PIP Award Review - August 2021

Hi lycaonia

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

Welcome to Benefits and Work

If you are struggling to tick a box then don't tick a box just write see below.

Then explain below what you have typed on the forum, remember it has to be the majority of the time so don't use the word 'sometimes'

Some points to consider in what you might write.

You are not required to walk pain free but any pain that restricts the distance that you can walk should be taken into account.

Specifically for the Moving Around activity, if you are able to walk but you are in severe pain when doing so, then you can argue that your walking is not to a necessary standard and should be disregarded.

The legal test requires you to stand and then move (walk), so if you have problems getting up then you should document these as well.

If you walk slowly then it must take you at least twice the time to cover the distance as a healthy person would, this could be down to the speed of your walking but could also be the result of having to stop.

You must be able to repeat the distance, so if you could walk it once but not then be able to walk it again within a reasonable timescale then you should be classed as unable to repeat the activity.

I'm afraid I can't tell you how to show your walking is more restricted but things you need to think about is what you can't do, for example; what can you walk in your house, how far is the toilet from where you normally sit, things that will count against you are any trips that you make outside, so for example, how do you do your shopping?

You must be able to walk the distance you can, reliably and on the majority of days, both these terms are defined in the PIP Claim guide

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/help-for-claimants/pip

So you need to explain what you can, how you are limited and why.

Gary

Hi lycaonia,
This may help. Maybe there is a post box, or shop that you can often get to. Or it may only be to the end of the garden. If you can, get a friend or relative to measure or pace out the distance. This will be your maximum. Then, if you can (please only do this if you are able and it won't make you ill.) Walk normally along the route. Note how you feel, are you breathless, tired, do you need to stop, if so for how long? Maybe you don't even get to the end? Make a note of the stopping point, eg by the lamp post, so your friend can measure this. Finish the walk and think about hiw you feel. Can you go again? When would this be? Maybe you feel ok now but next day you feel exhausted?
Now you have some data to use to have a more accurate idea.
The PIP walking test is not the 'I'm going to go as far as I can until I drop.' (What I describe as the duracell battery test!)
The point where you feel severe discomfort, eg discomfort that is about 7 to 8/10, if 0 is no pain, and 10 is absolute agony - this is the first reference point. Sny walking done with severe discomfort has to be excluded, so if you can grind through like the duracell battery that runs out, this won't count. How long did it take you to walk? Can your healthy friend walk the same distance 3 or 4 times at a normal pace and average this. Are you more than twice as slow as your friend? This could include brief stops. If you are too slow then your PIP walking is less than the point of severe discomfort.
If the stop/s involves more than a few moments then this could signify the end of the walk too and restarting will be a different walk. What sort of rest do you need after all the walking? Using the above analysis you now have some reference point and you will need to consider whether you can walk eg 90m to the post box every day or perhaps only 3 times per week. You may then need to adjust down your 90m to eg 50m. So in this example, 50m is the distance you can walk for the majority of days, without severe discomfort, repeatedly, in a reasonable time, in an acceptable manner, and safely.
Assessing walking ability for PIP, ie not until the duracell battery completely runs out, is difficult. However doing a bit of measuring can help provide a framework. I repeat, please only do this if you are able. Of course, if you know you struggle walking to eg the post box, you can just ask a friend to measure the distance and use that information to base your opinion. Remember too that some of the tests allow use of a walking aid such as crutches or stick, some don't.
In terms of safety, if you fall almost immediately then chances are you are not safe and your PIP walking ability may actually be almost zero!
I repeat for clarity, the amount of distance you can actually walk, may be significantly different than what your PIP distance is.
I hope this helps.
Good luck!
LL26