Head Injury (TBI) DLA to PIP

hi, my husband has just been awarded pip on his dla transfer for the affects of an acquired brain injury. He looks 'normal' at first glance and doesn't see anyone now as all that can be done has been. In the assessment he just tried his best to explain how doing activities feels and the frustrations involved in your body not responding as it should and with muddled thinking. I think having letters from people who know you helps (friends relatives etc)... if you are anything like my husband then a lot of denial and 'getting by' happens when others can see the struggles and word them in ways you never even thought of. good luck.

Thanks for that. After having a TBI in my teens and muddling along daily for decades I'm a bit short of friends or relatives to provide any worthwhile evidence so it's all down to me and the form. After many years off following my RTA I've worked full time but generally avoided engaging socially as the descriptor would have it, but that'd be a hard sell in a visual assessment. Same as how you could walk 200m under favourable conditions (ie nice bright mild weather with few, if any, people around) for yourself, although, trips, falls, overbalance are always a possibility and fatigue builds (although not obvious to an observer) from the first step, so does that mean that you can't do it reliably at all? Alternatively, under the wrong conditions (cold, miserable, dark, too many people etc) I'd be looking to walk the bare minimum, if at all. I can plan a journey but only carry it out via driving, lift or taxi. Both physically and mentally public transport is not something that I can or do use. Once again, not sure where that sits and would be another visual assessment hard sell. I had initial enthusiasm to make a claim for transition but am just about resigned now to not going through with it.

Wouldn't Headway be the people to speak to for advice if you have a TBI?

alisp wrote: Wouldn't Headway be the people to speak to for advice if you have a TBI?

Fair point. I've just checked out their "A guide to welfare benefits after brain injury" booklet and it mentions contacting a local group or their helpline which will probably signpost to somewhere else.

Gordon wrote: KTM

You need to separate your arguments, the Going Out activity is concerned with whether you can leave your house and having left it whether you can get to a destination, this would be relevant to your TBI. The Moving Around activity is only concerned with the distance that you can walk.

In both cases, you must be able to complete the activity reliably.

Gordon

Thanks Gordon. I can do that. Having looked at the form again, I think that I can fill it out pretty quickly (I'd already got many of my answers formulated) so I may do it this weekend while I'm in a rare positive mood. I'm not too confident on the mobility front but who knows. I could score points in the daily living section and I hadn't even considered that. It could all fall flat but for my own wellbeing I can't not go through with the process as if I'm now TBI free. I'd rather fail having a go than just withdraw my claim. Well that's today's thinking. I hope that I wake up tomorrow with the same enthusiasm.