I told PIP about change of circumstances, and lost mobility payment. Going to court. Any advice?

karenp50

hi I had a change in sucomstances I was getting middle care and the lower mobility after I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year I had the tumor removed.and had reconstructive plastic surgery. I toled pip what had happend ie more medication which I will have to take for another four years .also wher I had my lymph nodes removed from my arm pit I was left with damaged nerves which cause me alot of pain and restrict my arm movement.. I got my dissision about six weeks later my care stayed the same but they stoped my mobillity. I appeald but the dissision was still the same so now have got to go to court my meantle healf is of the chart just now. can any one give me some advise please..Karen

Alex_Alumni

Hello @karenp50 well done for reaching out to the community, I'm sorry to hear how you're feeling at the moment, what's happened is an awful lot to deal with. It takes a lot of strength to come through a cancer diagnosis the way you have, so having enough energy to appeal your PIP decision is naturally going to be difficult. 

Have you spoken to your GP about the impact of the PIP decision on your mental health? I'd advise having a chat about whether they can support you with that, as well as with managing the pain from your nerves. 

In terms of advice about your next steps with PIP, it might be best to get some advice locally to see if pursuing a tribunal is worth doing. Turn2Us also has a good overview of the Tribunal stage of challenging a PIP decision.

Let us know if you're unsure about anything, and if we can support you further. Thanks again for asking for help, that's a very positive step forward. If you can, try not to dwell on any anxious feelings, take time to do something you enjoy or that helps you relax if you need to.

Alex

karenp50

thanks I'm not meantley strong enough to get in touch with my gp can never get an appointment withe her dr Morton was my rock at carnoustie medical centre but now I feal allown I'm not going to try and get in touch with her as I'm so not well l feall licked I'm on my own tried McMillan on line no reply and also Maggie's. but thank you for replying to me even if no one else did thanks .

poppy123456

You mention middle care before reporting the changes but there's no middle rate care for PIP. There's only standard and Enhanced for mobility and daily living.

Did you get some expert advice before reporting changes? A worsening of condition doesn't automatically score you more points for a higher award.

It's also worth remembering that a Tribunal is not a court. Some hearings maybe held in a court building but it's nothing like a court and you're not on trial.

If you haven't got expert advice then now is the time to do this and look at representation too. Start here. https://advicelocal.uk/

Ross_Alumni

Hello @karen50

Thank you for replying to Alex, I'm sorry to hear of what you are going through at the moment but thank you for speaking about it.

I understand your concerns about speaking with your GP, it can be hard to get an appointment and it's not always something that you feel up to doing. Please do keep them in mind as an option though if you do need further support for your mental health. 

Other alternatives that you could consider are Mind, who have many resources such as this one about using coping techniques, and you can also get in touch with them to access support. You can also contact Samaritans on 116 123 or email joe@samaritans.org.

griff11

Hello Karen. Fellow BC survivor here.  For general support ( not really benefits though Macmillan do have a benefit advisor) dealing with the general impact of a cancer diagnosis there is a very welcoming group in the MacMillan BC forum.  It's frequented by mainly women of all ages (few men pop in either for themselves or to support  partners).  

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/chat-breast-cancer

karenp50

thanks guys.