PIP claim... need advice

zach2002

Hello everyone,
A family member of mine suggested i should start a claim for PIP, i am wondering if i would be eligible to do so, a bit of back story,
I had a femoral osteotomy operation a few years ago and it was going okay and last year i started to get pain again and now it has become unbearable, my GP has put me on some very strong painkillers but they don't seem to help most of the time and for the very few trips out (to doctors etc) I have to use a walking stick which is quite embarrassing at 17 but i need it. I also have severe anxiety and everything becomes very stressful for me and causes me to go blank and forget things my GP said this coincides with another mental health thing i was diagnosed with which is Oppositional Defiance Disorder which does effect things that i do but without me realising they are happening. I also suffer from migraines which can get so bad they leave me having to stay in bed for the day or few days i have one, would this make me eligible to make the claim? Thanks in advance 

poppy12345

zach2002 said:

Hello everyone,
A family member of mine suggested i should start a claim for PIP, i am wondering if i would be eligible to do so, a bit of back story,
I had a femoral osteotomy operation a few years ago and it was going okay and last year i started to get pain again and now it has become unbearable, my GP has put me on some very strong painkillers but they don't seem to help most of the time and for the very few trips out (to doctors etc) I have to use a walking stick which is quite embarrassing at 17 but i need it. I also have severe anxiety and everything becomes very stressful for me and causes me to go blank and forget things my GP said this coincides with another mental health thing i was diagnosed with which is Oppositional Defiance Disorder which does effect things that i do but without me realising they are happening. I also suffer from migraines which can get so bad they leave me having to stay in bed for the day or few days i have one, would this make me eligible to make the claim? Thanks in advance 

PIP isn't awarded based on a diagnosis, it's how those conditions affect your ability to carry out daily activities based on the PIP descriptors.

If you do start a claim when you receive those forms i'd advise you to fill them in with as much information as possible about how your conditions affect you. Adding a couple of real life examples of what happened the last time you attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to you will also help.

Send any evidence you have with the form because they rarely contact anyone for this.

Have a read of this link before starting a claim, it will definitely help.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria

Spoonie_Turtle

I very strongly advise you to read the link poppy's given, because it explains exactly how everything is assessed and what the descriptors mean.

For physical mobility they will assess how far you can walk (repeatedly, reliably, safely, and in a reasonable length of time) *with* your walking stick. The other part of mobility is planning and following journeys, so there it depends how your anxiety and ODD affect you if you were to try to plan and go out on unfamiliar or familiar journeys by yourself.

The daily living activities are fairly strictly defined for PIP so you definitely need to know what's relevant and what isn't - again, the link poppy gave explains it all.

You may also find these links helpful, for how the PIP law is interpreted (e.g. grey areas, especially when it comes to mental health): https://pipinfo.net/
And filling in the form: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/fill-in-form/

zach2002

@poppy12345 @Spoonie_Turtle thanks for the help, i read the links provided to me and called the PIP claim line and started the claim, my form is now being sent out and i will provide as much information as i possibly can. Thanks again.

calcotti

zach2002 said:

@poppy12345 @Spoonie_Turtle thanks for the help, i read the links provided to me and called the PIP claim line and started the claim, my form is now being sent out and i will provide as much information as i possibly can. Thanks again.

Key motto - if you don’t tell them, they don’t know.

Spoonie_Turtle

calcotti said:

zach2002 said:

@poppy12345 @Spoonie_Turtle thanks for the help, i read the links provided to me and called the PIP claim line and started the claim, my form is now being sent out and i will provide as much information as i possibly can. Thanks again.

Key motto - if you don’t tell them, they don’t know.

That's very true.

@zach2002 I assume at some point your teachers have told you to treat exams like the examiner knows nothing about the subject, and to explain everything? Same approach applies here (and for any disability benefits) - assume the assessor/decision maker knows nothing about your conditions, explain everything about how they affect you and what you mean by the words you use.
(e.g. to take a very common expression: 'it makes me tired' could mean any number of things - what exactly can't you do or do you find difficult to do in that state? Is it physical, tiredness, mental tiredness, both? To what extent? Can you string a sentence together or stand up or ... etc. etc.) Don't assume they know anything!

poppy12345

calcotti said:

zach2002 said:

@poppy12345 @Spoonie_Turtle thanks for the help, i read the links provided to me and called the PIP claim line and started the claim, my form is now being sent out and i will provide as much information as i possibly can. Thanks again.

Key motto - if you don’t tell them, they don’t know.

Agree with this but to waffle on too much really isn't needed. Keep it simple and straight to the point. The most important thing when filling out these forms is the anecdotal evidence.

calcotti

poppy12345 said:...to waffle on too much really isn't needed. 

Agree with that too.

zach2002

Thank you for all the helpful information from you all, i have got a text this morning saying they have sent the form out so just waiting now