PIP Agoraphobia

Hello.

I'm new to this website, so I'd just like to start by saying 'hello' and thank you for such a wonderful place of much needed resource.


I am a long-term sufferer of Agoraphobia, depression and Anxiety. I'm in the position of having been visited at home but receiving a letter to say that I scored 0 points. I am currently waiting a phone call for a Mandatory Reconsideration. While I'm waiting I am looking through all the information and trying to make sure I word everything correctly so I can properly communicate how my condition affect my life. I hope you don't mind if I have a few questions for anyone who might know the answers. The first is about:

Q14 Moving around. When I can go out I always need assistance from my friend. He drives me as I can not use Public Transport or own my own car. He not only offers me prompting to go out, such as if I need to go to the doctors, but without him I wouldn't even attempt to do so. One of the symptoms I experience when I experience anxiety or suffer a panic attack, is that I get very dizzy. The dizziness can last for hours, sometimes days (and even months when I am going through an particularly anxious time). When I answered this question on the initial form I explained that I sometimes need the assistance of someone to help me to feel safe when I become disorientated. I literally need someone I can hold onto and guide me. I feel unsafe otherwise and have actually fallen over without such physical support. This has scared me and is one of the reasons I do not go out without assistance. When it happens in the home I also need help, but have found it easier to plan a safer environment (avoiding certain situations such as climbing stairs) . However I get the impression this question is only meant for people who are impaired physically, rather than through a mental health consequence?

Hi and Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explain where everything is

Welcome to Benefits and Work

Q13 of PIP deals with mental, cognitive or sensory problems, Q14 deals with physical problems only. This is explained in our PIP guide

Q14

This activity looks at your physical ability to stand and then move around outdoors.

PIP help for claimants

May I suggest that you bookmark/favourite this on your web browser now so that you can find it easily in future. This will allow you to return with further questions or comments about your PIP without having to start a new topic each time. It helps us enormously when everything relating to the same claim is kept in one topic - and I hope you will find it useful too

hi ,
hope you dont mind me msg you,. .ime also sufer the same as you have for many years ,, and i was only awarded 4 point on the planning and following a journey, ,, the moving around descriptor is for physical . ,,for the planning and following a journey ,,be sure you tell them that no amount or prompting makes a differance ,you need to say that your unable to plan any journey because it causes you overwhelming distress ,,give excamples like you said you suffer dizziness etc and that you have fallen before now express that you need assistance +supervision throughout the journey for your safety ,,remembe to use the words reliably ,safley ,,timely manner, when giving details why your unable to manage these activities ,, i asked for a MR and come back the same ,so now appealing ,waiting for a date to come through now ,, i think it very hard to get awarded advanced rate disability with just mental health issues unless you also have difficulty moving around due to physicall issues,, ,hope your MR is succsesfull as i know they are making it very hard to be awarded pip now ,, good luck,,
alison,.

Thank you Alison and good luck in your appeal.

I have another question regarding my Mandatory Reconsideration. When I received my letter turning me down for PIP, I followed the instructions and phoned the DWP to say that I disagreed with the decision. I was told I needed to wait for a phone call, which hasn't yet happened.

I now a little confused as to what this call is. I'm not sure is they mean me to conduct my MR over the phone or if this call is by the person who made the decision and he is calling to explain why he award me 0 points.

In the meantime I am trying to put a letter together for the MR (I'd rather do this than have it done via a phone call). Do I need to ask for the home assessment report so I can see in more detail as to why they awarded me 0 points? I have a section of writing on the letter which seems to be a person interpretation of how I did on the assessment, as it's not written by the lady who actually came to see me. Or is this the report?