Hi, Just wondering really. Are most people with MS entitled to some kind of payment? I’ve had MS for 10 years and have been lucky enough to stay in full time work. I’ve never looked in to this before because my husband and I both have an income - and I had the perception that benefits are means tested then read something recently saying that this one isn’t. To be honest, we do incur various costs due to my disability and there’s lots of things I can’t do that I take for granted because my husband, who’s really great, just does them as a matter of course. I haven’t got the strength, for example, to pull the wheelie bin out, or hoover the stairs, vision problems and so on and so forth. It’s trivial, I guess in this context and I don’t take for granted how lucky I’ve been to be on DMDs for so long and they work really well for me. I can ‘manage’ within the confines of my ‘family life’ but know that should I ever be without my husband I’d need some level of help. A close family member has MS too and his is much more developed than mine so I’ve got a first hand picture of how I could be affected in the future. What do you think?
Hi, PIP, the new replacement benefit for DLA, has 2 components.
The first part is for personal care. This asks questions like;
can you prepare and cook a meal for yourself?
can you bathe yourself fully?
The second part is to do with your mobiity. It asks;
how far can you walk without difficulty/pain?
do you need to use any mobiity aids?
These are just a few of the questions. You can take the PIP self test anonymously and no-one will see your information.
I guess it varies as to how many folk with MS. But having MS doesnt autoamtically entite anyone to a benefit.
Hope this has helped.
pollx
Thanks, as I said I don’t know which side of the line I’d fall under necessarily just genuinely the thought hasn’t even crossed my mind to apply for anything like DLA before 
You can do a self test for PIP on here, without being a member
Hi, Just looked at the self-checker. This is hard - surely it depends if an individual is in relapse or remission? And if so, how bad that particular relapse is? It also doesn’t talk about gradient. Personally I can walk on ‘flat’ for quite a while but struggle to manoeuvre things like cobbled floors, gravel, inclines or lots of stairs, stationary standing like queues. Heat / temperature condition is a major factor for me too. Can you submit additional information or would you fill in two forms one ‘at your best’ one ‘at your worst’ _- does anyone know what the advice is on this? Thanks in advance for the help
I haven’t done PIP, so I’m not the best one to advise. I’m still on DLA.
I definitely wouldn’t submit two forms. Additional information is always a good idea. When answering a question about how you walk out doors for example, describe how your walking is affected on different surfaces. Uses extra pages and number them.
Take your time and just think it all through before making a decision.
Hi Just to clarify the mobility component, it looks at how far you can mobilise on flat, level ground. Mobilise is walk with/without walking aids or push yourself in a wheelchair without pain / discomfort. The awards are either standard or enhanced levels. Your replies can mention your ‘normal’ days as well as bad days, with you stating how often bad days are. You can include a list of meds you are on (include copies of prescriptions) and any medical reports you have. Submit as much additional info as you can as the more they have the easier it is to make the correct decision. You are very likely to have a face to face assessment and can take 3-4 months for a decision. Hope this helps. Neil
Thank you to all of you for your replies