PIP form

It's so cruel but it's what we've come to expect from this government.....and previous governments. The measure of a society is how it cares for it's young, old and sick. Sadly ours seems to be lacking in compassion for those in need whilst giving to those who already have plenty.

vampirequeen I absolutely agree, that PIP assessments are set up with the intention of refusing benefit if at all possible.

I have a friend who has recently retired from chairing appeal tribunals and what he has to say on the subject of these asessments is unprintable.The success rate of those making appeals bears this out. For that reason at one point the government did try to abolish them, but, thank God, had to back track.

I offered to get a letter from my GP, M0nica but was told that wasn't sufficient. They were determined that I attend the assessment.

The system is set up to stop your benefits. If I hadn't got there they would have stopped my benefits automatically. It's a no win situation for the claimant.

I'm so sorry to hear you had to go through all that, vampirequeen.
I have supported a relative through this and know how frightening it can be. Try to put it out of your mind until you hear from them.

I was speaking to someone recently who has MS, remitting/re-occurring type. Unfortunately he had his PIP assessment on a 'good' day, so the assessor wrote on the form that the applicant seemed to be able to do most things on the day of the assessment and the PIP payment was withdrawn.

It has now been reinstated, but how ignorant (or determined to turn down the aaplicant)the assessor was, not to understand the nature of the disease they were assessing.

So sad but angry that you are having to go through all this.
I have a member of my extended family who self harms and it is hard for us to understand how causing yourself pain brings relief but I know it is so.
I suppose you and you alone have a measure of control over what is happening to you that no-one else can.

Vampirequeen can you not get a letter from your doctor to say that you are not well enough to attend an assesment?

Keeping fingers crossed that they decide in your favour and do not stop your benefits, vampire, or expect you to have more assessment.
That always used to amuse me, that my husband could not get anywhere he could be assessed or go to work anyway unless I or someone else took him.
At least with the nurses' information, you have extra ammunition.
Good luck.

Thank you for all the support. I had to go to the assessment centre. The stress started to really build from Saturday and I self harmed many times. Wednesday morning I had to hurt myself quite a lot in order to release the tension. DH had to virtually drag me to the car and then from the car park into the building. The panic attack started in the car park and quickly got worse. Everyone was so nice. They took me into a room away from the understandable stares from other people in the waiting room. I couldn't come out of the attack but two nurses or at least I think they were nurses were livid. They told DH that I should never have been forced to attend an assessment and one phoned the powers that be whilst we were there. She told them I was too ill to be there and they were causing me intense psychological distress. They were very concerned about the self harm but I had to do that to get there.

The upshot is that 'someone' is going to look at my form again and try to make a decision based on that and a form that the ladies complete but if they can't then they'll arrange a home visit.

So now I'm stressing about what decision they'll make. I wish they'd leave me alone.

Do not fill forms like this in for yourself. Go to your local CAB abd get them to help you.

Any news yet, [vampirequeen]

I really hope you've had a good outcome vq and whatever happened wasn't too stressful

My son was turned down BTW which is what I was expecting.

vampire I do hope your appointment went well and that you're safely back home taking a big breath of relief that it's over.

Did your interview happen, vampire? Are you okay?

Remember that whatever happens, you and your DH will cope with it.
They won't get the better of you.

Thanks. I've looked at the site. I don't know what they'll decide. I'm so stressed about the assessment. I don't deal well with pressure and especially pressure in a strange place with strange people. And of course, it's a vicious circle. The more I stress about the appointment, the more stress about having a panic attack and the more I stress about the possibility of a panic attack the more likely it is to happen. Then I stress about what will happen if I can't answer their questions because of the panic attack. I stress about the embarrassment and humiliation of having a panic attack in public with people watching and talking about me then and afterwards. I stress because I know they will call an ambulance knowing that the one that comes to me means that someone who is in serious medical need will have to wait. What if they die?

You may think this is nonsense but this is how my mind works. It's like having a whirlpool in my head.

Have you looked at all the information on this website, vampire?

www.disabilityrightsuk.org/how-we-can-help

They might have something that can help you.

Bloody ATOS has decided they want to interview me. I've tried to explain that I won't be able to go to the place they hold the interviews and asked for a home visit. They looked at it again and said no. They said they only do home visits if your housebound or bedridden. I said that I have agoraphobia and therefore am housebound but they said that my form says I can go out if DH is with me. So I phoned again and they said they'd review it again but if I didn't hear from them then I have to go to the interview next Wednesday. I suggested they have an ambulance ready cos there is no way I will be able cope with the stress.

I'm so stressed already. I'm trying not to think about it but it's niggling at the back of my mind

The system is geared to reducing the payments no matter what it does to the claimant. I get high rate care component and lower rate mobility component with DLA. I don't think they'll give me the same with PIP. DLA looks at what you can do alone. PIP seems to look at what you can do if you have someone to help you. But you might not have that help available all the time. I'm housebound when DH isn't available to take me out. Doesn't that make me housebound? I'm terrified cos we can't afford to lose the money.

I didn't ask for this illness. I'm not a benefits scrounger but I feel as if I'm treated as one. I've paid into the system since I was 15. NI is an insurance scheme that you pay into in case you need help. I paid the insurance but now they don't want to pay out.

www.welfareweekly.com/disabled-man-forced-to-quit-his-job-because-of-tory-benefit-cuts/

blacktrianglecampaign.org/2016/05/16/announcement-the-people-v-dwp-iain-duncan-smith-and-chris-grayling-scotlands-leading-human-rights-lawyer-aamer-anwar-mandated-to-act-on-black-triangles-behalf/

There may be changes soon. Keep hoping, vampire.

It's a terrible thing when you're scared to tell the you've got worse in case they reduce your payments rather than increasing them.

I get high care and low mobility on DLA....I dread the think what PIP will decide. I'm beyond anxious.

If someone is getting DLA, that continues after they apply for PIP until the PIP decision is made, even if that is after the official end date for the DLA.

I currently have low DLA care and high mobility "indefinitely", which of course means that I will have to apply for PIP at sometime in the future, or they will force me to, whichever comes sooner. Have you looked at the www.benefitsandwork.co.uk website? They have the answers to all the questions put in the best possible language for the DWP. It does cost about £15 a year, but you really do get access to all possible information, including the DWP's own bible of health conditions. Despite the fact that my health has deteriorated considerably since my DLA award two years ago and I now really need Carer for some tasks, I am loathe to inform the DWP as I am scared of losing my wheelchair, without which I could not get out of the house. The website also gives tons of information on how to go about an appeal, should it come to that. I bet the Baroness is swamped with emails from people who didn't pass the 20 yard rule; I know I couldn't, but I bet 'they' say I can when the time comes!

There is no doubt that this extra stress is affecting my mh. I'm even more anxious than usual and having terribly warped thoughts.

I'm sorry if I sound whingy but it's not fair. I have a genuine illness that affects all aspects of my life yet I'm constantly having to prove it to someone unknown person sitting at a desk who I've never even met. I'm not going to get better. It's never going to go away.

"Baroness Altmann is a relatively new appointment to the DWP, and her area of expertise is pensions, so perhaps she was merely faithfully relaying information that had been supplied to her. But this pattern of government misinformation regarding disability benefits, amongst its own MPs and ministers, is highly disturbing.

The government was able to cut ESA for some future claimants by £30 per week, because enough people were misled into believing something that was simply not true. We can’t let this keep happening, we must counter misinformation with truth and reality. Baroness Grey-Thompson has tweeted, “Anyone out there who can walk less then 50m and have lost #pip please get in touch. Email [email protected] “

If you or anyone you know has lost their benefit due to being able to walk 20 metres, please let Baroness Grey-Thompson know, and copy in your MP. And if you have any problems with PIP, or any other disability benefit, inform your MP and ask them to contact the Secretary of State Stephen Crabb who has expressed a wish to understand the human impact of DWP policies."

This is from Ekklesia website. They are worried because the government does not keep statistics about how many people have been affected by the new PIP rules. Tanni Grey-Thompson's email.

[email protected]