Hi, I'mMishmash! Is it possible to reduce my working hours & then attempt to claim PIP?

Mishmash

Afternoon All

I hope everyone is having a good day. 

It’s my first time on this site but feel that we all have similar conditions , symptoms & anxiety issues.
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2016 & Hyper-mobility not long after, and have worked full time since the diagnosis. Although I do my best to keep fit & active to help with my symptoms I’m finding that working full time is really taking its toll on me. My weekend is generally spent recuperating or feeling ill. My housework is non existent lately as I’m so tired, aching & generally in pain. 
Does anyone know if it is possible to reduce my working hours & then attempt to claim PIP? 

Never even considered it before but I’m really struggling now. 

Thanks for reading.

durhamjaide2001

Hi my name is Jaide also known as @durhamjaide2001 and I think I saw you post on another account on the same name but I just wanted to give you a warm welcome again. 

chiarieds

Hi @Mishmash - & welcome to the community. I also suffer from hypermobility (the hypermobile type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), so have a little understanding.

Have you discussed 'reasonable adjustments' with your employer?

You can work & claim PIP, but I'd recommend having a good look at the activities/descriptors that are used with PIP: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/personal-independence-payment-descriptors-and-scores-april-2022.pdf

You need to see if you would get sufficient points, & with PIP, it isn't about any diagnoses, rather how your disability impacts on doing these activities 'reliably' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, repeat as often as one would reasonably expect, or if it takes you much longer than someone without a disability. See this mentioned at the end of the link above.

Please come back with any questions.

Cher_Alumni

Hello @Mishmash and a welcome from me too! How are you keeping? 

I can see PIP has been explained by chiarieds above, and I'd heartily second you taking a look at the PIP descrptors to see what points you believe you could score. Sometimes, we don't fully appreciate all the ways our conditions impact what we do (we go into autopilot, and struggling becomes the norm) so maybe take a metaphorical step back and take some time to think about it. 

Whilst, if you feel that your fibromyalgia and hyper mobility are impacting your ability to complete daily chores, perhaps look into getting a social care needs assessment too, so any support needs can be explored.

For your information, I renamed your thread and moved it to our PIP, DLA and AA category to help make it more visible to others. 

Best wishes and I hope you have a lovely weekend.

elise84

Pip can be claimed when your working full time, its not means tested .