PIP was 2nd claim with new conditions but from 15 April 2025 new 3rd claim as advised.

tifo

M25 said:

These articles pushing 'benefits' are all over Google it's called Discover search especially on mobile phones it's disgusting. You can turn off the AI (it's not even real newspaper stories) in your Google settings https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9504726

osteoarthritis in the knees

That can of course get you PIP but you'd need to back it up with professional and personal evidence.

I'm not sure why you are bothering Shelter either I think they have plenty already to do. You can obviously type and write so I don't see any reason to go to them. Them doing it IMO is MORE likely not to get an award. They are not necessarily experts. You can do the work here and elsewhere to complete your claim.

As I said if you have read the descriptors and think you meet them then you can go for the claim but you have to realise that there's 1000s of illnesses and ailments that would never get you PIP.

"I'm not sure why you are bothering Shelter either I think they have plenty already to do. You can obviously type and write so I don't see any reason to go to them. Them doing it IMO is MORE likely not to get an award. They are not necessarily experts".

I think last time in 2021 i came across as waffling too much, as advised by some members here, i tend to do this as think i need to detail. A welfare advisor would (hopefully) be precise. Last time they fobbed me off by saying they don't have the staff as their welfare advisor is on maternity leave. A manager did look at it but wasn't interested.

"osteoarthritis in the knees - That can of course get you PIP but you'd need to back it up with professional and personal evidence".

Yes, and i was diagnosed with it in September by checkups and x-ray. I'm not claiming for the diagnosis but this means my knees are still and I cannot bend them fully, they are painful most of the day and I cannot carry out my normal daily activities like i used to. Bending them feels like i'm stretching tendons and muscles. I get tired more when walking.

I still get gout flare ups and combined means I cannot walk properly, at the time of the previous claim my gout was severe and regular and lasted many months of the year, it has calmed down but still flares, however i now have osteoarthritis, more so in the left knee and this knee also gets gout.

peteuk

tifo said:.

"you've an eye condition that you think means you should have LCWRA on UC and entitlement to PIP but it doesn't affect your driving".

No affect on driving unless it was very severe which it was for six months and I didn't drive much, because the eye condition is in my blind eye from childhood and doesn't affect the vision eye. At every hospital appointment they do an eye test which I pass.

`I hate to say this, and I will probably be lambasted for it, youve a driving licence your eye problem will be discredited. You can say how much it effects you, however the contra evidence is that a medical professional has not advised you to contact DVLA and give up you licence because you eye problem is not significant enough to stop you driving. 

You can say that you dont drive on bad days etc etc but when writing the report taking into consideration that you still have the ability and capcity to drive on any given day the assessor is likely to go with this.  It’s the abscence of direction from a medical health care professional that stands out more than your claim. 

I would also add that your high cholesterol will add nothing to a PIP assessment, your on medication, been given dietary advice then the effect will be your levels normalise.  5.0 mmols is considered normal unless you have other cardiac issues 

poppy12345

I'm sure this question has been asked many times before but I don't believe you've ever answered it. Where and why do you think you should score those points? 

born_again

tifo said:

M25 said:

Yes, and i was diagnosed with it in September by checkups and x-ray. I'm not claiming for the diagnosis but this means my knees are still and I cannot bend them fully, they are painful most of the day and I cannot carry out my normal daily activities like i used to. Bending them feels like i'm stretching tendons and muscles. I get tired more when walking.

I still get gout flare ups and combined means I cannot walk properly, at the time of the previous claim my gout was severe and regular and lasted many months of the year, it has calmed down but still flares, however i now have osteoarthritis, more so in the left knee and this knee also gets gout.

Which daily tasks does this stop you from doing?

nannytone_2

Murphybear said:

marcia_ said:

TELLIT01 said:

Just a general observation, but the adverts you see which say things along the lines of "If you suffer from any of these conditions you can claim....." certainly don't help.  Anybody can claim any benefit they want but that doesn't mean they will get it.

 My local newspaper prints these articles almost weekly. They include a list of conditions that will get you £600+ a month. Of course people jump on it and apply not understanding that conditions or diagnosis don't matter. 

I thought PIP paid the same as Attendance Allowance.  AA is nowhere near £600 a month.  The higher rate is roughly £470 a month although it’s paid 4 weekly so the&se articles are very misleading. 

AA rates are the same as PIP daily living rates.  There is no mobility component with AA

M25

The best advice I can give is say as little as possible and aim for those descriptors.

The descriptors tell you everything you need to know nothing else has any bearing. Going to Shelter is useless I would say as you can obviously speak for yourself and although Shelter no doubt have very fine people working for them that may not help you in particular.

The best thing is to let someone close to you look at the forms and ask them to compare it to the descriptors.

All that matters is the descriptors if you deviate from that you will fail or massively lessen the weight of your claim.

osteoarthritis in the knees

That can get PIP if you meet the descriptors. Write out the descriptors on a bit of paper and then write out your problems with walking/mobility/moving around etc etc. If you add anything else you will fail.

Getting a PIP award is about earning points for how your disability affects your ability to live.

Nothing else matters.

You have to realise a person reads what's on your form and you have to make it as easy as possible for them with the expectation that it may go to a tribunal. So, you are writing your story for the DWP and the tribunal. It has to be concise, clear and very readable.

Keep it simple and if you fail redo the claim and make it better.

poppy12345

M25 said:

The best advice I can give is say as little as possible and aim for those descriptors.

I disagree with that, sorry. You should give as much relevant information as possible, without telling your life story. Of course keep it relevant to the descriptors too but having some understanding of what they mean is always helpful too.

I'm sure this link has been posted on the OP threads in the past but here it is again, incase it wasn't.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria#daily-living-activities

M25 said:

Keep it simple and if you fail redo the claim and make it better.

This is the reason why you shouldn't say as little as possible. They've already taken a claim to a Tribunal and were refused, as you know. 

marcia_

M25 said:

The best advice I can give is say as little as possible and aim for those descriptors.

The descriptors tell you everything you need to know nothing else has any bearing. Going to Shelter is useless I would say as you can obviously speak for yourself and although Shelter no doubt have very fine people working for them that may not help you in particular.

The best thing is to let someone close to you look at the forms and ask them to compare it to the descriptors.

All that matters is the descriptors if you deviate from that you will fail or massively lessen the weight of your claim.

osteoarthritis in the knees

That can get PIP if you meet the descriptors. Write out the descriptors on a bit of paper and then write out your problems with walking/mobility/moving around etc etc. If you add anything else you will fail.

Getting a PIP award is about earning points for how your disability affects your ability to live.

Nothing else matters.

You have to realise a person reads what's on your form and you have to make it as easy as possible for them with the expectation that it may go to a tribunal. So, you are writing your story for the DWP and the tribunal. It has to be concise, clear and very readable.

Keep it simple and if you fail redo the claim and make it better.

 How on earth would they prove they meet the descriptors by saying as little as possible 

peteuk

M25 said:

The best advice I can give is say as little as possible and aim for those descriptors.

Keep it simple and if you fail redo the claim and make it better.

Bad advice, if you ask me.  Continuously claiming will not help you or others who genuinely need PIP.  It leads to delays and frustration.  

Bottom line is, as much as you believe you deserve PIP, the fact may just be that you MAY NOT meet the qualifying criteria.  Thats a hard pill to swallow but it might just be the truth.  Look at the descriptors and activities, keep things relevant to this.  For instance with meal prep.  It’s a simple meal for one on a hob.  So dont tell them your knees stops you from bending to get things out of the oven, it’s not part of the criteria.  Can you stand to chop, cook, do you need a seat etc etc is.

Just from your list of medication your assessor will know about the other problems you have that have no effect on PIP, list them by all means but dont have the mind set of it adds anything to the assessment. 

Keep a copy of your questionaire and try and keep it to what you’ve written eg due to the pain in my knees I can’t stand for X period so therefore this effects my ability to carry out this activity because…

M25

The 'little as possible' was aimed only at the OP's behaviour where they've mentioned silly things like cholesterol levels.

It is in no way general advice [obviously].

However, [this applies to everyone] if something isn't pertinent to their claim then that too would fall under 'little as possible' ie rambling on about something that has nothing to do with any of the descriptors. 

Giving information that has nothing to do with aiming for a descriptor would be pointless and would dilute the claim's chance of success.