PIP Claim advice

wonkydonkey28

Hi all. first time on here. Basically I made claim for pips. I have benign tumurs and scoliosis and severe back pain artthritis and bulging discs ? i have suffered a good few years now and suffer with constant vomiting weight loss and migraine. my mental health has also took a dive as one of my childhood friends died tragically over xmas period although i didnt mention that on my pips form as it hadnt happened yet ive since been put through for counselling. i am on daily painkillers, antisickness tablets iron vit d ect. severe vertigo also. i apply for pip and got text from dwp and day after IAS saying form received ect and they were looking at my claim. 3 weeks later a text IAS telephone app booked. my gp contact me saying do i consent for gp to pass info on to pip i said of course. my app nect week. what sort of things do they request from your gp does anyone know ? i struggle to get anything from them i asked fr a letter for my form and she printed it out on  blood sticker letter ? maybe they are requesting on on proper paper lol. sorry about spelling i struggle tp focus on screen, hope makes snese.

calcotti

If DWP want information from your GP they have a standard form they ask GP to complete (although GPs are often not very forthcoming in their responses).

There’s a bit more information on pages 8 to 9 of this document
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1094753/medical-reports-completion-guidance.pdf

L_Volunteer

Welcome to Scope's forum @wonkydonkey28. It is great to see you have joined us.

Thank you for already finding the courage to reach out to us. I appreciate the courage it can take to reach out, especially when you are new and finding things difficult. 

I can hear how tough things are for you at the moment. Have you got the support you need and deserve? It sounds like a lot to deal with and process.

Sending you hugs. Please don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything else we can do to support you, even if that's just a listening ear 

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @wonkydonkey28

Love the username! reminds me of SMTV Live. 

I see calcotti has answered your query and L has asked if you have support, I just wanted to also check in and would love it if you keep us updated  

anisty

DWP contacted my son's GP. I am my son's appointee.


They asked the GP what conditions my son has and how it affects him.

Considering the GP doesn't know my son at all, they produced a very full answer!

There are a lot of reports from other professionals in my son's medical notes so i think the GP just quoted some things from those reports.


Oh - they also asked if there was any prospect of recovery for my son.

The GP report just stated my son has autism and processing difficulties and prospects for improvement were very poor.

Which isn't actually true as he is coming along quite well!

Hannah_Alumni

I saw your other post in your Guardianship thread.

I'm so sorry it's been so stressful for you, but glad the GP produced a subsatnital answer.

Have you got good support around you, friends? family? 

We are always here if you need to vent too

anisty

Hi @Hannah_Scope -  ah no, sorry for the confusion. The GP produced a substantial answer for pip in early 2020.


This guardianship is a totally separate thing and the GP has decided he is unable to provide any capacity report whatsoever.


Yes, fortunately I do have a family here and a lot of good friends but sometimes you just want to find someone in the exact same position to chum you along the journey.

And, so far, I haven't managed to speak to anyone else applying for guardianship.

Anyway - don't want to de-rail this thread any further but thanks so much for asking, Hannah🙂

Hannah_Alumni

Oh no, have you got anyone that will be able to help provide a report?

I get what you mean! I am glad you've got additional support though. Sorry if it seems repetitive to ask, Have you tried Social Media groups? 

Don't worry about de-railing, always here

wonkydonkey28

L_Volunteer said:

Welcome to Scope's forum @wonkydonkey28. It is great to see you have joined us.

Thank you for already finding the courage to reach out to us. I appreciate the courage it can take to reach out, especially when you are new and finding things difficult. 

I can hear how tough things are for you at the moment. Have you got the support you need and deserve? It sounds like a lot to deal with and process.

Sending you hugs. Please don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything else we can do to support you, even if that's just a listening ear 

Hi thank you for the reply I e not found the time to come on and reply sorry I've not been great mentally aswell as pain all the cold weather seems to make it worse for me . I had my telephone appointment finally was on the phone for 2 hours all together it was difficult the lady was really nice though and helped me through it abit. Some of the questions I could not understand so I had to say afew times what do you mean ? And when she explained it in a simpler way it made sense then. She was really nice could t have ask for e a nicer person. I got a text same day from DWP but around tea time saying they have received written report I don't need to contact them ect unless anything changed and should hear within 8 we eeks. That was just 8 days ago so I could be waiting another 7 weeks I guess. Just hope I made sense to the lady who had to put up with me for two hours 

L_Volunteer

Please don’t apologise @wonkydonkey28. The most important thing to us is that you feel able to reach out to us when you want and need to.

You mention you have not been great mentally. Would you like to share a little more with us about what this has been looking for you recently?

We are here for you if you would like to share more with us about this. I can, completely, hear that the colder weather seems to make it worse for you.

Hopefully, there will be some warmer weather for you soon and you will start to feel a little better. Though, this absolutely doesn’t take away from the struggles you are experiencing at the moment.

It is really positive to hear the lady was really nice and helped you through the telephone appointment. Sometimes, as you have pointed out, further clarity makes the world of difference.

Hopefully, you will hear sooner rather than later but I can hear how you might be waiting for more weeks. How are you coping with this wait at the moment? I am sure the lady was glad to support you and didn’t see it as ‘having to put up’ with you.

Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything else we can do to support you, even if that is just extending a listening ear 

wonkydonkey28

L_Volunteer said:

Please don’t apologise @wonkydonkey28. The most important thing to us is that you feel able to reach out to us when you want and need to.

You mention you have not been great mentally. Would you like to share a little more with us about what this has been looking for you recently?

We are here for you if you would like to share more with us about this. I can, completely, hear that the colder weather seems to make it worse for you.

Hopefully, there will be some warmer weather for you soon and you will start to feel a little better. Though, this absolutely doesn’t take away from the struggles you are experiencing at the moment.

It is really positive to hear the lady was really nice and helped you through the telephone appointment. Sometimes, as you have pointed out, further clarity makes the world of difference.

Hopefully, you will hear sooner rather than later but I can hear how you might be waiting for more weeks. How are you coping with this wait at the moment? I am sure the lady was glad to support you and didn’t see it as ‘having to put up’ with you.

Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything else we can do to support you, even if that is just extending a listening ear 

Hi thank you. Mentally I've suffered and been diagnosed with depression since age 12. I'm also diagnosed PTSD, OCD and anxiety. Mental health been ten times worse lately. They had loads of proofs from myself my GP ect I have two tumours I have also alot of other illnesses and I suffer so much . Yet PIP awarded me ZERO ON EVERYTHING. Literally had me on assesment for two hours breaking down crying talking about my childhood abuse and they said I have zero distress mentally!? GP has said challenge it all the way which is what I am doing asked for a mandatory recon. Last week of march three days after they said no to me for everything. Had one text the day I did the MR saying will take Upto 8 weeks that was 30th. Now had this text this morning. Has anyone had this text before? I've had the usual one but not this one ever with a specific date ? I'm so stressed with all of this . Here is the text copy pasted.
 Update on your PIP claim. You asked us to look at your decision again. We expect to look at your case by 26/5/2023. You do not need to contact us unless your circumstances change. Thank you. 

chiarieds

Hi @wonkydonkey28 - yes, we have had members who've had a text saying the same, & giving a date by which a decision will be made.

nasturtium

Hello Wonkeydonkey28

Sorry for the long post inadvance but I am trying to explain what PIP is and how to show that you have limitations because the most common reasons why people fail to get an award for PIP is because they do not know what PIP is for and how they can show they qualify for an award.

I have read that you have not been awarded a PIP award and you have got Zero for everything. Let me start by saying this is not a uncommon thing to happen. Many people when they apply for PIP get awarded Zero for everything and then go on to getting an award at MR or tribunal stage. The key to getting an award at any stage of the PIP application system is to understand what the PIP activities are and what the PIP descriptors mean also the limitations of your condition doing the 12 PIP activities.

To be able to do the 12 PIP activities and score Zero points on every activity means that you can do all those activities safely, repeatedly, in a reasonable time and to an acceptable standard for the majority of times (more than 50% of the time).

So if you have scored Zero points you have not outined in DETAIL why you cannot do the 12 PIP activities that are affected by your condition safely, repeatedly, in a reasonable time and to an acceptable standard.

So lets look at a PIP activity and your condition of Scoliosis and Back Pain. I am going to use the PIP activity of dressing and undressing as an example.

Dressing and undressing involves a person to bend to pick up clothes and to stand to put on trousers etc. So you need to ask yourself a number of questions and assosiact your answers in detail to your condition.

Start of by making a list of all of the limitations you have doing that activity.

Do you get pain and discomfort bending?

If you get pain and discomfort bending then what task do you need to bend when you are dressing and undressing?

Describe in detail the pain you get when you bend to do that task when dressing and undressing.

Where is the pain located?

Does the pain travel to any other part of your body?

How long does the pain last after you have done the task?

What type of pain is it?

Do you get breathless doing the task?

Once you have described in detail your problems accosiated with your condition doing that one task of bending then you need to say what you need to do to manage to complete that task Reliably for the majority of time.

So would an aid help you to puck up items off the floor so you will not need to bend you back. For example you could use the aid of a long handeled grabber. Would a sock puller help you to put on your socks again this will means you can dress yourself using an aid and you can avoid bending.

Doing the abouve will show you have a disability and you cannot complete the task of dressing and undressing Relaibly and you could score a possible 2 points for needing to use an aid to dress and undress.

If you cannot do the activity with an aid then you need to explain why you cannot do that task with an aid and if there would be any saftey reasons.

If you say yo need assistance to dress and undress you need to give a reason why you need assistance.

Who helps you to get dressed?

What do they do?

How many days of the week do they help you to get dressed?

Would there be any safety risks if you did not have assistance to get dressed? If there are any safety risks what are they?

Have you had and accidents or hurt yourself getting dressed because you have not had assistance or you did not use your aids?

How long does it take you each day to get dressed? Are you slow getting dressed because of pain discomfort or fatigue?

The above is just an example to show you what you need to do to show your limitations and how to describle them and what you need to help you to ba able to do the PIP activity safely, repeatedly, in a reasonable time and to an acceptable standard.

You need to do the above for all of the 12 PIP activities that are affected by your condition or conditions.

You can do the above for an appeal if you need to apply for an appeal.

You can get more information on the activities and how to fill in a PIP form here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/fill-in-form-pip/

If you still need advice then you can search for your local welfare rights orgonisation here https://advicelocal.uk/welfare-benefits

I hope this has been of assistance.

Nasturtium