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PIP medical proofs & what can you do if you don't have any?
Redridge
Member Posts: 4 Listener
My wife is 64 years old & was awarded DLA lifetime award many years ago & now we have been told that her DLA has ceased & we should apply for PIP instead if we still think we should qualify. I rang the DWP on behalf of my wife & they are sending her the forms in the next few days so no problem there. HOWEVER, they say I should include proofs of my wifes disabilities such as doctors reports, consultants reports, reports from other professional people advising or monitoring her care. BIG PROBLEM!
My wife has co ordination problems & learning difficulties caused by an attack of Meningitis which caused brain injury, made her slightly deaf (but not really a problem), caused co ordination difficulties, made her incontinent. The trouble is, this was many years ago & as you may well know, there is no cure for a brain injury. So when she was released from hospital more than 40 years ago, she never received any follow up treatment because there is nothing they can do to "fix the problem" so she does not have any consultants, care workers or any health care professionals we can contact to request proof of her disabilities. So they ask us to send proofs & we dont have any! We have basically been left alone to get on with things for the last 40 years.
Of course we have a normal GP but even this has changed over the years and we are several GP's down the line since my wife first contracted meningitis which caused her brain injury & nearly killed her.
Will the PIP people accept my word as her primary carer and possibly backed up by my cousin who acts as secondary carer? If not, then I am scared my wife will lose her DLA & not be able to claim PIP just because we dont have a paper trail to prove her disability. I know the PIP test is basically a ticky box test where you either fit the box or else "computer says no" as a well known TV parody portrays. That would be shocking if the new test which does not have a full medical as the old DLA one did is so flawed so as to exclude her from what she really needs & what used to be a right of all disabled persons.
Here is an example as to how the learning difficulties affect our daily lives in case it might help give you an idea as to what we can expect. My wife has difficulty walking & walks only with the aid of a walking frame. She is prone to bumping into things because she cannot react fast enough. She frequently falls over particularly when turning or deviating from a straight line to avoid obstacles and cannot get up again unaided. She cannot get in & out of bed by herself, we have a large shower cabinet with a small 2 inch step to get into it & my wife cannot get into the shower unaided & cannot shower herself. She cannot get into the loo & turn around & sit down without falling so we have to have a commode next to the bed and next to her high orthopedic chair in the lounge & I have to wipe her backside for her & then empty the commode which is quite often as she also has Diverticulitis which makes things a bit messy. She is urinary incontinent & that just about all the proof we have from the incontinence supply people in the form of monthly delivery notes. She is type 2 diabetic & has high blood pressure and needs around 7 different pills, 4 times a day & she is unable to understand how to take the medicines & in which order & quantity. I have to grind up all the pills into a coctail of powders & then disolve them in boiling water & then flavour with strong orange squash to take the taste away as she cannot swallow them. I have to cook all her meals as she cannot do that & then I have to use a food processor to grind each part of the food into a smooth paste. She has the same normal meal as any non disabled person would have but each portion of the ingredients are made into an adult type smoothie & she eats with a spoon. If you give her normal food cut up she often chokes on it. This is my daily life as a carer & I am supposed to supply DWP with proof from non existent medical doctors, consultants etc?. Basically, we have no proof to give them. My wife has no road sense & you would never be able to leave her to get home alone even in our own town even if she was capable of walking any distance which she certainly is not. I estimate maybe 20 yards would be possible if we were lucky & if she did not fall over.
Do you think I could take my wife to see her own doctor & pay private for a full medical to send to them? I know DWP sometimes check with doctor but I dont think they go into that detail but just check to see if your description of the illness is correct. Would our doctor do that & would it be acceptable to DWP I wonder? Knowing my own medical records and how much got lost or discarded in the change over from paper records to computerised records & how much information was lost I am not sure a basic enquiry would be any good.
ANY ADVICE WELCOME.
My wife has co ordination problems & learning difficulties caused by an attack of Meningitis which caused brain injury, made her slightly deaf (but not really a problem), caused co ordination difficulties, made her incontinent. The trouble is, this was many years ago & as you may well know, there is no cure for a brain injury. So when she was released from hospital more than 40 years ago, she never received any follow up treatment because there is nothing they can do to "fix the problem" so she does not have any consultants, care workers or any health care professionals we can contact to request proof of her disabilities. So they ask us to send proofs & we dont have any! We have basically been left alone to get on with things for the last 40 years.
Of course we have a normal GP but even this has changed over the years and we are several GP's down the line since my wife first contracted meningitis which caused her brain injury & nearly killed her.
Will the PIP people accept my word as her primary carer and possibly backed up by my cousin who acts as secondary carer? If not, then I am scared my wife will lose her DLA & not be able to claim PIP just because we dont have a paper trail to prove her disability. I know the PIP test is basically a ticky box test where you either fit the box or else "computer says no" as a well known TV parody portrays. That would be shocking if the new test which does not have a full medical as the old DLA one did is so flawed so as to exclude her from what she really needs & what used to be a right of all disabled persons.
Here is an example as to how the learning difficulties affect our daily lives in case it might help give you an idea as to what we can expect. My wife has difficulty walking & walks only with the aid of a walking frame. She is prone to bumping into things because she cannot react fast enough. She frequently falls over particularly when turning or deviating from a straight line to avoid obstacles and cannot get up again unaided. She cannot get in & out of bed by herself, we have a large shower cabinet with a small 2 inch step to get into it & my wife cannot get into the shower unaided & cannot shower herself. She cannot get into the loo & turn around & sit down without falling so we have to have a commode next to the bed and next to her high orthopedic chair in the lounge & I have to wipe her backside for her & then empty the commode which is quite often as she also has Diverticulitis which makes things a bit messy. She is urinary incontinent & that just about all the proof we have from the incontinence supply people in the form of monthly delivery notes. She is type 2 diabetic & has high blood pressure and needs around 7 different pills, 4 times a day & she is unable to understand how to take the medicines & in which order & quantity. I have to grind up all the pills into a coctail of powders & then disolve them in boiling water & then flavour with strong orange squash to take the taste away as she cannot swallow them. I have to cook all her meals as she cannot do that & then I have to use a food processor to grind each part of the food into a smooth paste. She has the same normal meal as any non disabled person would have but each portion of the ingredients are made into an adult type smoothie & she eats with a spoon. If you give her normal food cut up she often chokes on it. This is my daily life as a carer & I am supposed to supply DWP with proof from non existent medical doctors, consultants etc?. Basically, we have no proof to give them. My wife has no road sense & you would never be able to leave her to get home alone even in our own town even if she was capable of walking any distance which she certainly is not. I estimate maybe 20 yards would be possible if we were lucky & if she did not fall over.
Do you think I could take my wife to see her own doctor & pay private for a full medical to send to them? I know DWP sometimes check with doctor but I dont think they go into that detail but just check to see if your description of the illness is correct. Would our doctor do that & would it be acceptable to DWP I wonder? Knowing my own medical records and how much got lost or discarded in the change over from paper records to computerised records & how much information was lost I am not sure a basic enquiry would be any good.
ANY ADVICE WELCOME.
Replies
It May be worth making an appointment with your GP to discuss this.Even if your GP records are incomplete there will be notes on your wife’s medical records to back up your wife’s brain injury.You will just have to explain to assessor how she is affected and how she has deteriorated over the years.As you may know it’s not what you have,but the way it affects you as an individual that decides whether you are successful or not in your application.You could also ask GP to request a home assessment which would make it easier to show howdaily life is.
If you go to the Benefits and Work website you can do an online PIP self test.This should give you a rough idea as to whether you feel your wife is entitled.
Just a quick heads up.Any correspondence should be sent signed for and please keep a copy of everything the DWP have a poor track record when it comes to keeping your information together.
CAB can be very helpful in filling out forms but you would have to go in.You could try Age Concern as they may come to your home to help with the application.
Hope this helps.
Debsidoo.x
If you tried to get all that information you would have to pay for it and wait a long time to get it, the DWP will have most of it on file already anyway if someone cares to read it. Why should you have to provide it all again. If nothing has changed and you have nothing more to send as is the case with many long term illnesses then what are you meant to do? Hassle your GP and specialists and rob others of their time to satisfy some idiot who cant be bothered (but gets well paid for) to look at the evidence already there.
Strewth!
2. Do like ways with G.P. practice. Write in.
3. Any private practice.
4. They must have asked u.
Do you want past Dla evidence to be taken into consideration.
The answer is YES.
5. They are not concerned about the disabilities.
The concerns are: what effects do they have on you ! Explain this out.
6. Mobility part: has changed.
The walking distance.
7. Any psychologist reasons why one cannot : plan a route / Etc.
8. Get a letter from your carer to verify what is being said it true.
9. I switched over to pip got enhanced rate in both.
Use the draft from CAB. Think it through..... what daily help your wife needs.
10. Look at the safety aspect: why she cannot cook: not safe as she falls. Etc.
11. Wish I could be of more help
Vet.
:
When you ask the GP for a home visit assessment, the letter must be very specific that she cannot under any circumstance attend an assesment centre. any thing less will leave it open.
Testamonials from your self and anyone who cares for or knows your wife well will help.
Testamonials are letters that include specifics
So their letters must include their name and address, they need to explain their relation to the claimant and how often they see them.
Then they need to explain anything they see the claimant do or not do in regard to the relevant benefits activities and any other comments that they have.
Lastly they need to attest that the information that they have provided is correct to the best of their ability.
CR
I sent no medical or other evidence with my PIP2 relied soley on the f2f and won.
But it is better to have what you can.
When you fill in the PIP2 form don't try and squeeze it all in the boxes added sheets to the back are fine , just put name NI and number each ie. 1 of 10, 2 of 10 etc.
Concentrate on the functional or otherwise aspects, explain in great detail but don't waffle. If you get it right they may even do a paper assessment
I am sure you are aware that this is the final shot a setting the mobility rate, what you accept this time cannot be increased in the future
CR