PIP awards and disability aids

This is just by way of info about why people are awarded PIP points, which might help those applying for PIP, asking for mandatory reconsideration and appealing to a tribunal.

To qualify for points, your disabilities only have to affect you seriously enough for more than 50% of the time, i.e. at least four days a week.

After assessment I was awarded 11 points for daily living - all of those because I had difficulty undertaking/completing tasks even using aids.  2 points each for bathing, dressing, using the toilet, preparing food, taking nutrition and 1 point for taking medication.  In other words, you should get points for having difficulty doing things even with the help of aids.

Tribunal gave me 2 extra points for food prep because for more than 50% of the time I would need someone to help me.

Disability Rights (DR) site has a good guide to all aspects of PIP, including the list of descriptors, and a draft diary which you can adapt.  I recommend submission of a 7-day diary with your PIP application.

For getting around mobility the criteria are:

Unable to walk before needing to stop and rest:

Up to 20m aided or unaided  12 points

20m-50m aided   10 points

20m-50m unaided   8 points

You are allowed to walk farther in each category and still qualify if you are struggling because of pain, stiffness, instability or fatigue.

Some people have reported losing getting around points because they said, for example, they couldn't walk more than 50m without aids but aids allowed them to walk more than 50m.  Remember that you won't get qualifying points if you can walk more than 20m or 50m as the case may be, regardless of aids - unless the reliability criteria of pain, stiffness, instability or fatigue apply.

Assessors and tribunals probably will ask for how long, not how far, you an walk.  Always say it takes you X time to walk Y meters.  Just stating for how long is open to very wide interpretation.