Advice please on ESA and high rate PIP and going out/away alone

samantham06

Hi everyone.

poppy12345

PIP isn't about your worst days. When filling out the forms you should not base it on this, it's how you are at least 50% of the time over a 12 month period. I claim PIP for myself and sometimes i can do more than other times but this doesn't mean i'm not entitled to PIP. Just because you can do something maybe a couple of times a week, it doesn't mean you can do that activity all the time.

Alice_Holt

Do remember that PIP looks at what you can do "reliably" on the majority of days (over a year).
Reliably includes -
To an acceptable standard;
Repeatedly when required.

From what you have written, I think your recent enhanced PIP award is correct and appropriate. 
Try not to worry, use the resources the award provides to help make your life better.
You certainly shouldn't feel a fraud. 
PIP is there to help people with both physical and mental issues.   

Spoonie_Turtle

Alice_Holt said:

Do remember that PIP looks at what you can do "reliably" on the majority of days (over a year).
Reliably includes -
To an acceptable standard;
Repeatedly when required.

From what you have written, I think your recent enhanced PIP award is correct and appropriate. 
Try not to worry, use the resources the award provides to help make your life better.
You certainly shouldn't feel a fraud. 
PIP is there to help people with both physical and mental issues.   

Absolutely agree, 100% but especially the bolded part.  Use the money to live as well as you can, whatever that may mean for you - frequent breaks, private therapy, help at home, hobbies that you enjoy (who says you need to stick to anything? People with ADHD often move between hyperfixations and there's a lot of overlap between ADHD and autism - they seem to be somewhat related types of neurodivergence), or anything else that might help you.

I'm glad you got to speak to someone at DWP who evidently knows what they're doing and made a good judgement about what you told them