Hi, my name is tony76! I have been fighting PIP for the last two years

tony76
tony76 Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener
edited August 2021 in PIP, DLA, ADP and AA
Hi I'm looking for some advice...I have been fighting pip for last 2 years due to continuing problems with hands and neck....I have osteoarthritis in my hand and nerve damage in my c7 and my left elbow which is causing problems in my left hand....although I have all these problems and recently been put on ramipril due to the stress of fighting them they continue to say I am not entitled to pip even though I struggle daily to do things

Comments

  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,611 Championing
    hello @tony76

    Welcome to the community, good to see you join us :) 

    I have moved your discussion over to our PIP category and I am sure you will receive supportive comments from other members, this is a very welcoming community so I'm certain you'll enjoy being a part of it.

    Sorry to hear you've been having trouble with PIP for a couple of years, that's a very long time for things to drag on and I'm not surprised it's lead you to this point of trying to find help and advice.

    You won't be awarded PIP based on a diagnosis of any kind, it's more about how your conditions impact you in relation to the descriptors, which you can read about here. In the past have you used anecdotal evidence to show what happens when you try the activities mentioned in the descriptors, and why you might struggle with some of them?

    I am not sure what stage of the PIP process you are at, but it may be worth seeking professional support for it, and you could do that through somewhere like Advice Local or by speaking with your nearest Welfare Rights.
  • wilko
    wilko Online Community Member Posts: 2,438 Championing
    @ tony76, hello and welcome, as you will know PIP is not awarded on a disability or a diagnosis or any illnesses you may be suffering from. PIP is awarded on your inabilities to preform the PIP descriptors safely and repeatedly and in a timely manner.  Have you done an online self test of the PIP descriptors for the daily living activities. The Benefits and Works site does a free assessment but be warned be brutally honest with yourself as any evidence or supporting information submitted in your PIP application will have to be justified at your Face to Face assessment or phone assessment. Reading your post it sounds as if you have had your assessment and are not happy with the outcome. Many people like yourself are informed or under the impression that they qualify for PIP but in reality they don’t and never would meet the criteria of the PIP descriptors and being award even the standard care for the daily living activities/ descriptors. I know it’s an honest and straight to the point answer but sometimes we have to accept that we don’t qualify or meet the claiming criteria for the benefits we are trying to claim. There is a lot of miss information on social media stating that over 66s could get this or that for muscle pain, arthritis ect,ect.
  • tony76
    tony76 Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener
    Yes I have but they have changed how many points I have got on 3 occasions....I struggle rotate my wrist and cant lift anything.....I cant put pressure on my wrist as it causes severe pain....have had multiple steroid injections but to no avail.......having physio too which again still is not working..struggle to get in and out of bath....but they say I can use one hand to get out of bath....to be honest it is making me frustrated as i now have high blood pressure from the stress of it all
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    tony76 said:
     they continue to say I am not entitled to pip even though I struggle daily to do things

    Would that be just DWP or have you taken it all the way to Tribunal?
  • tony76
    tony76 Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener
    Cant lift anything......limited use of my hands and struggle to wipe myself....lucky I have shoes that can slip on and shorts struggle pulling tops on but apparently I'm fit for work nevermind though I'll just back to work for it to get even worse then and itll all be goo eh
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,001 Championing
    edited August 2021
    tony76 said:..but apparently I'm fit for work never mind though I'll just back to work for it to get even worse then ..
    PIP entitlement has nothing to do with whether or not you are fit for work. It is about the difficulties you have carrying out the prescribed tasks to the required standard.
    If you are not familiar with how the assessment is made read through this
    PIP points system (benefitsandwork.co.uk)
    Depending how limited your use of your hands is you might expect to qualify for points under cooking, bathing and dressing and possibly toileting. However you have to fully explain the difficulties you experience and give examples of what happens if you try to do these activities.
    Apologies if this is just telling you stuff you have already done.
    If you disagree with a DWP decision you can ask them to look at it again (a Mandatory Reconsideration) and then, if necessary, appeal to the tribunal service and a tribunal will make a decision in place of DWP.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    Have you gone as far as a Tribunal with any of your PIP claims? Or have you been refused by DWP and simply re-applied each time?
  • tony76
    tony76 Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener
    Gone to tribunal and my points been lowered....its seriously messing with my mental health......and dwp wca say I'm fit for work even though I have limited use of my hands
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    If you continue to do the same thing and send the same evidence each time you apply then you're very likely going to be refused everytime. I will say though that you can have a disability but not qualify for PIP.  If you don't meet the descriptors, you won't score the points for an award.

    Maybe it's time to get some expert advice to see if you do qualify and if you don't there's no point in constantly re-applying. For this, start here. https://advicelocal.uk/

    The WCA and PIP are 2 completely different benefits. It's all about the work you can do and not the work you can't do.

  • tru88le
    tru88le Posts: 200 Contributor
    I think, sadly, they were cowed away.