Hi, I'm F_bro! I've just been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and need some help filling in the PIP form

F_bro

Happy Sunday everyone,
I'm a newbie to this, thought tell you about what's been going on then you will get the gist of my post. I've been off work since may when i was told i was severely anaemic, had some tests done to make sure nothing horrible was causing the anaemia, which it wasn't thank goodness.. I put all my aches/ pains and tiredness down to the anaemia when i went to see my GP [after numerous] phone calls in July they mentioned Fibromyalgia, now since then ive been diagnosed. Its come and hit me full on crashes so im in bed for up to 3 days at a time , fatigue is totally rubbish and i feel so isolated, my partner is my carer he works full time.. But im having a good day today.. I need advice on how to fill in the PIP forms please dos's and dont's.
Thank you

poppy123456

HI,

PIP isn't awarded based on any diagnosis, it's how those conditions affect your ability to carry out daily activities based on the PIP descriptors. Neither is it about your ability to work, people claim PIP and work.

When filling out the forms you should put as much information as possible about how your conditions affect you. Adding a couple of real world examples of what happened the last time you attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to you. Include information such as where you were, what exactly happened, who (if anyone) seen it and what the consequences were. You should aim for at least one A4 side of paper for each descriptor that applied to you. Make sure you add your name and NI number to each sheet of paper you send. Do be aware that they very rarely contact anyone for any evidence, the onus is on you to make sure it's sent to support your claim.

Timescales from applying to having a decision is about 10 months. Good luck.

chiarieds

Hello @F_bro - & welcome to the community. I'm sorry your suffering with fibromyalgia, but pleased today is a good day. 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-2021.pdf

Try & give a couple of recent, detailed examples as to the difficulty you face for each applicable descriptor, i.e. what exactly happens, when did it happen, did anyone witness this, & were there any consequences, i.e. how did it leave you feeling after attempting/doing an activity, fatigued for example?

Can you do an activity 'reliably,' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, repeat it as often as one would reasonably expect, or does it take you much longer than someone without a disability? See this mentioned at the end of the link above.

Try keeping a diary for a week or so. Just complete a few questions at a time, & you can always add extra pages at the end. Just ensure you put your name & National Insurance number on each page. You can also ring the PIP enquiry line on 0800 121 4433 to ask for extra time to complete the form, & you will be given another 2 weeks without question. There can be postal delays tho, so post your form in good time. Keep a copy of everything 'just in case,' & get a free Certificate of Posting from your Post Office when sending the form off.

Do please come back with any questions

F_bro

Thank you so much, any in information on PIP is gratefully received, im so new to all this 

poppy123456

Have a read of this https://pipinfo.net/ and also the link that chiarieds posted for you.

chiarieds

There's also some great info here from Mike: https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/56365/pip-form-filling

F_bro

Thank you i'll take a look

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @F_bro  

I hope that the above comments have been useful in helping you to understand where to start when it comes to your PIP application. It can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but we're all here to help. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Just to let you know, I've moved your post into our PIP category and tweaked the title so that other members can find it more easily.