So is it normal for someone with RRMS to be refused PIP, they said it was because i work full time!
hi aimeebob
bastards.
i was granted the basic pip despite the fact that at the time of application i was working full time. i strongly advise you challenge this.
sorry to hear your news, and good luck,
cheers fluffyollie xx
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Ask for a reconsideration and if you donât get any joy appeal you have nothing to loose just stay strong and try not too stress about it too much .
Good luck . Katy
Who told you that? Have the DWP said that in your refusal letter or was it said by some dumbnut on the phoe? PIP is not a work related benefit and your capacity to work is not relevant to the decision. Equally though, the simple fact that you have M to S dos not make you automatically entitled. What IS relevant is how the descriptors relate to your individual circumstances and everyone with MS is different. So, for example some people with RRMS might need a wheelchair to get around but others might be able to walk the Pennine Way!
At what stage were you told that had been refused? If it was after you were assessed by ATOS/CAPITA/MAXIMUS you are entitled to a copy of the form they completed for the DWP to make their decision. Ask for it straight away as you have only have a limited time to start the process for mandatory reconsideration and then Appeal so you need to keep on top of it straight.
If you were refused without an assessment they must still tell you how many points you received for each descriptor.
Did you give enough information in your application? Never expect the DWP to understand anything or realise that certain things can apply in more than one part of the form - you have to spell things out, then spell things out with more details and then spell it out again! For each question they ask.
I know that they are mentioned all the time but I cannot recommend Benefits and Work highly enough. I am a barrister with more than 25 years in practice and if I hadnât taken their advice I would have got the PIP form sooooooo wrong!
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yeah i did appeal it, because on the day i went to Atos they didnt make it clear i was to discuss how i felt in general i thought they were assessing me on that day! You know what its like you get good days and bad days.
So i appealed and said i may work full time, but when i have a lapse it could take me to get out my bed, i am only recently diagnosed (Oct 2015) 5 days before i went into hospital to have a double mastectomy and reconstruction, so i dont even think i have taken in that i have MS yet!!
I have also just started on Tecfidera, which has kinda floored me too 
Hi Amy, I am seething for you about this refusal to award you PIP.
As you have already appealed, is this the end of the road, as far as that is concerned?
Perhaps our barrister friend, Boblatina, can answer that for us.
It says a hell of a lot for someone with MS and having gone through a terrible, unthinkable time with the mastectomy, to then work full time. My heart goes out to you hun.
luv Pollx
First question. Have you actually gone through an appeal (in front of a tribnal) or just through a mandatory rconsideration which is through a senior decision maker at the DWP?
You have to go through the reconsideration before you can appeal. Apparently most reconsiderations support the first decision. However, the majority of cases that go on to appeal are successful (although obviously not everybody does decide to appeal).
There are strict time limits for starting each stage so you canât waste time.
Second question - and this is not me criticising you because you obviously went through the process at an incredibly stressful time - but did you take any advice or read anything before you made your application?. To be honest, it doesnât really sound like it because you appear to have misunderstood the process. The DWP can only go on what is presented to them on the day and in your application. If you are having a good day and you donât tell them that good days are rare they are obviously going to think that every day is like that.
If you havenât gone to a full appeal you have to make your mind up whether or not to do this at all. You have to remember that all the appeal can decide is whether the DWP made the wrong decision ON THE EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION IT HAD AT THE TIME. You can produce further evidence to back up the case you put to the DWP but you canât start presenting a completely/different case.
If you donât think that an appeal would work for you remember that there is nothing to stop you making a new application for PIP and starting over with a better application and better evidence.
This is not legal advice. I donât know all about you and your case and I am not an expert in benefit law which is a complicated and ever changing area of the law (my area of expertise was criminal law so unless you want advice on committing a fraud or a murder (joke) I am not really your woman).
Good luck.
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Thanks for the infoâŚvery useful.
pollx
Hi Iâve just been through all this PIP process. The Benefits and Work guidance is invaluable canât praise it enough. I was awarded the enhanced daily living and standard mobility. I am appealing the latter as my mobility is poor. I have done the mandatory reconsideration part and it supported the original assessment so I have sent in my appeal - tribunal form. I was awarded 0 points for planning a journey because they said I can drive a car (!!!) and was given10 points for moving around as the assessor said I walked 22m (!!!). They said if I have deteriorated I need to apply again! Iâll try the tribunal first before I go back to the endless form filling. Nightmare process completely designed to put us off.
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Hi. Me again.
I took Boblatinaâs advice and looked up the âBenefits and Workâ website. All I can do is repeat what she said.
âI cannot recommend Benefits and Work highly enoughâ
If thatâs not good enough for you, go out and commit murder; but Boblatina wonât be defending you.
A.
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⌠But if she bumped off george osborne it wouldnât technically be murder as heâs already dead anyway? AND the small matter of 65 million suspects
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Morning.
PIP is payed even though you can work, it makes no difference.
Because you have RRMS wouldnât automatically entitle you to PIP, itâs about how you are affected in your daily life and what help you need.
They have moved the goal posts and it is much stricter criterea for entitlement.
You can always appeal.
Make sure you list all aids, including things like a pill organiser, hearing aid, grab rails, if you need a special chair for desk/computer working and anything that helps.
Ronin.
Hi All! I am not yet DX but going through all the testing right now. I have had many symptoms of MS but I am 56 years old so the white matter changes in my MRI are being blamed on age. I was wondering if anyone has had what feels like sunburned skin. I get this every day now and what once was just one toe on my left foot has moved to 2 toes and numb spots on my shin and my hands. There are many other things as well. Mostly just curious about the numbness and burning sensations. Thank you.
PIP, an official miracle.
Thatâs me.
It seems that 7 years and 6 months after being diagnosed with RRMS and more recently with Coronary Heart Disease (probably brought on by the stress of waiting for PIP to make their minds up) I can now walk 200m unaided.
Therefor I am not entitled to any form of disability help whatsoever.
This despite being awarded Higher Rate Mobility of DLA in 2012 (lifetime award).
The âMedical Professionalsâ at PIP must be in line for at least a Nobel Award as they have obviously found a cure for MS (sorry MS SocietyâŚYouâre Fired)
It is, I suppose, just possible that someone miss keyed a number (hypothetically, of course) 200 instead of 20.
But, shudder, they canât even correct it despite having evidence from all of my various real medical professionals.
So, Hey Ho !, here we go again. More stress, probably worse health but saving the taxpayer money, and Iâm one (but wont be after 3rd Dec. when I lose my DLA and car and become an even bigger cost to that same taxpayer)
Rant over.
Andy.
Same here Andy i have lost my car.Just waiting for motobilty letter pack they say i have 8 weeks after the 3rd dec to return it.My assessment was full of lies.I have not been able to walk for more than a few steps since a severe brain stem relapse in 2005 i told her this she chose to put i can walk ok!!! lots of lies too many to mention its made me ill the stress of it all.I cant face an appeal i dont have the strength so will have to accept the standard award they gave me.I was on indefinate high rate care and mobilty.Then today the lovely DWP have sent me an ESA from to fill in for my ESA assessment just one week after i got the PIP award i waited months for.I am still stressed over the PIP so this on top has just sent me over the edge it really has i give up.I would get banned from here if i said what i really thought but you will know what i mean.This govt needs getting shut of but it isnt going to happen.How can they vote for them when they treat vulnerable people like criminals i dont know.
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Just donât give up on PIP and the process.
The Society have just uipdated a few stories.
Charlie
https://www.mssociety.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/ms-enough/pip-fails
I have also been refused PIP and they said it was because of the fact I work full time and drive and automatic car. I appealed and took it to tribunal and they upheld the dwpâs decision of refusal. I was given 0 points. I applied a second time, this time being awarded 4 points but still refused. Currently at the Mandatory Reconsideration with this claim.
this 20 metres rule is a farce. with MS being a variant disease. somedays i can walk a lot better then others. However, as soon as i try to stand up I am in pain and struggle to walk but i do it as my my neuro keeps reminding me I MUST WALK or loose my legsâŚi mean really.
I can only walk with aids and never go shopping or out without a wheelchair. I cant use my wheelchair in doors as my flat is way too small for it. so i have to do the best i can, i spend more time sitting and reclining. 20 meters is ludicrous is roughly 5 car lengths (family). they have no idea how MS affects people. the aim of PIP for me is to get rid of the mobility car componant.
You are so right there CC thats the only reason PIP was brought in was to lower DLA awards its the only way they could legally do it.
Oddly enough I stated on my PIP form I could walk more than 200 meters yet the assessor and decision maker decreed I could only walk 50 meters as I needed to stop and rest. They refused to grant any points for not being able to find my way around strange places because I hold a full driving licence and if I couldnât do that I would be refused a licence!. So go figure that one out.