Diary of a benefit claimant.

HellsBells Miss A- what on earth is cooking from scratch about?? Sending you a virtual hug ? and fingers crossed that it gets sorted soon.
Feel free not to be upbeat !

If you do not meet the criteria for PIP by the assessor as is quite normal, please make sure you go through the appeals process. My daughter, who has a congenital condition which will never get better, lost her PIP when she was reassessed and this meant she lost her car, social care, etc. It took us a year to sort out, her anxiety levels absolutely rocketed and I had to get her tranquillisers to get her to the Tribunal. Strangely enough, it took very little for the Tribunal to assess her as needing the PIP and the arrears had to be paid. However, even then, the DWP decided they would change the dates for which they would pay the arrears but by that time, we were too tired to argue. The system is a vile one especially for those who just have no energy or reserves to fight.

Being able to cook from scratch is about mental & physical abilities.

A relative of mine described, to the DWP, how she does food preparation in small lots, with rests in between, and often asks someone else to chop vegetables, in her effort to have healthy meals at least sometimes.

I agree it's appalling how people are treated by the DWP system.

From what I've seen, a great deal is made of the ability to plan things.
It doesnt seem to matter if you can actually do them.

Still, I was absolutely truthful throughout; I've problems with my physical ability to do things, and that is what I said.

Keep plodding on MissA. You will get there. We’re all behind you. Lots of friends here.

Thank you all.
Very much appreciated.

I know from my own situation that clinicians assess frailty in two separate scales, physical and mental.
For example, if someone needs to go to the dentist and special transport arrangements are needed and at what level, that is the physical aspect, whether the person can make the appointment and arrange the transport and coordinate the two so that the visit to the dentist can happen, or whether someone else needs to arrange it for the person is the mental part. So maybe the same scales are being used for this.

Yes, I'm sure they are, which is fair enough.
There is no reason to just hand me money on my say-so.
I'll be very happy if they do, though!
It will make spending money on essentials much easier.

I currently have a sick note to pick up from my gp.
£15 taxi fares soon add up.

Could they post it to you?

No, because of data protection.
They can't email it either, for the same reasons.

Blimey MissA you are having a real struggle at the moment ?

Yes, not having the best of times.
I have been treated very respectfully, though, so that's worth repeating.

Will they not allow someone to collect the sick note MissA, in the same way as a prescription? My husband collects class A drugs for me!

Yes, they will do that.
I just have to nab someone into doing it.
The next person to ask if I need anything is fair game.

Oh, good. At least that saves the horrendous taxi fare and all the struggling.

I sound like a junkie don't I? It's just my epilepsy medication! They keep it locked up and I have wondered what people in the queue think ...!

My job coach has been very accommodating, because the last sick note ran out a while back.
He has already done the paperwork as if I have supplied a new one.

I think they are slowly taking on board that some people struggle along alone, without cars, family, and a posse of friends.

That's good and I'm glad they are treating you with courtesy and respect. As they should. It's very good of you to give them credit for that. Many wouldn't. Shows the sort of person you are.

Ah, but you have a posse of virtual friends here, Miss A, all a-rooting for you at every turn!
☘?

MissAdventure

Yes, they will do that.
I just have to nab someone into doing it.
The next person to ask if I need anything is fair game.

Would it be a good idea to hand to the person who is to collect it a letter, addressed to the medical centre and signed by you, stating that you authorise them handing it to the person, in case the receptionist is not allowed to hand it over without one?

My husband has never been asked for written authority to collect my class A drugs.

It is a balance of risks, the risk of spending five minutes writing a letter that is later found to have not been needed, and the risk of the kind person who offered to help, returning and saying that the medical centre would not hand it over without a letter authorising them to do so. The goal is to get the medical note..

I have rung them to check, and my upstairs neighbour has offered was pressganged into collecting it on Monday.

I'll phone them again on Monday as my neighbour leaves to go and get it.

Mind you, she isn't very well, herself.

Excellent. I'm sure you can do without writing letters. The telephone is a wonderful invention.