They've got me at last...

[Jockice]

Morning everyone. Remember me? Sorry I haven't been around for a while. But real life has been getting in the way. And talking of real life, a couple of days ago I got THAT letter, the one from the DWP saying my indefinite DLA is coming to an end blah blah blah and I have the great opportunity to apply for PIP etc.

I think I'm pretty well read-up on the whole process but my nerves are still going to be wracked to bits. Anyway, I'm now practically a full-time wheelchair user (I've had a ramp set up outside my flat and all that) so surely they can't turn me down for the mobility bit now. Or can they? I really dread to think.

There's not a lot anyone can do at the moment (I have until July 17th to phone them up, which given the state of my speech nowadays will be great fun) but of course any advice will be gratefully received.

Hope everyone's as well as possible. It's good to be back.

[SashaQ]

Morning!  Good to see you over here  >biggrin<

Good luck with it all - I found the form is challenging to fill in as the questions are strange (sort of 'one size fits nobody'), but the assessors managed to get what they needed from it.

I'm sure the evidence you have about your wheelchair etc will be useful to the assessors, too so I hope you get the best possible outcome as well  >x-fingers<

[Jockice]

Morning Sasha. Yes, I'm looking at copies of the question form at this very moment. Bit strange, but I think they're trying to trip us up. Which in my case would be very easy, physically at least.

[KizzyKazaer]

Greetings, Jockice, we all know the 'real life getting in the way' syndrome...

I had an indefinite DLA award as well so this PIP malarkey feels a little like a stitch-up with a mere 3 years before my next reassessment (and those 3 years are almost up now *sigh*) But I did get the enhanced care component, so could have been worse...

Not an expert on the mobility side, but it sounds like you'll be OK on that  >thumbsup<  I suppose you'll have deduced this for yourself already, but do obtain some medical evidence to show that your wheelchair use is not only full-time, but unlikely to change in the future (if that's the case).  Then you might be fortunate enough to get the more generous 10-year entitlement before a so-called 'light touch' review (as far as I'm aware, PIP just doesn't get given for life!)

[Monic1511]

I’m not at home just now but will put up some stuff mid week  >dove<

[ally]

I have no idea how old you are. However, if you’re nearing 65, or, will be when your next fixed award ends, you may be legible for an ongoing award, with a light touch at the end of the 10 year period.  At the moment this is for those who are having a review of their pip award.  However, it’s expected to be rolled out for everyone in the future.

[Jockice]

Hi Kizzy, thanks Monic and I'm 53 Ally. In a bit of a rush at the moment (as much as I can possibly rush anyway) but I'll be back to have a proper chat with you all later. It's good to be back.

[Sunny Clouds]

Jockice - I hope this will come across right.

I believe that from what you say that you should get it and stand a good chance of getting it.

However, if they can find a loophole, they'll try it on.  In my case I sent over 80 pages of info and a mountain of evidence, but they still found loopholes so I had to apply for a mandatory reconsideration etc.

So here's my recommendation...

Prepare your case to a standard sufficient to get it on first try, but psychologically work on the basis that you'll probably have to apply for a reconsideration and that going to appeal is not wildly improbable.

Thus if all goes well and you get it straight off, great, and if not, you're psyched up to keep fighting.

Please, please don't do what I did and let it hit you nastily if they try to turn you down in a way that's in some way nonsensical or obviously unfair.  They have targets.  Prepare for the worst, aim for the best, and I believe you can 'beat the system' to get what you are properly entitled to.

 >hugs<   

[Monic1511]

Hi
When you are answering the questions your better looking at the question and then the points that could be awarded for that question.  The you word your written answer aiming for a specific point.

By that I mean the first question (I think not looking at a form) is "Can you prepare a meal for one from fresh ingredients.  Answer Yes or No.    The first thing the DWP consider is the 50% rule, if your condition only affects you 3 days a week thats less than half the week so can reasonable be ignored.  Epilepsy patients often get a response that says "claimant does not have seizures most days, therefore could reasonable be expected to X"

For the food prep the points are:
1. Preparing food
a. Can prepare and cook a simple meal unaided. 0
b. Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal. 2
c. Cannot cook a simple meal using a conventional cooker but is able to do so using a microwave. 2
d. Needs prompting to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal. 2
e. Needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal. 4
f. Cannot prepare and cook food. 8

If you have co ordination problems or problems gripping cutlery or knives, pots etc you are likely to be awarded 2 points, getting 4 is difficult
To get 4 points you need to show why you need supervision, that you cant make beans on toast, making the beans in a microwave.  Thats the level of "cooking" and one client was asked at tribunal "you are telling the panel you can drive a car but cant make beans on toast"  - we came out with 2 points for that because they needed a perching stool and could not safely use a cooker.


Thats the way I do the forms and its easier to argue at tribunal stage if your aiming for points.
The descriptors are here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/adviceguide/pip-9-table-of-activities-descriptors-and-points.pdf


sorry Im a bit exhausted after 8 hours of travel, will try to add more or give me specific questions  >bighugs<

[Jockice]

Thank you very much Monic. I've been looking it all up and I don't think they can turn me down for the mobility componenent (there's absolutely no way I can safely walk 20 metres) but it wouldn't surprise me if they tried. As for the rest, it's pot luck. I could get 14 points or I could get none depending on how it goes.

I'm not overly worried yet (I don't have to phone the DWP up for over a week and I'm leaving it as late as possible)

There seems to be a spate of people locally getting tested at the moment. Our time has come. I do voluntary stuff for a local disability organisation and at least three of the others have been through it recently. One got put through without assessment (he's got muscular dystrophy and uses a power wheelchair), but another (who has slight mobility problems and depression) had his assessment this week and was really upset because the assessor basically accused him of lying about his mental health. Ironically, he's the office advocacy expert on making claims.

Just one question while I'm around though. How much credence do they give to medical evidence that you send in? Because I have never had a 100 percent diagnosis for my main condition I have letters from different doctors saying different things. But if you read them all, I think you can surmise that I can hardly walk, have speech problems and bladder weakness. MY GP doesn't do PIP letters (he says they have to get in touch with him first, which is fair enough I suppose) a physio I was seeing a year or so ago says she's not prepared to write a letter either although I can use one she sent while treating me detailing my difficulties and my (new) consultant's secretary said I'm welcome to put his name down as a reference and to get back in touch if I need any more help. He's only seen me twice though, so he doesn't know me particularly well. I think this is about par for the course from what I've. I'm sure that medical staff have better things to do than write letters.

[Jockice]

And thanks as well Sunny Clouds. I didn't see your name originally on that message there.

[Monic1511]

Hi
Regarding medical evidence, if the letter is more than 2 years old they tend to ignore it, unless its got a specific diagnosis in it.  What I would do is complete a GDPR request from the GP asking for proof of your medical history, its a copy of your medical records and is free although the GP can take 28 days to produce it.  I know your nowhere near tribunals but tribunals wont request medical evidence they have to pay for but you can get a basic statement for free.

https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/health-rights/confidentiality-and-data-protection/health-records#accessing-your-health-records
I'll copy the work version and post it here but I had a fight with a practice manager when they redacted anything dated before the date I had asked for.  So Fybro was diagnosed in 2010 but was redacted from the list of active problems because it was diagnosed before the date I was looking for.

If you can get a list of active conditions and list of medication I would put that in but no xrays  >yikes< please.

 >bighugs<
 I wouldn't put in too many letters,

[Sunny Clouds]

Where I had a problem...

Being a nitpicky hairsplitter with a legal background, in every box asking for extra info, I wrote 'see appendix' and then used every prompt as a sub-heading.

In short, I was too detailed.

It's very obvious from all that happened that someone looked at my application, started to read it, looked at the clock and thought "Aargh!"  They then phoned my GP.

However, that caused me much embarassment, because there were sections where I started with something like "I am satisfied that I do not meet the criteria for points for this, but I am answering the questions because you asked them."

So, for example, I told them (to paraphrase) I'd developed a urinary incontinence problem but that it was improving greatly following an adjustment in my medication and was not a problem for the requisite number of days a year.

Their written decision said, amongst other things, that I couldn't have points for incontinence (which I hadn't asked for) not because I wasn't incontinent enough but because I didn't get my incontinence products on the NHS!

I have been embarassed because I thought it would mean my GP would think I was trying it on (since I'd never told him about the incontinence) but as I'm typing this, it occurs to me that he probably just assumed I hadn't seen fit to ask the NHS for products.  In fact, given how pleased he seemed when he next saw me and said he was pretty sure I'd get it, I suspect he wouldn't have cared if I'd lied through my teeth in order to get what he considers me to be properly entitled to.

So subject to what people who know more than I do tell you, try not to be as nitpicky and detailed as me.  They just can't cope with it.

[Jockice]

Thanks both of you again. I've had a couple of days off from thinking about all this, so I'm going to start working on it tomorrow before I phone up and make my application. I'll be back soon and tell you how it's all going. Thanks again,

[KizzyKazaer]

All the best, it's not the most pleasant of forms - take your time with it and have plenty of breaks!