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Appealing my PIP

lounic50
lounic50 Community member Posts: 6 Listener
edited July 2020 in PIP, DLA, and AA
i am appealin my pip as they wont give me enhanced. due to serius cognitive issues i can no longer drive, work or go anywhere new on my own. i can sometimes manage very local if i have to but generaly it is best i am not alone. i am not claiming i have overwhelming psychologial disress just that i can physicaly not see hazards, follow directions, get lost cant do visiospacal well, i panic when lost, plus other MS Symptoms, low processing speed of info etc. thses happen every day. i am discriminated against because i manage my mental health with med, mindfulnes etc and am able to leave house.  has anyone has experience of being awarded points for followinf and planning a route section? my neuro Psychologist is extremly supportive but pip dont take it into concideration. i can rarley go out alone, its very frustrating. thank you

Comments

  • steve51
    steve51 Community member Posts: 7,153 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @lounic50

    Good Morning it’s great to meet you today.

    I am one of the Community Champion’s here at Scope.

    We have got some good info/advice with regards to “pip”

    https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/personal-independence-payment-pip/

    @steve51


  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Pioneering
    Hi @lounic50

    Welcome to the community :) 

    Sorry to hear you've not been having the greatest of experiences applying for PIP so far.

    I'm in no way an expert on this, I can just speak from my personal experience.

    If you feel as though you are entitled to the enhanced rate and have the evidence to back it up, whether that evidence be official documents or a written statement from yourself or a doctor, I think it's important that anything you write or say be clear and explain why you meet the criteria. For example when it comes to journey planning and executing the journey, if you feel as though you can't do those things just do your best to clearly explain why you can't and how your condition impacts upon it.

    As mentioned that's just what I'd advise based on my own experience of applying for PIP and then going through the appeal, I'm by no means saying that if you do this it will guarantee you entitlement. I'm just saying to focus on explaining why you can't do something or really struggle to do it. 

    I hope you get the outcome you're looking for, if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask, this is a really supportive community :) 
  • lounic50
    lounic50 Community member Posts: 6 Listener
    thanks i have tried and have great medical evidence but the are fixated on Psychiological distress and keep saying im not demon strating it, which i know. its driving me nuts as all the gov.uk info says cognitive is accepted. oh well appeal next. i belive i comply and think ive demonstrated it x

  • steve51
    steve51 Community member Posts: 7,153 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @lounic50

    I do hope that you have had a good morning????

    Yes go for it if you think that you should be getting it???

    Are you comfortable with the process????

    l’m very very happy in helping you?????

    @steve51
  • serenity2
    serenity2 Community member Posts: 250 Pioneering
    Wanted to say hello @launic50 and wish you success with PIP ..this seems like a great place for friendly advice
    good wishes 
     :)
    Best Wishes
    serenity2 
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi and welcome to the community, great to have you join us.

    If you are appealing are you supplying different or more evidence and explanation on your appeal about how your cindition affects you, if you are using the same  as in your assessment then it is likely you will get the same decision 

    MR only have a small success rate but tribunals have a higher success 
  • lounic50
    lounic50 Community member Posts: 6 Listener
    thankyou all for being so friendly and positive.
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Welcome to the community @lounic50, great to have you with us.

    Please do let us know how you get on and if we can do anything else to help. :)
    Scope

  • cupcake88
    cupcake88 Posts: 1,273 Pioneering
    Im sorry this is happening I hope you get it sorted asap xx 
  • Adora858
    Adora858 Community member Posts: 26 Courageous
    Hi and welcome :) Forgive me if I've misunderstood - but is your problem that they've given you standard (e.g 10 points for the 'can't go out due to psychological distress' box) rather than enhanced (12 points) mobility? If this is the case, I've heard it said online a lot that if you don't actually leave the house enough you can't get the 12 points, only the 10 points. 
    It seems quite backwards to me, and I'm sure there will be people on here who can explain much better than me (and hopefully correct if I've got this wrong!) but for myself for example: my conditions mean I basically can't leave the house at all. I've been told to expect only 10 points for that activity (standard), because even though I do need help whenever I leave the house, I don't leave the house enough to go into the 12 point category, and therefore only get 10.

    Again, sorry if this isn't actually the problem you are describing. Wishing you the best of luck with your pip situation :) 
  • lounic50
    lounic50 Community member Posts: 6 Listener
    Thanks the Issue is I don't have over whelming disrtess and can sometimes go local on my own but should have someone if possible and I can't go any where new on my own. Because my MS has damaged brain I have v very bad cognitive issues. I have slow processing. Visiospacial issues, memory. I get confused and lost and walk into the road.  It is dangerous for me to be out alone. I have to look at floor to walk so I dont trip with drop foot, my brain swaps words for  similar ones if I can't recall it si its also hard to follow directions. . It quite clearly states on gov.uk that cognitive and sensory issues count . I have excellent medical evidence from neuro psychologists bit pip just ignore it and say I'm not distressed enough, which is not what I'm saying. Citizen advice have being fab and are doing appeal for me.
  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Community member Posts: 16,007 Disability Gamechanger
    @lounic50 - & welcome to the community. A cognitive disorder should be considered just as much as 'overwhelming psychological distress.' Hopefully a tribunal may better understand this. Please also look at the concept of 'reliably' in the following link; if you can't do an activity safely, then you should not be considered to be able to do this. See: https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/asset-library/Scores-for-PIP-Descriptors-2020.pdf   ....reading the notes at the end.
    Also, having to look at the floor to see you don't trip with your dropped foot, may indicate a problem with proprioception, i.e. not knowing where your joints are in space, such that you need to keep looking where your foot is to compensate for this. Just something else to add to the problems you incur daily with the simple act of walking.
    It's great CAB are helping with your appeal, but the onus remains with yourself to describe how MS impacts on your functional disability. Why does this occur, what problems do you face as relates to any applicable descriptor, what happens attempting any such activity, what is the consequence of this; does it leave you fatigued, etc?
    Whilst you may have excellent medical evidence, a tribunal will likely only briefly consider this; they are more interested in how your MS affects you in the activities of daily living, &/mobility. Sorry if I'm saying what you may already know. :)

  • lounic50
    lounic50 Community member Posts: 6 Listener
    Thanks its all really helpfull
  • lounic50
    lounic50 Community member Posts: 6 Listener
    Yes I need someone to help keel me safe and get me to where I'm going without me getting lost, run over .

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