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Please help with my pip query

piphelppiphelp Member Posts: 19 Connected
in PIP, DLA and AA
Long time ago I was on DLA and when it moved to pip it was rejected and I was too scared to appeal as I didn’t want to go to court as I never left the house 
I’m not feeling ready to apply and I wondered if they look at my old DLA claim or my old pip claim? I was in a bad way back then and it was all filled out by my support worker so if they will also look at that and use that I want to know what it said. 

Do they look at okd pip and DLA claims and if so is there a way for me to get a copy? 

Please help me inderstand 
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Replies

  • janer1967janer1967 Community champion Posts: 8,647 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi and welcome, first of all how long ago was the old claim.

    You normally have 1 month to put in a mandatory reconsideration or this can be extended to 13 months if a good reason

    Also PIP and DLA are very different benefits and have different criteria to be eligible, I would suggest you look over teh descriptors and see where you think you should score points and if you think you qualify then apply.

    You can request a home visit for the assessment and also the MR is in writing and if this fails tribunal but again you can request a peper based or phone tribunal

    Hope this helps if not get back and we can try and help
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  • piphelppiphelp Member Posts: 19 Connected
    Thanku I am much too late to appeal I know that, it was be a new claim. I know they are very different and have readed the descriptors many times, I know where I should may be get points

     But I don’t know if they look at my old DLA claim or unsuccessful pip claim or if it is ignored? 

    If they are going to look at them is there a way I can get a copy?
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  • katho31katho31 Member [under moderation] Posts: 694 Member [under moderation]
    hi @pihelp, welcome  :) someone will reply shortly and we can try to help you. bear with us thanks
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  • janer1967janer1967 Community champion Posts: 8,647 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi again they may look at your file if you have claimed before but will mainly go on the new claim as there could have been lots if changed

    Failing a claim b4 doesn't influence a new claim 

    I dont know how long they keep copies of old reports but you can ring DWP to ask and request copy 
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  • mikehughescqmikehughescq Member Posts: 5,809 Disability Gamechanger
    When making a decision on a new PIP claim they won’t refer back to your original DLA claim or failed PIP claim unless you yourself include details from one or both in with your new claim evidence. 

    Referring back briefly to your DLA can be helpful in demonstrating the longevity of your conditions no matter how variable they are. Referring back to the failed PIP claim is unlikely to be as helpful but it might help you to see that claim pack so you can decide whether it’s a format you want to repeat now or whether you want to try a different approach. You can get a copy from DWP but failed claims are not retained as long as successful ones so don’t be too disheartened if the answer is no. 

    Where there has been a previous failed claim it’s as well to get advice on things which could be done differently as it’s often true that doing the same thing produces the same outcome. Consider getting advice and help with the claim pack and supporting evidence. https://advicelocal.uk/ is a decent starting point for this.

    Two other things to ponder. 

    1 - if this claim had to go all the way to appeal then DWP would reference past claims in the appeal bundle. They wouldn’t usually wouldn't produce the claim packs but they would certainly give dates etc. Not necessarily a bad thing but there comes a point where multiple claims, especially if they don’t succeed, will potentially count against you. 

    2 - for this reason, part of what you consider now should be whether, if this claim didn’t work, you’d be prepared to pursue it to an appeal. That’s something to think about only once you have sought advice and representation though. 
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  • piphelppiphelp Member Posts: 19 Connected
    Thankyou all.
    I tried for help advice but I can’t use the phone or leave the house so no where can offer it.

    My main worry is evidence as I don’t engage with my doctors so unless hundreds of cancelled appointments or no shows counts I have nothing recent haha

    It’s ok I will try anyway on my own. If I showed what I am writing for my answers on here is that ok? So someone can tell if I am on the right track.
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  • Lulu_1949Lulu_1949 Member Posts: 225 Pioneering
    @piphelp I am sure there will be an abundance of help n here for you. X
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  • Adora858Adora858 Member Posts: 23 Courageous
    @piphelp Hi there, I also couldn't get much evidence for the same reasons as you, but I was advised to include a diary of a day, so I put that as part of my evidence (I also included a couple of older reports from health professionals, though I don't think they were great evidence due to being so out of date). Perhaps you could think about keeping a diary of how your conditions affect you throughout the day? 
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  • piphelppiphelp Member Posts: 19 Connected
    Thanku lulu I hope so

    adora was your pip claim successful? I don’t know how much use a diary will be for me but I will try some notes and see 

    It feels like try and stop you at every hurdle I can’t believe to even get the forms you have to call. I got a friend I know online to call them today and pretend to be me to ask for forms as it was the only way I could do it. This is going to be a very hard process isn’t it?

     I am so scared
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  • Lulu_1949Lulu_1949 Member Posts: 225 Pioneering
    @piphelpbdont be scared luvvy, deep breaths....best to do a diary, write down every difficulty you come across , and how it effected you. If you note things down you don’t have to keep it all in your head xx
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  • Adora858Adora858 Member Posts: 23 Courageous
    @piphelp I know exactly how you feel. They say online that you can get someone else to call up for you, but when my husband did that they still demanded to speak to me for half of the conversation, which was very difficult and scary for me.

    I don't know yet if my PIP claim will be successful - I've got my telephone assessment tomorrow morning, but I can let you know when I get a decision. 

    I know it's really scary and overwhelming, to be honest I'm terrified for tomorrow. But I have to hope that the right thing will happen in the end, and I'm sure it will for you too :) Luckily, it seems they care more about how you are affected in your day to day life, rather than any official conditions/diagnosis, so I hope this gives you some hope for your claim. And of course if you need any advice the people on here are lovely. 
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  • Lulu_1949Lulu_1949 Member Posts: 225 Pioneering
    @Adora858 good luck for tomorrow xx
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  • Adora858Adora858 Member Posts: 23 Courageous
    @Lulu_1949 thank you :) 
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  • Lou67Lou67 Member Posts: 857 Pioneering
    Hope everything goes well for you tomorrow Adora858 fingers crossed for you 😊
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  • mikehughescqmikehughescq Member Posts: 5,809 Disability Gamechanger
    piphelp said:
    Thankyou all.
    I tried for help advice but I can’t use the phone or leave the house so no where can offer it.

    My main worry is evidence as I don’t engage with my doctors so unless hundreds of cancelled appointments or no shows counts I have nothing recent haha

    It’s ok I will try anyway on my own. If I showed what I am writing for my answers on here is that ok? So someone can tell if I am on the right track.
    The main thing here is to think of evidence slightly differently. 

    52% of disability claims are awarded without medical evidence and there’s no requirement to provide any. 

    More importantly medical evidence can be of very limited use. A GP for example can name your condition; describe treatments and prognosis; maybe describe the sort of symptoms they’d expect you to display but unless those things are in dispute then it serves no purpose. A GP can’t talk about budgeting; toileting; prepping food and so on. They’ve no first hand knowledge of those things. They can repeat what you tell them but then that requires limited medical expertise and won’t be given much weight as medical evidence. Same applies to a lot of consultants stuff. Unless they live with you then they don’t know and what they say is an opinion but not necessarily a medical one.

    Medical evidence can be incredibly powerful if you lack insight into your own condition - learning disability or extreme mental ill health for example - but otherwise it’s merits are at best debatable. We see many examples here of people putting in hundreds of pages of medical evidence on this site and then getting a nil award. It makes no sense to them because they believe medical evidence is god and over-rules everything. Clearly it doesn’t for the reasons above. 

    The reality is with PIP that you are your own best evidence. Two anecdotes per activity. Two recentish detailed examples of what happened the last few times you attempted a points scoring activity. Detailed means detailed. What happened? Where? When? Why? Who was there? What happened next? Think of it in terms of simply writing down the bad stories about your conditions you might tell a close friend or your partner. 

    I note your difficulties with getting advice but there’s no magic bullet. No form of legal words that a WRA might use. The good ones simply get you to tell your stories and get it down on the form. Once you realise this a lot of people can do it themselves. This can act as a good reminder of what needs to be done. https://community.scope.org.uk/discussion/56365/pip-form-filling#latest

    If you strongly feel you’d still need help I don’t see why someone you know can’t approach a local service and set up a home visit for you. 
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  • piphelppiphelp Member Posts: 19 Connected
    That is so helpful and reassuring to know thanku for taking the time to write it all.

    I’ve been reading the form online and know already what I will write for most questions and some examples. Is it possible to write too much? 

    Also does anyone know if the dressing includes the mental aspect of it. What I mean by this is: I physically and mentally know how to dress and am capable of dressing, but I can’t actually manage it. I don’t know why, I can’t explain what causes it, but for example (and sorry for how disgusting it is) but I’ve worn the same nightdress day and night for the past 2 maybe 3 weeks. The last time I changed was when my daughter commented and nagged me into bathing. I don’t set out to be so disgusting and I always plan to change or bathe but never quite manage it without prompting or being guilted into it. 

    Is this even a thing or is this category for those that need physical help changing their clothes? 
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  • Adora858Adora858 Member Posts: 23 Courageous
    @piphelp mental conditions count too, or at least that's what I've been advised :) 
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  • mikehughescqmikehughescq Member Posts: 5,809 Disability Gamechanger
    piphelp said:
    That is so helpful and reassuring to know thanku for taking the time to write it all.

    I’ve been reading the form online and know already what I will write for most questions and some examples. Is it possible to write too much? 

    Also does anyone know if the dressing includes the mental aspect of it. What I mean by this is: I physically and mentally know how to dress and am capable of dressing, but I can’t actually manage it. I don’t know why, I can’t explain what causes it, but for example (and sorry for how disgusting it is) but I’ve worn the same nightdress day and night for the past 2 maybe 3 weeks. The last time I changed was when my daughter commented and nagged me into bathing. I don’t set out to be so disgusting and I always plan to change or bathe but never quite manage it without prompting or being guilted into it. 

    Is this even a thing or is this category for those that need physical help changing their clothes? 
    You can’t write too much on the form. Commonly people write too little and write assertions rather than evidence e.g. I fall, rather than I fall because... and here’s an example. You can add extra sheets and it’s very much possible to add too much there. Basically limit yourself to no more than 1 side of A4 per activity. Less is more with benefits. Focus on key issues rather than trying to hammer the same point home with 10 medical reports each saying the same thing (and not much) in the process. 

    What you’re describing re: dressing is a need for prompting which clearly scores points because you can’t do it reliably. See https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-points-system.

    The PIP form is not aimed at specific impairments. It’s aimed at seeing if you can perform those activities reliably. It covers mental ill health as much as anything else. It’s up to you to make it fit. 
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  • piphelppiphelp Member Posts: 19 Connected
    Thanks adora and good luck tomorrow. Will you tell me about your assessment? 

    I was wondering if it’s possible to say I can’t have an assessment until they are able to do home visits again? I can’t have a telephone one 

    mikehughescq thankyou for the link I am working on my question answers before the form comes. If I wrote a couple here are people able to tell if I am on the right path or is that a bad idea? 

    I tend to go off on a tangent and feedback is always helpful 
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  • mikehughescqmikehughescq Member Posts: 5,809 Disability Gamechanger
    An assessment is quite a way away so maybe think about that further down the line.

    In the meantime the extra info section has a specific question about getting to an assessment. Use that to explain your issues in detail.
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  • Adora858Adora858 Member Posts: 23 Courageous
    @piphelp I'd be happy to tell you how my assessment goes. I agree with Mike about the box at the end - I wrote some stuff in mine, and very soon after they received my form I got a short call where they mentioned they'd read what I'd written in that box, and asked if I would be okay with a telephone assessment - so I feel like they are understanding if you let them know you have issues with certain kinds of assessment :) 
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  • Adora858Adora858 Member Posts: 23 Courageous
    @piphelp - just to let you know, I've had my assessment now. It was 1 hour 3 mins long, and the assessor had clearly read through my booklet well (and I'd written quite a bit). She went through all the areas and was kind. I hope it went well, but I guess I won't know for a few weeks. 

    Wishing you all the best with getting your evidence etc - I would say from my experience that you don't need to worry too much about the assessment being an awful experience :) 
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  • katho31katho31 Member [under moderation] Posts: 694 Member [under moderation]
    Hi @piphelp, remember its not about the illness/disability, its about how you are affected ie, day to day, how you feel after a certain task/activity. do you have to wear loose clothing/slip on shoes, do you need a grabber to pick up a book/newspaper, the impact on your anxiety that doing certain tasks causes, also do you have bathroom aids ie, raised toilet seat/handles on bath/shower/next to toilet. hope this helps a little. there are many more descriptors and people with more knowledge will point you in the right direction, best wishes and good luck, stay safe  :)
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