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Support filling out PIP form, can I get it extended?

connor123

hi all, i have mental health issues and suffering benzo.withdrawal syndrome,i have been putting off filling in my pip review forms as i dont know where to start and it needs to be in by 28/8..i have no family to help me and i am reluctant to seek help from cab/age concern etc as i have very bad social phobia.if i phone them up to request extra time due to this making me really ill will they hold it against me the fact i am able to make phone call /fill out the forms myself as i have no choice?.i dont know where to turn i feel as though this might tip me over the edge.please could someone give me some advise please many thanks connor

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Ami2301

Hi @connor123
I know it's easier said than done but take deep breaths

Majority of the community have had to fill out these forms and it's frustrating! We all will help you anyway we can

Ami

Yadnad

Damn good advice.
Unfortunately it is easier said than done.

When I filled the PIP2 forms out I started with great gusto but by the time I made it halfway through it became harder and harder. The little voice in the head kept saying - just fill what you can, until the form finished off with boxes being ticked and that was it.
To be honest you need to be able to really delve into everything which in itself is depressing time consuming and draining

The very same reasons that I looked at the Attendance Allowance form and thought 'no way - not again'. In a way I was thankful that I didn't need to fill it in as I clearly did not fit the requirements of that benefit - not disabled enough and too many aids that help me out.

connor123

yes i agree yadnab i feel like just throwing the towel in i have not got the strenth to fight this battle

Yadnad

connor123 said:

yes i agree yadnab i feel like just throwing the towel in i have not got the strenth to fight this battle

Know how you feel, really do.

Peasmold_01

As they say in the county in which I live "Hold you 'ard boy". There is help out there to fill in the forms. Not a great fan, however, Citizens Advice will help you. Look for a local support group for your particular situation. I will reiterate this. Look for a local Community Law Centre. Seek help from your local councils Social Services. Give up, and the system wins!!!! Remember this little aphorism:
"Illegitimi non carborundum"

(Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to!)

Yadnad

Peasmold_01 said:

As they say in the county in which I live "Hold you 'ard boy". There is help out there to fill in the forms. Not a great fan, however, Citizens Advice will help you. Look for a local support group for your particular situation. I will reiterate this. Look for a local Community Law Centre. Seek help from your local councils Social Services. Give up, and the system wins!!!! Remember this little aphorism:
"Illegitimi non carborundum"

(Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to!)

As reported on the other thread, the advice agencies etc are either too busy, too far a way or no longer deal with benefit issues. Council - the department closed down, Social Services - you have to be an ongoing case for social care.

Giving up does not mean the system wins, generally it is the claimant that wins by not having to suffer what the system throws at you at an age (70) when all you want is a bit of' peace for the few years that are left.

Matilda

Phone DWP and ask for an extension : say you have to get help to fill in the form. They'll give you two extra weeks.

Disability Rights UK site has a good guide to completing PIP forms. You could also phone Scope Helpline.

desabled

why are Kent county council so unhelpful and incompetent the oter week govt. said they'd be cutting out constant assessment next thin i know an esa50 form hits the doormat you can't believe a word they say

Peasmold_01

I was offering an insight into what is possible if one cares to look. I was not saying that all the possibilities I propounded were universally available what I suggested was looking for available help and advice from any source. It is a lonely world when one has to fight the system, but I am also nearly 70, and the one thing I have learnt in life, never give up. The system is not just flawed it is broken. The reason, we as a country allowed this to happen. Individually we may be able to satisfy our own needs and concerns, but together, perhaps we can change an unfair system. We are the minority, or are we?
We live all over the country. We all have experience and knowledge that we can and should share. One person's experience is another's first step on an unknown path. Think locally, think what you may be able to offer, in support, experience and knowledge of the system, to another who is in the same position you were or may still be in (Perhaps I'm preaching to the converted) but you may never know, the forum member who has posted a message lives just up the road, across the street. Perhaps a friendly piece of information a supportive cup of tea, may just be the difference between feeling alone when trying to fight the system, or feeling valued and worthwhile. I'm not preaching, I'm suggesting a possibility
(Humans are the only animals that blush, or need to!)

Yadnad

desabled said:

why are Kent county council so unhelpful and incompetent the oter week govt. said they'd be cutting out constant assessment next thin i know an esa50 form hits the doormat you can't believe a word they say

What on earth does KCC have to do with a re-assessment of your ESA?

BenefitsTrainingCo

connor123,

Just to add to what others have said, if you need an extension it's fairly easy to request - one of the easier bits of the whole process. I completely agree with all Mike's tips - you can find the PIP descriptors in various places, but one option is to use the PIP self-test to see what you think you should score (bearing in mind all Mike's points about safety, repeatability, the standard to which you can do something and how long it takes you).

When it comes to getting help, unfortunately it really does depend where you live and what is on offer. For example, where I live, the disability advice centre is great and will make you an appointment to help you fill in your form, usually within 2 weeks of getting in touch. However, in other areas, they may not offer this service, or if they do you have to wait. But having said all that, it sounds as if it would be very hard for you to make use of their services, because they would almost certainly want to help you fill in the form face to face, and that sounds as if it would be very difficult.

Having said all that, definitely don't worry about ringing up - that will not be held against you, and you should get the extension you need. Be clear about what the new date is and give yourself plenty of time to respond. It doesn't all have to be done in one go. Good luck!

Will

Yadnad

Username_removed said:

Precisely why there’s no date enshrined in law for when the form has to be returned and extensions are straightforward to obtain.

Another thing that I didn't know. This then begs the question as to why then does the DWP close the claim down if the PIP2 isn't returned on time?
However I think I know the answer to that question. I believe that there is legislation that allows this to happen. Whilst there may be nothing specific to PIP there is the all inclusive regulation that if the DWP request information they do so and are entitled to, close a claim if after the 30 days given the request goes unanswered.

In the dim and distant past - 2009 - I failed to comply with a request for further information within 30 days. I couldn't comply (they were asking for information that I could not readily give) and soon after the 30 days had elapsed they closed down my Pension Credit claim that had be ongoing with no benefit being awarded for over 6 months. I had to wait until the information became available and had to start a completely new claim. When this was awarded I was not awarded anything for the previous 9 months from when the first claim was made until when the second claim was made. The loss to me was well in excess of £1900 + £1500 of lost help towards the mortgage.
So you are probably right but the DWP will find a way of getting around that situation.

Yadnad

Peasmold_01 said:

I was offering an insight into what is possible if one cares to look. I was not saying that all the possibilities I propounded were universally available what I suggested was looking for available help and advice from any source. It is a lonely world when one has to fight the system, but I am also nearly 70, and the one thing I have learnt in life, never give up. The system is not just flawed it is broken. The reason, we as a country allowed this to happen. Individually we may be able to satisfy our own needs and concerns, but together, perhaps we can change an unfair system. We are the minority, or are we?
We live all over the country. We all have experience and knowledge that we can and should share. One person's experience is another's first step on an unknown path. Think locally, think what you may be able to offer, in support, experience and knowledge of the system, to another who is in the same position you were or may still be in (Perhaps I'm preaching to the converted) but you may never know, the forum member who has posted a message lives just up the road, across the street. Perhaps a friendly piece of information a supportive cup of tea, may just be the difference between feeling alone when trying to fight the system, or feeling valued and worthwhile. I'm not preaching, I'm suggesting a possibility
(Humans are the only animals that blush, or need to!)

You don't by any means belong to a well known religious order that annoys me nearly every Saturday morning?

Helping others is OK if it is on a subject that I can easily understand or deal with. I help many people each week but thankfully I have the backing of a whole range of professionals behind me that I can call on. But when it comes to matters involving the DWP I am well out of my depth. I can't communicate with them myself without having the feeling of anger rise up in me when they appear to be so dismissive of everything I ask of them. At one time it was said that the Tax Return was probably the most difficult form for the average person to fill in - they want to try the ones the DWP print!

connor123

does anyone know if my assessor/dm will have knowledge of the benzo.withdrawal syndrome?its just i feel i could go on forever describing my symptoms and i would prefer to keep it to a minimum. many thanks connor

pjak

My CAB had a person who knew about this form and she helped me to complete it and l was given an award.

poppy123456

connor123 said:

does anyone know if my assessor/dm will have knowledge of the benzo.withdrawal syndrome?its just i feel i could go on forever describing my symptoms and i would prefer to keep it to a minimum. many thanks connor

PIP isn't about a diagnosis, it's how your conditions affect you daily. You should answer those questions with as much detail as possible because they're trying to get a picture of how your conditions affect you.

Yadnad

pjak said:

My CAB had a person who knew about this form and she helped me to complete it and l was given an award.

It should be the case that all advisors within the CAB that are dedicated to deal with benefits should have had training.

Yadnad

poppy123456 said:

PIP isn't about a diagnosis, it's how your conditions affect you daily. You should answer those questions with as much detail as possible because they're trying to get a picture of how your conditions affect you.

I agree, that is the intention. But the question I would ask is if the assessor has no idea about the condition how can they be in a position to justify that the level of impact claimed is reasonable and in line with what would be expected of someone who is suffering from that condition?

It's no different if an assessor, a physiotherapist, is questioning someone who has frontal lobe impairment.what would they expect to see in respect of the impact caused by that damage. Either they will have to take the word of the claimant or do some considerable reading up of the likely symptoms that are said to be causing the impact claimed.

Or maybe they do what the decision makers did - Google it.

Yadnad

Username_removed said:

Another thing that I didn't know. This then begs the question as to why then does the DWP close the claim down if the PIP2 isn't returned on time?
However I think I know the answer to that question. I believe that there is legislation that allows this to happen. Whilst there may be nothing specific to PIP there is the all inclusive regulation that if the DWP request information they do so and are entitled to, close a claim if after the 30 days given the request goes unanswered.

Looks like Sunday is myth busting day

Had to remind a colleague in work about this early last week. There are two different sets of rules. One for evidence required to make a claim and one for additional evidence requested by a decision maker. In both cases they can set a date but if the date is not complied with they only have the power to extend the date or to make a decision on entitlement. Doing the latter gives you a right to an MR. There is no power to simply close a claim and there never has been. Both DWP and LAs repeatedly do this but it’s always been wrong. Most recent example was a HB case at the start of August - CH/25/2018. Same applies if you ask to shut down a claim. DWP et al will generally do it. They have literally no power in law to do it at all. It has to be a supersession and there must be grounds.

Sorry Mike to keep attacking your brain.
The dirty little bbbbbb..lighters!

This action took place before MR so it could have gone to appeal.
I specifically asked the Pension Service why they had done it - in fact it was a rather heated discussion. They told me in clear terms that I had the chance to give the information within the time frame and chose not to....After a few more words of wisdom from me... I said that I will appeal against the closing of the claim and their reply was that it wasn't a decision that I could appeal and that if I wanted to pursue the claim I would have to make a new one.

Absolutely ridiculous that you cannot trust or expect the DWP to give a genuine honest answer. It's clearly a case of not having the expertise or available advisor
to tell me otherwise at the time - another £3400 they owe me on top of the £20,000+ I got fiddled out of for the IIDB claim.

connor123

my condition has not changed much since my original claim, is it ok to more or less repeat myself in the review form?as i thinkthis would be easier for me.many thanks connor