New pip claim, just found out I'm pregnant! Advise

Ha124 wrote: Hi, I am currently awaiting assessment for ESA after completing ESA50. I have also just started a claim for pip. However, I've just found out that I'm pregnant. Can this affect my claims? If anything, it's going to make my chronic illnesses worse (CFS, fibro, Dercums,lipoedema). I only stopped working st the end of May so I'm afraid it's going to really affect my claim as I've not even had an assessment date for sea or pip yet.

Thanks in advance

There is a possibility that it will effect the length on any award, but this will likely be down to timing as much as anything else. I suspect that those assessing you will assume that your pregnancy is adding to your limitations and when it reaches it's natural conclusion, that there will be an improvement in those limitations.

If your assessments are held early on in your pregnancy then you should be able to argue that your limitations are the result of your underlying conditions, the longer you have to wait, the more difficult this argument will be to make.

Realistically all you can do is complete the PIP in as much detail as you can at the moment and try wherever you can to link it to your evidence.

Make sure you refer to the PIP Claim guide and in particular the sections that cover the use of "reliably" and "on the majority of days".

If you have further questions then please reply to this post and we will do our best to help.

Gordon