New PIP review form

Hi tillyboo

I'm sorry to hear you are having a struggle with the forms. PIP has never considered bending to use an oven, it has always been about cooking a simple meal using a stove..

Don't get too bogged down trying to analyse which condition causes what. I suspect that many conditions interact, possibly just by causing fatigue or making you feel rough!

If you haven't done so already, have a look at the members guides which give information about all the descriptors, and what to consider. Here's a link;
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip-2

Go through all the descriptor activities, have a think what difficulties you have.So for example, descriptor 1.- can you cook a simple meal for one, using fresh ingredients? If not why not?

Can you peel and chop veg? Maybe you have painful hands and can't grip a knife?

Maybe you are hopeless with timings don't understand if food is cooked?

You might get distracted and leave food on the hob, burning it to a crisp? Perhaps you can't read packets, perhaps you have poor eyesight? Maybe there are other problems such as you can't stand up in the kitchen, or can't even get out of bed to get to the kitchen? Do you need prompting? Perhaps some other problem causes cooking difficulties?

Get a blank piece if paper and write down all the problems you have with cooking. It is likely that you will be able to quantify mental or physical health problems or some combination of the two.

So maybe you have problems but not everyday Have a think why you are ok some days and not others. Fatigue? Medication? Something else?

How many days per week do you have problems? Maybe you avoid the activity due the problem? Perhaps you take an easy route? (This could be eg pull on clothes in order to dress, or if you are deaf, avoiding a noisy place to alleviate communication issues.)

So, having determined the problem, and the number of days per week you have the problem, or would have if you didn't avoid it. Consider- do you have a limitation in function for more than the majority of days, or need to take an easier course to avoid the problem(which will indicate of course you might have the problem all the time!)

Anything that limits a descriptor activity for the majority of days will allow points under the relevant section. (If you have a really good day, or just push your self hard and can do something once in a while or even a couple if days per week this won't matter as it's not the majority pattern)

Now have a think about whether you can fulfil all the following 4 criteria

1. Safety
2. Acceptable standard
3. Taking more than twice a non disabled person would to complete the activity
4. Being able to repeat across the day as required (some activities such as communicating or toilet needs will occur more often than eg bathing)

If you decided you could do an activity without issues have another think bearing in mind majority of days and the 4 reliability criteria I have listed above. If you are happy that you can do all activity under one whole descriptor then tick 'no problems' box and move on to the next descriptor. Do the sane analysis with each descriptor set.

If you are still struggling to work out which descriptor might apply, over the next few days write a disability diary.

Basically note down what difficulties you have across the day
So...eg
Monday 1st
Woke up 7.35am couldn't get out of bed for another 2 hrs as legs very stiff. Eventually got up. Fell over on way to bathroom as right leg gave way. Couldn't get into bath as wife had gone to work and I can't lift my leg over the side. Took 10 minutes to put my shirt on. Struggled to get this over my head and couldn't do buttons up. Missed 3 out....

Also put down the things that went well.So next day could be...
Tuesday 2nd
Had better night sleep. Able to get out of bed without falling over....
If you have a partner ask him/her to comment, they might have more insight into your condition than you did!

Also, it is important to be brutally honest, (PIP is a very negative process sorry!) if you do some convoluted version of the activity and think you manage, well you probably do, and that will be sufficient to get you through the day, which you may need to do if you live alone or are alone at times during the day, but for PIP purposes probably suggests you are not performing to an acceptable standard or perhaps within the reasonable time so you may be eligible for points!

Quite often I come across claimants who have bad days and worse days, for example they are in pain every day and live with the pain, but some days are worse than others, do not under play your condition.

I hope I have given you a few helpful pointers.

Gary