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PIP Q13 (Do you need help from another person etc)
- MikeFromLFE
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5 years 6 months ago #219940 by MikeFromLFE
PIP Q13 (Do you need help from another person etc) was created by MikeFromLFE
I'm just at the stage of writing draft versions of my wife's new PIP claim.
I am struggling with how to answer the Yes/No/Sometimes questions in Q13, and how to phrase the extra information.
My current draft might explain the issue she has:
"I no longer ever use public transport on my own, and will only use it with my husband (or other people) because I find using buses and trains very, very stressful due to my anxiety (and depression).
If I were on my own I panic that I won’t get to the stop in time because I walk so slowly and have to keep stopping; I panic that I will get on the wrong bus and that I won’t have the right fare or know the name of the stop I want to go to; I panic that I’ll fall over if the bus starts before I’m in my seat and that I’ll miss getting off at the right stop.
A change to the stop - for example a temporary bus stop would cause me to stop the journey and return home or phone for help.
I can just about cope with the Park & Ride buses because they only go to one place and the fare is fixed. I feel I could cope with trains that go to a terminus station, but I still fret about finding a seat and having the right ticket and missing a train if I’ve got a timed ticket.
I’ve given up using public transport on my own for these reasons and I will only use public transport with friends or relatives because of the stress and anxiety I always experience."
I then go on to give an example of an aborted journey she tried.
Is this the best approach? Is this "yes" to 13b (Do you need help from another person, guide dog or specialist aid to get to a location that is unfamiliar to you?) and/or yes to 13c (Are you unable to go out because of severe anxiety or distress?) because she will go out in the car with me (she can't drive any more).
I am struggling with how to answer the Yes/No/Sometimes questions in Q13, and how to phrase the extra information.
My current draft might explain the issue she has:
"I no longer ever use public transport on my own, and will only use it with my husband (or other people) because I find using buses and trains very, very stressful due to my anxiety (and depression).
If I were on my own I panic that I won’t get to the stop in time because I walk so slowly and have to keep stopping; I panic that I will get on the wrong bus and that I won’t have the right fare or know the name of the stop I want to go to; I panic that I’ll fall over if the bus starts before I’m in my seat and that I’ll miss getting off at the right stop.
A change to the stop - for example a temporary bus stop would cause me to stop the journey and return home or phone for help.
I can just about cope with the Park & Ride buses because they only go to one place and the fare is fixed. I feel I could cope with trains that go to a terminus station, but I still fret about finding a seat and having the right ticket and missing a train if I’ve got a timed ticket.
I’ve given up using public transport on my own for these reasons and I will only use public transport with friends or relatives because of the stress and anxiety I always experience."
I then go on to give an example of an aborted journey she tried.
Is this the best approach? Is this "yes" to 13b (Do you need help from another person, guide dog or specialist aid to get to a location that is unfamiliar to you?) and/or yes to 13c (Are you unable to go out because of severe anxiety or distress?) because she will go out in the car with me (she can't drive any more).
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- Gordon
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5 years 6 months ago #219954 by Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
Replied by Gordon on topic PIP Q13 (Do you need help from another person etc)
Mike
Whilst you should definitely mention her problems with using Public Transport you need to broaden your response as the requirement is not defined in the PIP legal Descriptors and we have regularly seen Decision Makers fail to score for problems with this.
You also need to consider the basis on which she meets the criteria, there are three basic causes that the DWP will accept for the Going Out activity, sensory issues such as blindness, cognitive problems such as learning disability and a mental health problem where the claimant would be limited by overwhelming psychological distress. In the case of the latter, words such as anxiety and panic are unlikely to be seen as sufficiently debilitating.
Gordon
Whilst you should definitely mention her problems with using Public Transport you need to broaden your response as the requirement is not defined in the PIP legal Descriptors and we have regularly seen Decision Makers fail to score for problems with this.
You also need to consider the basis on which she meets the criteria, there are three basic causes that the DWP will accept for the Going Out activity, sensory issues such as blindness, cognitive problems such as learning disability and a mental health problem where the claimant would be limited by overwhelming psychological distress. In the case of the latter, words such as anxiety and panic are unlikely to be seen as sufficiently debilitating.
Gordon
Nothing on this board constitutes legal advice - always consult a professional about specific problems
The following user(s) said Thank You: MikeFromLFE
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