Yippee, got my decision.
Enhanced Daily Living and Mobility for 10 years.
Hooray. Hope everyone else gets good results.
Sue
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Fantastic news Sue!!! Worry over!! Tracey x
fantastic result!
now please all wish me luck on my mandatory reconsideration.
TFTs
carole x
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Good luck Carole, really hope it turns out well Tracey x
This is the best news our Sue has had for a good while!
I`m sooo pleased for you.
Good luck with the other.
pollsx
Awe good luck to you Carole hope it’s good news, fingers crossed xx
Izzy xx
Brilliant news. One less thing to worry about
Izzy xx
Really good news Sue. I’m pleased for you.
Good luck to you Carole.
Still waiting for my dreaded brown envelope to drop on the door mat.
Shazzie xx
Im glad to hear that Sue.
Oh Sue I’m so pleased for you. Hurray!!
Well done Sssue!
You certainly seem to have worked for it.
On the radio today I heard that an assessor asked, “How did you catch MS then?”
If that’s the level of ignorance we’re up against we all have to work for it.
John
Congratulations Sue. That’s made my day!
Can I put you down for an extra large sock order next week?
Al.
Good luck with that Carole, congratulations Sue, I’v not long had my result, enhanced Daily Living and Mobility, Good luck to everyone thats going through this process at the moment.
Having read your posts it seems that the right decision and time period has been awarded. I have reported a change in circumstances and are awaiting the decision.
neil
I believe PIP was something the government (aka TFTs) imported from the nether regions of hell with which to torment us.
They gave us a really long lead up to it, to ensure it took over some small part of our brains for flipping years while they ummed and arred about exactly how we were to be tortured.
They then periodically teased us with suggestions that the rules might be altered, getting all our knickers in a twist and wasting our brain power until they eventually said, ah no we’ll do it the way we originally planned.
The claim forms were designed to make it more difficult to complete them. If you don’t have an advisor with several hours to spare and an excellent knowledge of the system, or a good understanding of welfare benefits yourself (not to mention the ability and time to learn the new system), it is very difficult to complete the forms. If you don’t have health professionals who know you and your capabilities well enough to provide such evidence as is needed to back up the claim, it’s harder still. If you have cognitive problems or any kind of psyche which is vulnerable to stress, it places huge burdens on you just to complete the forms.
They reduced the distance beyond which we would not qualify for the mobility component, and the distance for which we might qualify for a bit of money, but no Motability car. And differentiating the ability to walk more than 20 but less than 50 metres is utter madness. As if it really makes much difference if a person can walk 20 or 30 metres?? They still can’t walk properly, or far, or without considerable consequences. Taking away peoples independence makes no sense at all. It means those who work have less ability to get to work.
They trained some human beings in such a way that they began to function as demons, doing the work of the evil TFTs.
They gradually leaked information to the general (i.e. non disabled and / or reactionary right wing hits) public to ‘demonstrate’ that benefit claimants of whatever ilk are a bunch of workshy, cheating, fraudulent oiks. Who don’t deserve any money from the poor welfare state, because after all, the government is wasting so much money on frivolous things like benefit handouts, the NHS and social care that there isn’t enough money left for defence, Brexit and state visits from newly elected wan*ers.
And for those poor sods who had their claims rejected, or who failed to get the enhanced award, there is the additional angst about applying for reconsideration and possibly appeal. I feel for you all. It’s an absolute bugger of a system. It’s crap dealing with the claim.
Today I am celebrating getting my award (and it has taken a massive weight off my mind), but I am also commiserating with all you who have not. And as a total amateur who has gained some knowledge of the system, I will continue to answer posts about benefit claims as best as I can.
Sue
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Sue
great news about your PIP. Shame you had the hassle and stress to get there. I am glad to know that you need not worry about it for some time.
mick
Money seems to be easily found when it comes to developing new and more efficient ways of killing people ( sorry, I know that is gross) but when it comes to helping others who through no fault of their own become ill and disabled finding money is like pulling hens teeth. This is still one of the richest countries of the world and yet the people who have helped to make it so and need supported in their times of need they have to almost plead for that help. I don’t think I’m wrong in saying this but iv heard reports in the media about an increase in assaults on disabled people. I wonder how much if any of that is due to the media and ‘the men in grey suits’ behind producing these propaganda programmes. There are a lot of able bodied but not so able minded(as long as it’s not happening to them brigade) people taken in with these programmes. Just have to wonder at the way things are going sometimes.
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Wonderful news!
Did you avoid the ‘face-to-face’ interview?
I seems just 3% get a paper-based assessment only.
Your form must have been an A Star!
Best wishes,
Fay
well done i had same decision made for me too, 10 years and people were telling me i wouldnt get it and if i did i would have to reapply in 2 years. I did nothing special to be awarded this, i just had the forms filled in, and my neuro and my gp both supported my application.
I am pleased for you, a lot of people are getting the full awards i belong to a group on facebook and a lot do, sadly a lot dont, but then this happened with DLA too, and then on appeal people did ok.
Its HORRIBLE that anyone with an illness which is not going to go away and has a diagnosis has to go through all this stress. x
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Yes Fay, truly wonderful news.
And yes, I did avoid the face to face. I had a phone call, but the questions she asked me were essentially things that could’ve given me more points not less. I ended up with 24 points for Daily Living and as expected, 12 for mobility.
I think the reason I didn’t have to have a face to face was partly the way I filled the form in, partly the evidence I supplied and partly my attitude to it.
This is how I did it.
I typed all my answers to the specific questions because I can’t write properly any more (I ticked the appropriate boxes, then had my husband write ‘see attached’). I carefully labelled each section with the relevant question number and title. I answered what I am capable of with regard to that Activity, gave examples, provided evidence and explained which bit of evidence related to that question.
Then I wrote a separate section in which I detailed everything that is wrong with me, related each aspect to a relevant Activity, and again explained which piece of evidence was applicable. (It seems to me that unless you do this, or a ‘typical day’ diary, you can’t possibly expect the assessors to understand every way that your disability affects you.) I do not believe in painting the blackest picture, many people think you should fill in the form as it it’s the worst day ever, I don’t agree. It’s more relevant especially for people with fluctuating conditions, to explain normality and what a bad day is like.
Finally, I put my name and NI number on a header for every document and page numbered it (i.e. page 1 of 7), and wrote a list of everything that was enclosed including all the letters. I’d sent copy letters from my neurologist, urologist, colorectal surgeon, physiotherapist and neuro-psychologist (I actually didn’t score any points related to this, but thought it was worth including). I didn’t at the time have an MS nurse, the post was vacant, else I’d have got a letter from her too. I also included photos of my bathroom, showing grab bars and shower chair and my bedroom showing a standing frame and bed handle.
The reason I’ve said my attitude to it helped is partly that I was trying to demonstrate the ways I fitted the descriptors in two different ways, but also that I took the stance that I needed to help the assessor to find ways to give me points, i.e. I was working with the assessor, not taking a combative position. So my answers were all about helping them to understand me and my MS plus the ways in which I fitted their criteria.
Obviously I took photocopies of everything I sent and posted it recorded delivery to arrive a good few days before the deadline.
I think the forms are flipping hard to complete. Obviously I have an unfair advantage in that I know the rules, know where to find information, and and a reasonably good writer. So my advice to most people is to get help from someone who can give them that same advantage. Or at the very least, join http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ and use their guides.
Sue
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