Planning and following journeys - PIP Mobility

Lottie1732

After my recent MR decision I have questioned whether or not I should appeal on the mobility part. I did get award standard on daily living, which I think is fair and correct.

I got 4 points on mobility for the moving around part. I believe that to be correct also.
What I take issue with is the journeys part, where I got zero.  I've been googling (and sorry if this has already been discussed several times but I can't do a search as the search function is broken). 

I found the below.  The bold part describes me exactly so I think that means I should be in the "e. Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant" 10 points. 

If the only way you can do something is to do it badly, unsafely, slowly or only occasionally, the correct descriptor is the one that says you can't do it.

I can provide lots of real world examples of this for an appeal.  What do you think?

Thank you
Lottie

OverlyAnxious

Not enough information to go on from that post.  (Apologies if I've missed previous posts covering your situation).

This descriptor is quite a simple one though.  If, on the majority of days, you cannot go out, then you meet the descriptor.

If you're taking kids to school or walking dogs or going to shops, even every other day, then it will be difficult to convince the assessor that you meet this descriptor.

Lottie1732

Thank you @OverlyAnxious. Sorry I did waffle a bit.  In a nutshell, I got zero points on the journeys question. I think it should be 10, given the description "badly, unsafely, slowly, only occasionally". 

OverlyAnxious

Lottie1732 said:

Thank you @OverlyAnxious. Sorry I did waffle a bit.  In a nutshell, I got zero points on the journeys question. I think it should be 10, given the description "badly, unsafely, slowly, only occasionally". 

Not waffling, but you haven't provided any evidence of the 'badly etc'.  If you can give us one or two examples of a practical situation then we can suggest whether you should meet the criteria or not. 

It's definitely not as simple as the AdviceNow website is suggesting.

For example 'slowly' is only considered if something takes twice as long as a normal person.  'Badly' is a terrible description because one persons idea of badly won't be the same as anothers.

The main one there is 'occasionally', which can be easily quantified.  PIP descriptors are measured as 'more than half the time'.  So if you're going out every other day (4 days out of 7) then you would not meet the descriptor for unable to make any journey.

Lottie1732

Thank you @OverlyAnxious. I'm with you now. 

An example. Going to a place I know, say, 20 mile round trip. I can't go without someone else because of social phobia and anxiety. 

I have a car that goes out of the driveway about once a month and always to a place I know, with a copilot. I will wriggle out of it if I possibly can.   

Another. Somewhere I don't know. I can't plan how to get there. Google maps, even google street view on my pc, all the way there. Just makes it worse. I simply don't go. I've not been to a place I don't know for at least 5 years. I can prove that with my google maps timeline history. 

OverlyAnxious

Lottie1732 said:

Thank you @OverlyAnxious. I'm with you now. 

An example. Going to a place I know, say, 20 mile round trip. I can't go without someone else because of social phobia and anxiety. 

I have a car that goes out of the driveway about once a month and always to a place I know, with a copilot. I will wriggle out of it if I possibly can.   

Another. Somewhere I don't know. I can't plan how to get there. Google maps, even google street view on my pc, all the way there. Just makes it worse. I simply don't go. I've not been to a place I don't know for at least 5 years. I can prove that with my google maps timeline history. 

Ok, so based on those two situations, it does sound like you meet the descriptor for unable to make any journey on the majority of days.  That's the 10 points one as you suggested earlier.

Although you do go out with another person, that would have to be on the majority of days (more than half the time) to meet the 12 points descriptor.

So yes, I would say you have enough grounds to appeal.  Just have to make sure you can provide those sort of practical events to help the assessor understand the situation.