PIP awards and disability aids
Options
Matilda
Community member Posts: 2,593 Disability Gamechanger
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.
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.
Comments
-
I see where you're coming from on these points Matilda. My wifes had her recent assessment, which seemed to go ok. She should get a fair number of points, hopefully, based on the number of aids she uses & the difficulty involved. Food cut up, Dosette box, Bath seat & grab rails,Incontinence pads, velcro fastening shoes & elasticated trousers, can't budget. I get that to 11 points & i haven't counted the food prep & cooking which i do. Should get at least 4 if they don't believe i do it all & only assist or 8 points if they do. On the moving around she wears an ankle splint & uses a stick. On the assessment my wife desperately needed the loo. The auditor asked her her if she could wait but she said no so was allowed to go with me taking her. ( with an escort from the centre) When we got back the assessor said it was 35 metres to the loo but she would put down my wife could walk 20 as she could see it was a struggle. The assessor asked if my wife went out at all on her own, which she doesn't. I explained that she cannot go out alone as if she fell unless someone was with her she would not be able to get back up. I also explained that my wife cannot get off a pavement unless she is holding onto someone. I also said that she cannot get across a road quickly, pointing out that on pedestrian crossing she is usually only about a quarter of the way across by the time the lights change back to the red man. We will wait & see if the scores reflect the way the assessment went or if the assessor was just pretending to be nice.
-
Brightness
Categories
- All Categories
- 13K Start here and say hello!
- 6.6K Coffee lounge
- 103 Games lounge
- 416 Cost of living
- 4.3K Disability rights and campaigning
- 1.9K Research and opportunities
- 199 Community updates
- 9.3K Talk about your situation
- 2.1K Children, parents, and families
- 1.6K Work and employment
- 776 Education
- 1.7K Housing and independent living
- 1.4K Aids, adaptations, and equipment
- 615 Dating, sex, and relationships
- 363 Exercise and accessible facilities
- 737 Transport and travel
- 31.5K Talk about money
- 4.3K Benefits and financial support
- 5.2K Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- 17K PIP, DLA, and AA
- 4.9K Universal Credit (UC)
- 6.3K Talk about your impairment
- 1.8K Cerebral palsy
- 867 Chronic pain and pain management
- 180 Physical and neurological impairments
- 1.1K Autism and neurodiversity
- 1.2K Mental health and wellbeing
- 319 Sensory impairments
- 824 Rare, invisible, and undiagnosed conditions
Do you need advice on your energy costs?
Scope’s Disability Energy Support service is open to any disabled household in England or Wales in which one or more disabled people live. You can get free advice from an expert adviser on managing energy debt, switching tariffs, contacting your supplier and more. Find out more information by visiting our
Disability Energy Support webpage.