about 3 weeks ago, an additional 80p. The extra will be relative to the award(s) you receive, mine is enhanced daily living only.

[Eiram50 in reply to nomoreheels]

Ah, I see. Thank you for your response.

Marie

[Sueymo]

I must be the exception, having received £87 a month, it increacresed to £240 after my PIP assessment.

[margarete-72]

you can get help to fill in ur pip .you are awarded points for things you can and can't do.they watch you walk talk bend .and they asked how far u can walk they get you to walk to the room and it's measured so they say well you walked this far use sticks if you need them or crutches or if ur in a wheel chair use that please take copies of ur illnesses with you and copy them out send copies of everything to them right ur booklet that's filled in .I did .I was on low dla but I didn't think I'd get pip but after seeing them I did .I'm a lot worse now but I'm 63 I don't want to home thru sll that again. make sure someone is with you .and if u have a carer tell them how they help if you have a wet room or stair life.if you think you need help please phone the O T . they will assess your. hope you get on ok x

[Frangill]

Ask age UK to help you to fill in the forms

[freesthomas in reply to Frangill]

Hi Frangill - I'm only 41 but thanks for your reply 😊

[Delainey]

Hi there I have just gone through the process and you will need to describe and say how you are on the worst of days.

It is not an easy process to go through but I have been assessed and whilst was hoping for the higher mobility I only got the standard, but I did also get help around the house component so am better off in the long run.

They also recommend keeping a diary and on the nras site it shows you how to do this which is helpful. The site also explains the questions in better detail, which I did not see until after submitting my claim. I do also have a blue badge and had to go and be assessed for that also.

I have had RA for 28 years and whilst on a lot of meds it still occasionally floors me to the point of not being able to carry out even basic routines.

Good luck with your form !

Delainey

[freesthomas in reply to Delainey]

Thanks Delainey. That's good advice. I've also been offered the help from my Occ health department in work to fill out the form plus have a letter of support from them. I know we live with the pain of arthritis on a daily basis but trying to get the point across in writing is very tricky. Will be putting my thinking cap on!! 😊

[freesthomas]

Chatted yesterday to the occupational health sister at my work place. She said the form isn't too bad to complete and has offered me help with it. She also said that she would have no problem writing me a letter of support to go with it. I'm so happy that I've had really good advice from her and everyone who has taken the time to reply to my post on here - a BIG thank you from me 😊 ..... I will update the post once I go through the process xx

[Stephenlangtonriley]

If you follow my posts you will find many comments I have posted on this subject. There is a fundemental difference between DLA and PIP, which is all about what you can do, nothing at all to do with your actual condition. I was diagnosed with OA at the age of 12 in 1964, time has moved on and I now know it was JIA and was the begining of my decline even though I overcame the pain and ignored it at that age.

You are almost certain to be called for an assessment and as with my usual advice it is not a job interview or an exam, more a cost reduction exercise for the DWP.

When you go for the assessment, irrespective of how you feel on that day, it is your worse day for their purposes, you do not have to do anything you would find painful or could not do. You can always submit follow up evidence, it is an assessment not a timed exam.

If you have a disability service locally then they will help you complete the form, the DWP give little time for people to get advice but you are permitted an extension for the deadline date, the advisor would call to arrange it.

You will find medical diagnosis evidence will help, take copies with you if you haven't already sent them, if you forget anything during the assessment then send it to the company doing the assessment, email is best but it can be difficult to find it, the DWP do not have a direct email option but there is an address you can use, remember to include your NI, name and address details. I list below the ATOS (the company that did mine) and DWP email addresses.

ATOS = [e-mail]

DWP = [e-mail]

For an organisation that is forcing all claiments to use internet services the DWP are very poor at having systems that actually work and make little or no use of email for the public, which is why they don't publish that address prominently on their web pages.

If ATOS aren't the company for your area and you are having trouble finding an email address then let me know, I will ferret it out for you.

Good luck, I have just had mine, it was on my 2nd worst day ever, I was in agony and very restricted in what I could do, I am now just waiting to see how they view my current PIP status, I need to buy a ceiling hoist for my bedroom, I don't want to spend another 3 hours stuck in bed.