Pip Advice

kippo1

Hi all
Don't know if anyone can help,
Got covid march 2020 and been diagnosed with long covid since march 2021,iv'e been working part time since april but with the joint pain,shortness of breath and chronic fatigue, and after speaking to the therapist from the long covid hospital i'm going to have to admit defeat and leave my job because part of the treatment for cfs is pacing and i can't see my company letting me work for 10 minutes and then take 20 minutes to recover etc.and without the pacing there dosen't seem to be any chance of a recovery at the moment.
My question is after hearing all these horror stories about trying to claim pip,would the fact that part of the treatment for cfs is pacing help me claim pip, after-all who's going to employ someone who's being told by their doctor to walk up 5 steps take a 30s break then walk up another 5 steps etc.

Spoonie_Turtle

PIP is nothing to do with working, it is about how your condition affects your ability to do daily living activities.  However you can use your experiences at work as evidence where they relate to the activities (e.g. walking, as you've mentioned).

Have a read of this to understand the descriptors and how they are assessed https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria

For you, reliably will likely be the most important factor, which includes repeatability (including the effects afterwards of doing something) and time taken.

A sad welcome to the club, but congratulations on having a diagnosis and it seems appropriate treatment - learning pacing relatively early on, you stand a much better chance of staying stable or even possibly recovering somewhat than if you'd had no help and just kept pushing and getting worse

calcotti

If you are giving up work due to ill health you should also look at claiming new style ESA if you have a full NI record for the tax years 2018-19 and 2019-20 (you can't claim if you are receiving Statutory Sick Pay from your employer). It isn't means tested.

Depending on your household finances you may also be able to claim Universal Credit.

kippo1

Thanks for your help Spoonie,& calcotti
I tried pushing for the last 6 months and gradually went from being exhausted by 3pm to being exhausted by 11am i wish i had help sooner but these long covid clinics are treating hundreds of people at the moment.
Once again thanks and when i come to filling in the form i will take your advice and use the reliably angle.

poppy12345

SSp is payable for 28 weeks from your employer. https://www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay/eligibility You should look at Universal Credit as well as SSP but it will depend on your circumstances.

Mojisola

The ME Association has some useful advice leaflets about claiming benefits.

peteuk

Specialist medical input eg respiratory consultant letter and appropriate medication will add evidence to your claim.  Can you walk more than 5 steps and who has advised you to do 5 steps and rest 30 seconds etc.?  do you have that in writing?

Although it may seem strange you may well not qualify for the daily living part as mobility can be discounted in many areas.  This will be dependent on your physical symptoms caused by long covid.