Hi, my name is nellynelson18! Challenging PIP decision

nellynelson18

hello my friend was in RTA at 1998 broke femur tibia shattered other ankle shattered pelvis ruptured spleen woke up with his best friend dead on his lap hip replaced and suffers from depression and anxiety he has had many more operations since to repair pins and plates screw poking through ankle bone ect

pip says he can walk 20-50 meters low rate however he lives on a rural mobile home site 1.6 miles from bus stop and shop the lane to site is a farm track steep hill uneven and no pavement or street lights and 0.6 mile to road which is fast with no street lights and no pathway how can he get them to understand he can’t walk on the uneven ground and a walker won’t push

PracticeWotUPreach

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/145599/hi-my-name-is-nellynelson18

Hi. I’m really sorry to hear about your friend — that sounds like a life-changing accident and ongoing struggle. 

With PIP, it’s important to know they don’t assess someone based on where they live (like the distance to the bus stop or the type of road). Instead, they look at whether your friend can reliably walk certain distances — meaning safely, repeatedly, in a reasonable time, and without severe pain or distress.

From what you’ve described, there are a few key points your friend should focus on if they want to challenge the decision:

• If walking 20–50 metres causes significant pain, instability, or risk of falling, that needs to be clearly explained
• If they cannot walk on uneven ground at all, or it makes things much worse, that’s relevant
• If they need support, rest breaks, or someone with them, that matters
• If their mental health (anxiety/depression) affects their ability to go out, that can also be considered under the “planning and following journeys” part of PIP

It’s less about the rural setting itself, and more about how their condition affects their ability to walk in real-world conditions.

They should consider:

• Requesting a Mandatory Reconsideration if they haven’t already
• Sending medical evidence again if they haven’t already (GP, consultant, physio reports)
• Writing a statement explaining what happens when they try to walk — e.g. pain levels, how far before needing to stop, what happens afterwards

It might help to contact a benefits adviser (like Citizens Advice) who can help word things in the way the DWP looks at.

Rachel_Scope

Hi @nellynelson18 and welcome to the community. You've already been given some wonderful advice there from one of our members but I just wanted to add a link to some more information for you about challenging a decision https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/challenging-pip-or-other-benefits-decisions .

It's wonderful that you're there for your friend. I hope PIP change their decision.