Hi, my name is Osteo! I need assistance with my PIP claim. I have osteoarthritis and asthma.

Osteo

Hello everyone '  I've just joined I am hoping to gain some assistance on how to make a claim for pip because of my osteoarthritis and asthma

Osteo

I really am at a loss what to do, I am 64yrs old and have always led an active lifestyle which has now become a real problem for me de to the onset of Osteoarthritis in my knees and my thumbs about three yrs ago and which is now severely affecting my ability to work as a gardener, I don't drive so I rely on a bicycle which at times I am unable to ride because of the pain, some one suggested that I should apply for  pip  which I had never heard of before and so I have just found  this website and am looking for guidance please 

chiarieds

Hi @Osteo - & welcome to the community. I'm sorry you're troubled with OA, as I know how painful it can be.

As far as PIP goes, it's not about any diagnosis, but rather how your disability affects certain activities of daily living &/mobility. Have a look at the activities/descriptors that are looked at with PIP:  https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/personal-independence-payment-descriptors-and-scores-april-2023.pdf

If claiming, try & 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 do each applicable 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. See this mentioned at the end of the link above.

This is also an informative read, especially about 'reliability.'

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria

You can read more about PIP, & how to apply here: https://www.gov.uk/pip

Albus_Scope

Hi @Osteo and a big welcome from me to the community! I hope you're doing ok today?

I can see you're already getting some top advice, but I wanted to let you know I've moved your post into the PIP category, so more people in the know will be able to offer support. Hope that's ok.