Disability in my left foot

paul5674 · November 2023

I had my phone assessment recently… I have a condition called gigantism of the foot. Had approx 13 surgeries and more to come. Basically foot won’t ever improve they can just try to help ease the discomfort and pain but won’t ever fully go. I have trouble with stairs, walking etc… don’t get any ease up sitting down as I get shooting pain through the foot… even had to change from a manual car to an automatic to try and help! Had letter from my surgeon explaining my foot and how I have constant pain and how she fully supports my claim. Just don’t know how I would fair when it comes to the points scoring system with PIP.

poppy123456 · November 2023

That will really depend on how exactly your conditions affect you against the 13 PIP activities. Walking up the stairs isn’t considered in any of the descriptors.

As no one here knows exactly how your conditions affect you then we won’t be able to tell you if it’s possible to score enough points needed for an award.

Now the assessment is complete once the report is returned a decision can take up to 12 weeks.

chiarieds · November 2023

Hi @paul5674 - & welcome to the community. It's a difficult question, as with many disorders, even those such as yours which we understand won't improve, it depends on your functional ability to 'reliably'* be able to do any relevant PIP activities. As poppy says, trouble with stairs, & also driving, aren't considered with these activities, even tho they indicate the difficulties you face in your everyday life & mobility.

Kindly let us all know how you get on with your claim.

*safely, to an acceptable standard, be able to repeat as often as would be considered normal, not taking more than twice as long as someone without your disability.

paul5674 · November 2023

Hi, I’m Paul’s wife! Quick background to condition… Paul had an op as a young child by GOSH. They seriously messed this up and did not do what was explained to his parents, however back in the day you didn’t challenge health professionals and they just accepted his deformed foot (not a complaint against his parents at all, it just wasn’t the done thing in those days) this operation saw the removal of two toes and a deformed stump left behind with a large bulk underneath the foot. Over time this bulk has increased and the left foot measures 4cm wider than the right foot. At scans etc it’s been shown there is deformed bone in the foot growing in vertical directions and the nerves in his foot are pretty tangled…. He can walk probably 15 mins before needing to sit but that doesn’t ease things as his foot is pretty much always in pain. Balance on stairs is awkward and been known to go up on knees and down on behind! The only way I can describe it is he walks on side of foot to help but it doesn’t really and this causes pressure on hip etc… had so many ops in his life and more to come.surgeon even suggested further amputation but to remove 1/4 of the foot! It gets him down and there are days where although he doesn’t admit to it you can see he suffers.

Jimm_Alumni · November 2023

Hi @paul5674 and his wife! Welcome to the community

I hope we can help or support you!

Paul said the phone assessment was done recently, so you've had a PIP phone assessment but you've not had a decision yet? Just so we know what part of the process you're at.

When your other half talks about being able to walk for 15 minutes. She also mentions you do this with the side of your foot, which causes hip issues? If that's true that is something you should really be mentioning if you've not already.

The actual criteria for "Moving Around" in the governments own guide is

This activity considers a claimant’s physical ability to move around without severe discomfort, such as breathlessness, pain or fatigue.

and continues with some explanation:

When assessing whether the activity can be carried out reliably, consideration should be given to the manner in which the activity is completed. This includes, but is not limited to, the claimant’s gait, their speed, the risk of falls and symptoms or side effects that could affect their ability to complete the activity, such as pain, breathlessness and fatigue. However, for this activity, this only refers to the physical act of moving. For example, danger awareness is considered as part of activity 11.

Posture should only be taken into account if it affects the person’s ability to mobilise and to an acceptable standard (e.g. without severe discomfort). Physical symptoms arising from overwhelming psychological distress which have been considered for activity 11 should be disregarded for the purposes of activity 12.

Using real-life examples of what happens when Paul goes out would be good if you have to go to Mandatory Reconsideration. How much discomfort/pain is he in? How far can he travel without severe discomfort? When my Crohn's is flaring I know the distance I can/will walk is different from the distance I can walk without severe discomfort/pain. The decision maker needs to know the latter, if it's not differentiated they could score that section incorrectly, though unknowingly incorrectly.

paul5674 · November 2023

hi, Paul’s wife still!

thank you for your reply. We believe Paul mentioned about walking on side of foot and causing pressure on hip but having just read through paperwork citizens advice representative who helped us didn’t write that down… I’m guessing too late now? Is this something we can mention in appeal should it get turned down? Paul also has issues with pain in his groin due to how he has to walk which wasn’t in the paperwork either… I’m assuming they can access medical records as everything will be listed there?

Is it just a points system they use? I think Paul is starting to feel down now that they will turn him down but we can appeal…. If we appeal can we have representation from citizens advice again does anyone know?

poppy123456 · November 2023

As they already know about his walking difficulties then you can include more information, even if it wasn’t previously mentioned before. It’s only worsening f condition they will not be able to take into consideration since the assessment took place.

Please do not expect them to access any medical records because they very rarely contact anyone for any evidence and certainly don’t access medical records. It’s your responsibility to prove he qualifies and not theirs.

The point system is called the descriptors and you can see them here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/adviceguide/pip-9-table-of-activities-descriptors-and-points.pdf

You mention his inability to walk quite a lot and also that he struggles driving and walking up the stairs. Both of which are not considered in any of the PIP descriptors.

What you don’t mention is any of the other descriptors for daily living. These include washing/bathing, dressing/undressing, preparing a meal, making budgeting decisions etc etc. There’s 10 daily living activities and 2 mobility ones.

I’d advise you to spend a little time and have a read of this. It’s a lot to read but having some understanding will help going forward. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria#daily-living-activities

paul5674 · November 2023

Great Ty for that information. Will give it a read

Disability in my left foot

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