PIP points question

My questions are in regards to aids and appliances and mobility hoists.

My wife has MS and no longer has use of her arms or legs. As I’m her fulltime carer I cook and prepare all her meals, she therefore doesn’t use any aids or appliances; therefore will we lose points and be penalized for this?

Secondly, we have a mobility hoist, but due to the pressure of the hoist causing her severe pain, myself and a second carer tend to manually lift her. As we’ve been manually lifted her for some time, we know how to lift her in a way that doesn’t cause her too much pain. Will we lose points or be penalized through not using a hoist?

I suppose I’m asking if someone is totally paralyzed and relies on 24/7 care with no or little aids, will they only accumulate a few points or even lose points?

Thanks in advance for your help

Steve G wrote: My questions are in regards to aids and appliances and mobility hoists.

My wife has MS and no longer has use of her arms or legs. As I’m her fulltime carer I cook and prepare all her meals, she therefore doesn’t use any aids or appliances; therefore will we lose points and be penalized for this?

Secondly, we have a mobility hoist, but due to the pressure of the hoist causing her severe pain, myself and a second carer tend to manually lift her. As we’ve been manually lifted her for some time, we know how to lift her in a way that doesn’t cause her too much pain. Will we lose points or be penalized through not using a hoist?

I suppose I’m asking if someone is totally paralyzed and relies on 24/7 care with no or little aids, will they only accumulate a few points or even lose points?

Thanks in advance for your help

Hi SG,

Welcome to Benefits and Work Forum

Disregarding any points that may be awarded to your wife for the use of aids and appliances to carry out any of The PIP Activities, if she cannot carry out a PIP Activity "Reliably and "Safely" for the "Majority of The Days", she should receive the level of points for the appropriate Descriptors that she fulfils under the applicable PIP Activities.

If she cannot use a suitable aid or appliance due to her limitations, explain why she cannot use the aid or appliance, she should then receive the appropriate award of points if she cannot carry out the PIP Activity as explained above

Read through the information from the links below, then come back to us if you have any further queries.

How The PIP Points Scoring System Works.

PIP Self Test

PIP Claims Guide. (2nd Link down the page)

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That way you can return to this topic easily to pose any further queries that you may have by replying to the topic.

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Thanks in anticipation of your future co-operation in keeping all your PIP related queries to this topic !
bro58

Thanks for your reply.

I was worried about ticking all the NO boxes in regards to the questions.. “do you use aids or appliances” and then not accumulating any points, but as my spouse can’t do virtually any of the activities it shouldn’t make a difference. A lot of PIP questions seem back to front, it would make more sense to ask if a person can do the activity first: Yes, No or sometimes; then one could explain the need for aids or appliances. To be honest the whole form seems vague.

Never mind I shall persevere

Steve G wrote: Thanks for your reply.

I was worried about ticking all the NO boxes in regards to the questions.. “do you use aids or appliances” and then not accumulating any points, but as my spouse can’t do virtually any of the activities it shouldn’t make a difference. A lot of PIP questions seem back to front, it would make more sense to ask if a person can do the activity first: Yes, No or sometimes; then one could explain the need for aids or appliances. To be honest the whole form seems vague.

Never mind I shall persevere

Hi SG,

Yes, you are approaching this the wrong way !!!

Claimants generally hope to pick up points for using aids and appliances where they would not otherwise score enough points for a particular Activity.

From the sound of it, your wife cannot carry out certain Activities at all, so the fact that she cannot use aids or appliances should not adversely effect her gaining points.

Many PIP claimants have been gaining PIP awards simply because they score the 8 or 12 points through the use of aids.

That is why the Tories tried unsuccessfully to change the points awarded for the use of aids.

bro58