I am so worried about the transfer to PIP from DLA .The reason i am worried is i hardly have any supporting evidence in all the 26 years i have had MS i hardly bother the drs and have only been to see a neuro a few times.I read all the time that you need supporting letters and copies of hospital letters to send with your claim and i dont have any.I have joined the benefitsandwork website so know what to do regarding filling the forms in but i am worried becasue i dont have much supporting eveidence that i will not get PIP or if i do it wont be what i get now.Has anyone been in same situation?
Hello J, I can understand you being nervous ass I am/was. I have managed to get hold of some ammo now, helped by our local neurological psychologist’s assistant. I asked my GP three times to give me a care plan or even a letter of support but he just told me that things are done differently, depending of where we are in the country. I have had MS for 30 years and so like you most of my proof was pretty old, but even these letters count for something it seems. Even though your litertature could be old, you could always chase them up and ask if they will help. I did the same and thankfully collected more than I thought I could. I used the Citizen’s Advice Bureau too as their word counts for a lot. Best of luck, Moira
Supporting evidence is pretty much essential especially if you aim to have your claim decided on the paperwork rather than having to go through a face to face assessment.
Evidence could be from
your GP
an MS nurse
a neurologist
a physiotherapist
a bowel and bladder / continence nurse (or doctor/surgeon)
a rehabilitation specialist
a social work care plan
your carer (even your partner or a friend if they spend regular time caring for you)
your FES clinic
photographs of adaptations made to your home and aids you use regularly
​anybody else you see in a professional or non professional capacity who can verify your care and mobility needs
If the only evidence you have is old but is very clear about your diagnosis (I’m assuming progressive MS as it’s more likely you’d see a neurologist regularly if you’re RR) then it is still valid. For example, if you have a letter from 10 years ago that says you have progressive MS and perhaps are 6.5 on the EDSS, you are unlikely to have improved from there. But if you’ve got old documentation that is less clear cut, then try to get something new between now and getting your PIP form. Unless you already have the form. Don’t delay sending your form while you get evidence. ​
Whatever you use, you can send a separate page detailing your evidence, what it is, who it’s from, what it says about your care and mobility needs and how it relates to descriptors. Ie, spell out to the assessor how the evidence is relevant.
Ultimately, if you don’t have / can’t get any documentation, or if what you send isn’t clear enough, you may well have to have a face to face assessment. That’s not the end of the world. It just gives you a bit more stress, that you could do without!