Tips for Making a PIP Claim
Keeping a diary
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PIP looks at how your condition affects you most of the time. If your symptoms fluctuate, it can be difficult to work out how much of the time your condition affects your ability to carry out the PIP activities. Keeping a diary can be a good way of keeping track of how you feel day-to-day. Try keeping a diary for 1-2 weeks before you fill on your PIP2 form. Each day, make a note of which of the Daily Living or Mobility activities you had difficulty with, any help you received and any effects of doing the activity on your mental or physical health. This will help you when you fill in your PIP2 form. You can also submit diaries as evidence to support your PIP claim.
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Example:
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23/04/20
Today was a bad day. I was very tired when I woke up and my joints were very stiff and sore.
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My partner encouraged me to get up around 11am. I managed to pull on some jogging bottoms, but my partner had to help me pull on my top because my stiff joints made it very painful for me to lift my arms up. It took me around 15 minutes to get dressed.
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The first meal I ate was around midday. I had severe pain in my hands which meant I was not able to hold the knife to cut up the vegetables. My partner cut up the vegetables for me. While cooking I felt very tired and dizzy. I had to sit down on a chair to rest 3 times while cooking. The cooking tired me out, so when I sat down to eat my partner had to encourage me several times. This meant that the food was cold by the time I ate it. After I finished eating I went back to bed for the rest of the day. This activity made me very tired so I was not able to make an evening meal. My partner brought me a yogurt and a cereal bar so that I ate something, but my partner had to open them as I found it too difficult to grip the plastic.
If someone does an activity for you
Usually the DWP won’t take the fact that someone does an activity for you as proof that you cannot do this activity. If you struggle to complete an activity and someone else usually does it for you, you should explain why you can’t do the activity yourself and what would happen if you tried to do the activity. For example, if your friend or partner usually cooks for you, try imagining how you would go about preparing and cooking a meal if you didn’t have any help. What difficulties would you face?
Safely, repeatedly, reliably
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When you're filling out the PIP2 form you should think about whether you can carry out the activities safely, repeatedly and reliably.
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Safely- Are there any risks associated with you carrying out the activity? What do you do to reduce these risks? These could be to yourself or another person
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Repeatedly- Can you carry out the activity as many times as you need to during the day? Think about what the effects of doing an activity has on your physical or mental health
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Reliably- Can you carry out the activity to an acceptable standard? Think about how long it takes you to do the activity. Does it take you more than twice the time of someone without your condition?
Medical evidence
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You can submit evidence from health professionals to support your claim. Evidence can come from any health professional who supports you, this could include a GP, specialist, counsellor, occupational therapist, physiotherapist or support worker.
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Types of medical evidence which you could send include:
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A letter from a health professional explaining how your condition affects your ability to carry out daily activities
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Information about any treatment you have had, or any treatment you have been referred for but not yet had
Doctors can charge for medical evidence, so you should check whether there will be a cost. You can get in touch with our benefits team via the contact details below for advice about what medical evidence might support your claim.
Evidence from someone who supports you
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You can also submit evidence from someone who supports you on an informal basis such as a family member or friend. They could write a letter about how they support you with the PIP activities to submit with your claim.
For more information, or for help claiming benefits, please get in touch with our benefits team. We provide initial information and advice to everyone. We provide members of the Sheffield ME and Fibromyalgia Group with more detailed advice, casework and representation.
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Email: benefits@sheffieldmegroup.co.uk
Tel: +44 114 253 6700