I don’t have a cpn or support worker but my boyfriend is coming with me, there’s no way I could go on my own. I’m glad he’ll be there to support me, I just dread the idea of speaking to a complete stranger about my problems.
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They obviously have no consideration of the difficulties in travelling to the assessment. The CAB should be able to help, it’s just crazy they gave you 0 points, I am very suspicious of their motives, I doubt very much if they have our welfare in mind.
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I appreciate you being realistic about this, but so far all you have said is that people like us folks here with mh problems are liable to lose out benefits. You keep saying you can help but haven’t offered any actual advice so far… I don’t mean to be ungrateful, but I could really use some practical advice rather than just being told I’m likely to lose my benefits. As for changing the appt to home, I wish I’d thought of that, but I already changed the appt time as the original appt was first thing in the morning and I had to change it as there was no bus service that early, so unfortunately I can’t change it again.
Hi Turquoise, the first thing to say at the assessment is that you would had been unable to go if you didn’t have your boyfriend to go with you. And you need to think of everything your boyfriend helps you with. You don’t need to lie about anything, but make sure they know everything he does at your home. Also you can get points if you have problems relating to people. And if you have problems planning a journey.
I hope this helps.
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Thanks Simon, relating to people and going out alone are definitely huge problems, I’ll make sure to tell them that. I’m dreading this.
And if you are on any medication that could impair your ability to drive or do certain types of work, that would also be important to tell them.
And also if you need your boyfriend to be with you for any safety reasons.
Even simple things like your boyfriend reminding you to take your medication or making sure you haven’t left things in the house switched on like the cooker, or to calm you down to make sure you don’t hurt yourself.
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I am really pleased you asked for help on here, because I expect when you filled out the form you noticed that none of the questions on it really took into account the difficulties someone with mental health have problems with.
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And you can also get lots of points if you have difficulties communicating with other people, and problems with social interaction.
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Thanks, that’s really helpful. I can think of examples of all of these things you’ve mentioned. I may write some notes to take with me, and my boyfriend can confirm a lot of these things if they’ll let him contribute. Cheers for that.
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This link http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-points-system
Shows exactly how points get allocated. Hope it helps. J
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I’m still getting ESA, but don’t have much to play with to do things like meet friends or form relationships.
I’d also like to do some stuff to my flat now they have stopped community support grants, but don’t want to take a bridging loan.
Is it possible that you can make a new application to claim PIP, because just getting ESA alone, is really only enough to pay for the bills and the shopping.
And it seems so unfair for people like you.
All the best for tomorrow.
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Hi folks, just wanted to let you know the PIP interview is over and done with, and I can breathe a sigh of relief. Thankfully the guy doing my interview was actually very nice, he recognised I was in a state of high anxiety and got the interview over in about 40 mins. My only worry is that I didn’t give enough detail but he seemed to understand what I was saying, he was explaining what he was typing and seemed to acknowledge how my mental health problems affect my ability to cope with everyday tasks and that any social interaction is a huge issue for me. My partner was by my side and added things I forgot to mention.
I’ll just have to wait and see what happens now as the decision is made by someone from the DWP, and I know they are there to try and not award benefits wherever possible. However, I am reasonably happy with the information the interviewer has noted, so will just try to put it out of my mind now until I receive a decision. Overall, apart from feeling very anxious, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be.
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Hi Turquoise, did you get your PIP, as it has nearly been a month since your assessment.
When I had my assessment I got a letter 3 weeks later to tell me how much money I would be getting. I hope you are pleased with what you are rewarded.
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Hi Simon, thanks for asking, the letter just arrive on fri, I’ve been awarded standard care and no mobility but am appealing the decision as what they wrote in the letter for 2 of the points was totally inaccurate and not what I said at all, however I am only 1 point short for enhanced care and I can get written evidence from my psychiatrist to back me up on the points I am disputing, so hopefully the appeal will be successful. They wrote that I ‘need prompting’ to engage with others and to follow a familiar journey, I told them I cannot mix with others and have had no social contact for over a year, and that I cannot and do not go out alone, so goodness knows where they got that from. However, hopefully with the letter from my doc I can get this sorted.
Why was @Simonw post flagged? @Moonbeam do you know? I’ve been flagged like 3-4 times so I am curious.
It was because he told Turquoise she would lose all her money if she went to her assessment, which exacerbated Turquoise’s anxiety about the procedure. He had a lot of good information to share, but sharing it in a scaremongering fashion does more harm than good.
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Okay Thanks for telling me. I was curious.
Simon, you told her she would likely lose all her money. Also, Turquoise saw your comment, told you it was very distressing to her, and continued the conversation, so stating that your post being flagged caused her to lose mobility is bizarre and untrue.
I understand that you have communication difficulties, but you need to be honest and avoid making extreme claims if you want to help people.
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