My PIP form arrived on Saturday, and I phoned through yesterday to start the ball rolling, so my DLA does not stop at the end of this month. I am already on the lower DLA rates for my relapsing remitting MS, which I have had since 2001.
Please, can anyone offer me advice as what to say on the forms when they arrive, and hopefully how to get through the assessment that I will probably have to go to. I know the basic rule of thumb is always to describe your symptoms about a bad day, which for me is the inability to safely walk without help.
To be absolutely sure your PIP application is completed in the way both the DWP and the assessing body are looking for, I would strongly advise you to contact Citizen Advice Bureau - these guys are brilliant. They know how each and every answer should be worded, as it can be very difficult to do this yourself accurately.
I have my PIP assessment on monday. Am very scared. Donât know what advice to give you, other than to just describe your difficulties. I wish you luck xxx
Another vote for benefits and work. It is the most important 20 quid youâll ever spend
I also want to make a comment about âworst dayâ advice. It used to be the case that you were advised to describe your situation based on a bad day but it is not the way to go today.
By all means describe what your situation is when things are bad but you must not imply that this is the permanent situation if it isnât. If you write about inability to walk and turn up for a medical on a better day, clearly able to get about, it puts a huge question mark against the voracity of your form. You need to quantify the bad times and describe the better ones too. (Note: better not good) One good thing about pip is that if a feature exists at all in a day (even if itâs only for a short time) it can be deemed as occurring all day. I get fatigue every day but not all day but for PIP purposes I can talk about fatigue as being a permanent feature.
A doctor doing an assessment can only record what he/she sees at the time of the examination. Nothing wong in describing how things are on a bad day - doctor may take not or may not!
The âworstâ day or âbestâ day scenario cuts both ways. A friend who was assessed re his driving abilities so he could keep his job was very keen not to describe his âworstâ day and so he focused on his âbestâ day.
Just thought I would update everyone on my PIP application. Good news, I have been awarded the lower rate of ÂŁ55.10 a week which is an increase on my previous award. The nurse who came round to my house and talked to me and my husband was lovely and fair. She did make feel I could trust her and understood fully what MS is and my daily struggles. All over till 2022 now. Good luck to everyone else.
