Support with Personal Independence Payment

Charley_Monks
Charley_Monks Community member Posts: 1 Listener
in Work

Hello!

I am asking for advice on Personal Independence Payment's.

My Partner has Cerebellar Ataxia, he struggles doing pretty much everything and the fact that he is struggling to work has also started affecting his mental health.

However as he goes to the GYM he is seen as not requiring PIP, even if he goes to strengthen his muscles so he can walk. We have been trying to get his PIP in place for 3 years and we keep getting rejected.

Any advice or support?

Thank you

Comments

  • Summerlove
    Summerlove Community member Posts: 237 Empowering

    This is going to be difficult because they have buzz words and if you say any of them it's game over. They are seeing the word GYM as some leisure activity and it's not its part of his therapy in same way as a physiotherapist.

    I would explain this in a letter and get another letter supporting this by medical that the GYM is part of his therapy to help him strengthen his muscles. If you could also print out things about his condition too that would give them an idea of what the condition is and why he needs this. Trying to improve symptoms should not disqualify someone struggling especially if it's affecting all areas of his life.

    Pip is very hard to get so just do everything you can with supporting evidence.

  • Jimm_Scope
    Jimm_Scope Posts: 5,349 Online Community Team
    edited November 12

    Hi @Charley_Monks, welcome to the community 😊

    There are certain assumptions they make about capability when they hear things like work, gym, and more etc.

    What must be explained in these instances is the exact reason they are doing the activity. For instance with work it's very simple, you need to pay for a roof over your head and food etc.

    You then can say how it can take you longer to do that activity than a regular person, or can make you far more tired than would be reasonably expected. And if it makes you more tired or in pain than reasonably expected, how much does it impact the rest of your day?

    If it goes to a tribunal these are questions that the tribunal will find very helpful if answered.

    You could look for a benefits advisor or an advocate who has done PIP tribunal work before to help build a case for your partner. They will know what evidence is needed.

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