Got home to answer message saying ATOS wanted to offer me a assessment appt as they had a cancellation. I filled in reassessment form in Dec saying no change in health as MS can be variable and I hv good and bad days but right now doing really well. But this means that I’m showing no symptoms and can walk and drive and go out and about but I sleep every day before kids come home. I am worried they will think I am lying and stop my PIP. I really need it as had to stop work due to symptoms but of course with less stress, no travel and some income my health has improved. Now really stressed and panicking. Doesn’t help my son has Asperger’s. Any advice?
hi
i have had my benefits dropped from high level DLA to standard PIP.
i’ve appealed for a mandatory reconsideration and now have started a daily diary of my problems.
one of the things that went against me was that at each appointment with my ms nurse, i am asked to do a 25m walk which is timed.
it has become slower each time (every 3 months) and the ensuing fatigue has got horrendously worse.
however the 25m denies me the mobility component.
i wish i’d started this diary sooner.
you should do one and write in it every single instance where your ms is affecting you.
i’m going to be helped by someone from welfare rights at the tribunal.
have you asked them for help?
good luck
carole x
Being able to walk 25m shouldn’t necessarily deny you high rate mobility. The criteria are the ability to do it safely, reliably, repeatedly and in a timely manner. If it takes twice as long as an able-bodied person, that’s not in a timely manner. If you suffer horrendous fatigue, you can’t do it repeatedly, and I’d say that the fatigue affects your ability to do it safely and reliably. So if I were you I’d state these facts on a request for mandatory reconsideration and I’d think your MS nurse was being unreasonable if she didn’t back you up, especially as your walking speed gets slower every time she sees you.
Based on what you’ve said, you can’t walk more than 20m repeatedly and in a timely manner. Push for high rate mobility. Good luck!
As for the diary, that’s a good idea. Please remember, though, that you only have a month to get your mandatory reconsideration request in. Try to get medical evidence to go with it.
Medical evidence is important, whether it’s for an initial application or a reassessment. As my MS nurse told me, the assessor sees you once for 1-2 hours. They should have access to your original application and decision. Beyond that they go by what they see and what you tell them, plus whatever your healthcare professionals said in your support. If you need to rest every day, say so. Make it clear that you have bad days but you happen to be having a good day at the time. Also, make it clear that “no change” doesn’t mean that you’ve suddenly got better, that you still have the problems you reported on your initial application. Hopefully you kept a copy of it, so you’ll know what you said.
Good luck with the assessment.
Thank you. So scared but will try the diary
thanks for your replies.
i’m going to raise those points at the tribunal.
i’m pretty sure my ms nurse will support me.
poor woman has about 700 of us on her caseload.
i always knew the tories were a load of d*cks and now they are proving it!
anyway would much rather be on our side than theirs, at least we have better karma.
carole x
We’ve just been through all the stress of this for my partner he was on standard for both but now on enhanced , evidence I found is key
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We’ve just been through all the stress of this for my partner he was on standard for both but now on enhanced , evidence I found is key
Not sure how to evidence when doing really well right now. Assessment is 15 March, at home. Really scared