PIP Mandatory Reconsideration. Help? :(

Multiple Sclerosis is a progressive, unpredictable disease which affects cognition, memory, physicality and there is no treatment available which can cure it. Any treatment which is available is only there to stop it getting worse not to make it better and even then the success rates of these treatments vary by individual.

The PIP payment award states (MY NAME) will get the standard rate of daily living needs and standard rate of mobility needs from 04/08/2021-21/11/2024 however because MS is a progressive disease and there is no cure for it and it is not going to get any better we would like to request the award to be for a longer time.

 Moving around

MY NAME was awarded D but believe we should be awarded E (Can stand and then move more than 1 meter no more than 20 meters either aided or unaided)

In the “Moving around” section it says, “It is likely that (MY NAME) can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20 meters but no more than 50;” This is incorrect as the example we gave was when dropping our daughter off to school in the morning which would take a normal person only 2 minutes as it is down the road takes (MY NAME) 10-15 mins due to constant pain, therefore she doesn't drop off our daughter to school at all anymore. The words “Safely, timely manner, repeatedly and to an accepted standard” were used however this is incorrect as there is a risk of (MY NAME) falling down at any given time as well as maximising fatigue symptoms so she cannot walk as fast as the normal person, there is never a day which she can walk to an acceptable standard.

 Also the usage of the word “Likely” from the assessor suggests this decision was made by giving an opinion of her own rather than following the facts and evidence we provided. This is also further contradicted by the fact in same section a bit lower down the assessor has written “There is evidence of her [MY NAME] MS and how it affects her body parts such as pain in the lower body, pelvis groin and back” This again contradicts the earlier statement where it says “It is likely that (MY NAME can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20 meters but no more than 50;” MY NAME does not take OTC Fibre as is written on the report.

In the report, under the heading Recommendation and evidence used to Support We asked the assessor a couple of times if we could have a small break and (MY NAME) needing to change positions as due to being in the same position for a long time can cause her pain and further exacerbate her fatigue symptoms. But then in the next paragraph it says “There is no fatigue management” the issue is as Fatigue is a major symptom of MS the help MY NAME gets is only accessible from the specialist MS nurse who sees MY NAME once every 3 months, we cannot get fatigue management from the standard doctors or GP’s, However (MY NAME's ) MS nurse has been off sick since October and there is only 1 MS nurse for the whole of (AREA WE LIVE IN) so the next available appointment is scheduled for the end of January. So there is no immediate opportunity for (MY NAME) to access support.

Also on the list of Evidence considered alongside the consultation findings it is mentioned (MY NAME) has vertigo and migraines which causes difficulties walking, however in the “Moving Around” sectioned these are not noted down at all. (MY NAME) has migraines 3-4 times a week and vertigo once a fortnight and when these happen she is unable to walk at all let alone more than 1 meter.

(MY NAME) also gets full body pains 8 days a month where her pelvic pain is so severe she is unable to be mobile at all.

Dressing and Undressing

(MY NAME) was awarded B for dressing and undressing but we believe it should be E because she gets assistance from me (PARTNER) whenever she needs to get dressed, which means she cannot get dressed herself in a timely manner repeatedly and to an acceptable standard ever. The reason she was awarded B is because she is not getting fatigue management and she is not getting OTC pain medication and there is no evidence for restrictions in hands, but as mentioned earlier (MY NAME's) MS nurse has been off sick since Oct and her next appointment is in Jan where they will discuss Fatigue management, also in terms of restrictions in hands there is no physical way of showing or describing the pain over the phone.  Also she has daily pain medication as again mentioned earlier, Paracetamol, Codeine and Ibuprofen.