Basically short story is I’m giving up my job as a team leader and going back down to being a support worker and cutting my hours down to 22 per week. I kept having time off from just being so exhausted and achey and it’s led me here. Every online calculator is coming back that I’m not entitled to anything but my ms nurse is adamant that I should be. Anyone very good in this area? Thanks!
PIP is not means tested. Therefore not affected by your earnings or savings. Best to ge the form and sit down with an advisor to fill it in. At the very least get a friend, family member to help. don’t rush it. Think carefully about the answers. You have to answer as per your WORST day. They change the questiosn. EXAMPLE: they used to say " can you do xxx? Yes/no/sometimes. NOW they have taken the “sometimes” out. Which for someone with MS, means you need to qualify every answer. Search the site for PIP and ESA and there will be loads of hits.
Hi
The CAB have an online tool for checking whether you could be entitled to Personal Independence Payment (PIP): Personal Independence Payment - Citizens Advice
PIP is divided into two, one part for help with daily living (if you have trouble / could do with help with things like washing, dressing, eating, drinking, cooking, just anything related to everyday life. It includes being able to do things only with the need for aids or adaptations (shower chair, bars in the bathroom, aids for cooking or eating, dressing aids, etc).
Part two is all about mobility, it depends on how far you can walk as to whether you’d be entitled.
Both parts are payable at two rates, ‘standard’ and ‘enhanced’ rates.
In every question, you should be considering whether you can perform the activity reliably, safely, and repeatedly. So, for eg, if you can walk 50 metres, but then need a good sit down before doing it again, or are a bit wobbly and therefore not either ‘reliably’ or safely, then you’d qualify for the standard rate for mobility.
A good website for help with the rules, how to complete the form and (importantly) how to request a mandatory reconsideration, or appeal against a decision is https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ (Sadly many people are turned down initially and have to have a MR and / or appeal to get the decision they are entitled to.)
Let us know if you need more information about PIP.
Sue
Thanks I’m going to struggle with pip because I get about fine! My problem is somedays I am just unbearably fatigues that I feel like I can’t move!
I suggest you have a look at the Activities and Descriptors: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/adviceguide/pip-9-table-of-activities-descriptors-and-points.pdf
The idea is that you can score once for each Activity, then you add up the total score for each component.
Some people say that you should write the claim ‘like it’s your worst day ever’. I disagree with this. Because if you had to attend a personal assessment and weren’t on that ‘worst day’, you’d look like a liar. Whereas if you answer on an average basis (and there’s a way to average out your days on Benefits and Work), and that means you’d qualify, then you would look like you are as you are, and if that means you qualify, then that’s that!
If on the other hand, right now you don’t fit the criteria, then that’s an income stream that’s lost to you. And of course, that’s a good thing, you’re too fit for PIP!
But it doesn’t help you with an alternate source of income.
Sue