PIP award

summersunflower · January 29

Hi, I applied for PIP due to having hearing loss in both ears.

I send my form off, with a letter from my audiologist.

I received a letter saying I'd have an assessment on the phone. The day before the assessment, i had a phone call saying i didn't need an assessment and they have submitted my report.

Then a week later a random payment was paid into my bank by PIP.

I've just received the letter and award and under communicating i have received 12 points (You cannot express or understand verbal information at all, even with help from someone who is trained or experienced in helping people to communicate)

This isn't right and i didn't say this in my form, yes i need help/support from someone a lot of the time and only tend to go to new places with someone else so that they can help me if i get stuck with not hearing what someone is saying and i very often mishear people.
i had a conversation with someone on the phone from PIP about not needing an assessment (yes i had to have them call me back once i was in a room with no background noise and have my phone on speaker phone) but i had a conversation with them even if i did have to ask them to repeat themselves a few times. So that shows i can communicate in some way surely?

what do i do now, how do i inform them of this? and how would you explain?

sorry for all the questions. I was so relived to have it and now i'm not sure whats going to happen.

summersunflower · January 30

Ok sorry i posted in a bit of a flap yesterday trying to get my head around my award.

Could someone please explain to me what this means in relation to someone who is hard of hearing:

"You cannot express or understand verbal information at all, even with help from someone who is trained or experienced in helping people to communicate" (12 points)

As i have looked back over my form and clearly say that i need help especially when someone is facing away from me, i cannot hear what they are saying (my audiologist letter confirms this) group settings are also extremely hard due to me trying to look for everyone's lips - i have no hope when more than one person speaks.

I also spoke to the PIP lady on the phone, so they know i can speak and hear when no background noise and phone on loud?

So could i be eligible for the above points? am i over thinking?

I would really appreciate your thoughts/advice

Kimmy87 · January 30

If you cannot do an activity reliably, repeatedly, safely and in a reasonable time frame, for more than 50% of the time, then under PIP you are treated as unable to do the activity at all.

I initially had the same thoughts about some of my PIP points, before reluctantly concluding the assessor was right to award those points, because I failed the above.

summersunflower · January 30

Thank you Kimmy, i just want to make sure i'm doing everything right.

so with "express" i thought that meant they thought i couldn't talk?

But now thinking about it does it mean i can't talk as in reply to someone because i haven't understood what they said because i can't hear them?

Jimm_Scope · January 31

So the descriptor is "cannot express or understand verbal communication", it is not an 'and' but an or.

The DWP has determined that more than 50% of the time your conditions affect you when it comes to understanding verbal communication. They aren't saying anything about your ability to express as far as I can see because it is an 'or' not an 'and'.

Does that help @summersunflower?

summersunflower · January 31

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/977358#Comment_977358

Thanks Jimm, that is reasurring.

With the :

"even with help from someone who is trained or experienced in helping people to communicate"

Is that because say for example in a busy supermarket with tills bleeping etc, even having someone with me, to face me (for me to see their lips) or stand close to repeat something louder 'in case' someone tries speaking to me and i can't hear them isn't living a 'normal' life?

Jimm_Scope · January 31

It's that it effects your day to day living compared to someone who doesn't have that condition. Your example could be a minor case yes. When it comes to PIP however you have to consider things that may put you in danger too. If someone was to try to warn you about something but you couldn't see their lips that could put you in danger right?

summersunflower · January 31

Correct, i don't usually hear people calling me and tend to look as if i'm ignoring them and then if they approach i jump out of my skin.

Just yesterday i screamed in the street as something made me jump. it didn't make anyone else or my mum jump who was with me because they had heard it approaching, i hadn't! People laughed (not in a mean way, but it must have been funny to watch i suppose)

PIP award

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