Hand Arm vibration syndrome

Hi Dan

I have partially answered this question in your other post. We're not assessors, and entitlement is rarely a given. You have to show that you meet the criteria. Have a look at our guides on how to answer the questions. You will need to show that your difficulties are for the majority of the time eg a minimum of four days out of seven. I would also advise that you explain what the syndrome is - because you cannot rely on the assessor to have heard of it and if they have, they may well think it is something short term - whereas you know it can be life-long and debilitating.

BIS

Hi danmorris

Only you know your limitations, we do have a self-PIP tester where you can check your potential entitlement to PIP.

If you go to the home page then click on PIP the first dropdown box says 'take the PIP test'

then click on 'take the PIP test'

There are 12 questions, each question has a number of answers a ... f etc

I advise potential claimants to read from f and work up .... click on the answer that best suits you.

Gary

Hi danmorris,
HAVS is a 'prescribed disease' under the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. If the HAVS was caused whilst working as an employee, then you may be able to claim, depending on the level of your disability. As far as I am aware you can receive IIDB together with PIP, other non-means tested benefits won't be affected, but benefits such as Universal Credit or ESA may well be affected.
To be eligible for IIDB, you would need to show a loss of use in either or both hands or arms. There is a chart which gives percentages of loss of use (loss of faculty) this is the starting point to work out your total disablement. To gain IIDB you would need to show a total disablement of at least 14% The percentage refers to the difference in the amount of use in the injured body part as opposed to normal usage in an able bodied person of same age. So, for example according to the chart, the loss of a thumb, (amputation or total loss of use - inability to move it etc) is 30%. Similarly loss of use of one middle finger is 12%, if both middle fingers were similarly disabled then you could theoretically be 24% disabled and so on. The percentage disablement may be adjusted to take into account pre-existing conditions.

If you wanted to claim, you would probably need to have an assessment. (Very different from PIP assessments - this is done by a doctor, who would do a proper examination.)
HAVS is prescribed disease A11 on the schedule. You can use this link to learn more about IIDB.
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

I hope this helps.
LL26