Was told not to boter with PIP

hyancinth

After many years of people including advisors tell me I should apply, the other day another semi skilled advisor(who didnt even know wca are no longer) told me in plain english (abrupt) not to. She assumed in my brief convo that theres not enough evidence and contact with GP, even though Ive had lots of intervention and I wont take meds, thats the big no no. What happened to choice? never mind the evidence the drugs dont work..London College et al. Id never been told this before and it was quite a slap. I was only considering it. Pip aside, I felt awful. Like left to suffer, inbetween worlds. Not classed as normal/capable around some, far too capable around others. Sick of being put in a (tick )box.

poppy123456

hyancinth said:

After many years of people including advisors tell me I should apply, the other day another semi skilled advisor(who didnt even know wca are no longer)

WCAs haven't stopped, the only ones that have stopped are reviews and that's because they are suspended. New claims and change of circumstances are continuing as normal. I did advise this on your other thread.

hyancinth

Yes thats right you did leave a comment about the wca situation on my wca post which I read (to be clear I was told the word embargo, embargo by a wc, is a ceasing, a prohibition, a stopping, not suspension) This post is about pip. 

poppy123456

The WCA is not stopping. Yes, I know it’s about PIP but you also mentioned the WCA in your comment. 

If you think you can score enough points for a PIP award then you can ring to start a claim.

chiarieds

Hi @hyacinth - as you realise, that advisor's comment was not only unfortunately abrupt, but also inaccurate. A diagnosis isn't the important thing with PIP, so medical evidence is rarely helpful as your GP doesn't see you attempting the activities of daily living that are looked at. It's all about your functional ability to 'reliably' do these PIP activities/descriptors.

I did mention therapies that hadn't worked, & medications that either didn't work or had poor side-effects, but just in the section about this. I can see no harm in you also doing so if you wish.

However, the important thing is to give a couple of recent, detailed examples as to the difficulty you face for each applicable descriptor, i.e. when did it happen, where, what happened, did anyone see this, & were there any consequences to attempting/doing an activity?
Say if you can't do an activity '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.

Please know, if you do decide to put in a claim for PIP, everyone here will be supportive, so do come back with any questions.

OverlyAnxious

I don't know why people put full trust in anyone with the title 'advisor' or 'specialist' or 'assessor' or anything else.  All people make mistakes, regardless of their job title.

I know it can come as a shock, and can be taken personally (I've done it myself!) but ultimately no-one else knows your situation and most people don't even know half of the stuff they paid to 'advise' about.

Blue_eyes

@OverlyAnxious ,you are absolutely right  .

hyancinth

Thank you everyone lots for your supportive comments. I was very disheartened so it helps.
She never offered and suggestion like yours @chairieds. I will seek better advise / organisation to help me once I regain some confidence to put in for it. 

chiarieds

Hi - remember PIP is about how you are the majority of the time, & also about any help you might need (even if you don't get that help). You may find the following website helpful if you do consider PIP: https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/help-with-your-pip-claim/how-to-fill-in-the-pip-form/

You can also search here to find out if there's somewhere local to you that can help: https://advicelocal.uk/welfare-benefits