I have COPD/emphysema, and am looking for help on completing the PIP form

denlen

First time here. I have c.o.p.d/emphysema and were looking for help on completing the form for p.i.p. Applied two years ago and got turned down. I cant walk very far, approx 15 metres then have to stop. Lots of difficulties at home with living alone and dont know many people. Anyway ,would be great if anyone could give me any positive advice. thanks

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @denlen It's great to have you with us.

Just so you know, I've moved your post into our PIP category, and renamed it so that other members will be able to find your post and offer you advice more easily.

Something you'll read a lot about if you scroll through the PIP category is how useful anecdotal evidence can be. Have you had a look through the PIP descriptors (pipinfo.net) and thought of a couple of real world examples for each one that's relevant to you? 

You may also find the bottom of this Benefits and Work page helpful, as it explains some of the key terms such as reliably, safely, and so on. 

chiarieds

Hi @denien - & welcome to the community.

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. when did it happen, where, what happened, did anyone see this, & were there any consequences to attempting/doing an activity?

Say if you can't do an activity 'reliably,' i.e. safely, to an acceptable standard, repeat as often as one would reasonably expect, or if it takes 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. Keep a copy of everything 'just in case,' & get a free Certificate of Posting from your Post Office when sending the form off.

calcotti

Advice here too
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/fill-in-form/