Mobility activities - Questions 13/14

Hi, I wonder if anyone could offer their experiences or advice on these two questions please?
My mum suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and after her ATOS interview and a subsequent appeal she has had her PIP reduced from the enhanced rate to the standard rate with the loss of her mobility car.

On question 14 she was awarded 8pts for the moving around activity, using descriptor "can stand and then move 50 metres but no more than 200 metres, either aided or unaided".

Upon reflection, this response doesn't actually represent the significant pain and discomfort she experiences from completing such a task and during the interview she wasn't questioned about that, despite presenting associated letters and medical reports. How would these aspects be fairly considered in a response to this question.

On question 13 (planning and following journeys) she answered purely on her mental ability with "can plan and follow the route of a journey unaided" and was subsequently awarded 0pts.

Upon reflection, we're now wondering whether we have answered question 13 incorrectly by not considering the extent to which her physical restrictions prevent her from actually completing a journey. In reality, she relies totally upon her mobility vehicle (and my dad as the driver as she doesn't drive) to complete any journey of length. There is no way she could walk to catch a bus and even if she did catch a bus, she would be unable to walk any significant distance from a bus stop to her ultimate destination. On the basis of these facts, would the appropriate descriptor actually have been F) "cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person...."?

Is Q13 intended to consider any mobility restriction at all, other than conditions where the claimant is visually impaired or needs a chaperone to maintain their safety, or is it simply a measurement of mental impairment?

Hi BR36 and Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explain where everything is

Welcome to Benefits and Work

The first thing I will say is that PIP has been deliberately made harder to gain than DLA, it is purely a cost-cutting move. Many people are losing their Motability vehicles

Q14 deals with the physical ability to move. In order to be classed as scoring 0 points for any descriptor the claimant must be able to carry out that activity repeatedly, safely, to an appropriate standard and in a timely manner.

• Safely – in a fashion that is unlikely to cause harm to themselves or to another person.
• To a necessary and appropriate standard – given the nature of the activity.
• Repeatedly – as often as is reasonably required.
• In a timely manner – in a reasonable time period.

This is explained in more detail in our PIP guide

PIP help for claimants

Points can only be scored for Q13 if the claimant has mental, cognitive and/or sensory deficits. From what you have said I would not expect your mother to gain points from this.

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Many thanks Mrs Hurtyback for your prompt reply and links to the very useful information.

Using this and other information we've found we are going to complete form SSCS1 (Notice of appeal). The 'grounds for appeal' box (section 5) is insufficient to adequately detail our grounds, I assume it's OK to attach supplementary sheets?