Diabetes and PIP benefit…

[Duchess4eva]

Hello

I was wondering whether any UK forum users are on here who are receiving Personal Independence payments? I have been on insulin for a good few years and have had real anxiety about hypos in a job where I have to travel alot and only just found out that I may be eligible for Pip if the diabetes is affecting my life this way. I would appreciate any info from people who may be receiving or who are in the same position as me… x

 

[searley]

I don't think you qualify for simply being diabetic you need other issues to.. And mental health can be part of that… But it's a point based system based on what you can do for yourself.. In if you can lead a mostly normal life the chances are slim

I would suggest seeking specialist advise based on your exact circumstances

 

[lovinglife]

Hi @Duchess4eva & welcome to the forum
You may find the website below useful, it has a free PIP test and lots of free useful info on the best way to fill in the forms

PIP claim help, plus ESA, DLA & Universal Credit

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

 

[Ushthetaff]

I’ve had diabetes over 40years . I do receive PIP or Scottish Disability Payment as it is here in Scotland. However I only received it following my amputation 10 years ago , as far as I am currently aware T1 diabetes on its own doesn’t qualify for PIP or it’s equivalent

 

[ElenaP]

Hello

I was wondering whether any UK forum users are on here who are receiving Personal Independence payments? I have been on insulin for a good few years and have had real anxiety about hypos in a job where I have to travel alot and only just found out that I may be eligible for Pip if the diabetes is affecting my life this way. I would appreciate any info from people who may be receiving or who are in the same position as me… x

Many diabetics on insulin have anxieties about hypos. Money from PIP will not reduce the anxiety, but relaxation techniques such as meditation may help.

 

[Pipp]

PIP is not awared for any particular condition, but for how a condition affects day to day living.
Popular media tends to suggest DWP benefits are awarded for certain conditions. This is misleading.
The website recommended by @lovinglife is very useful, and explains the application process really well. It certainly is not as simple as popular media suggests.

 

[Duchess4eva]

Thank you for the warm welcome .. Thank you all for your replies. These are really helpful. I will look at the website and see what further info I can get before making a decision to apply or not. My workplace have in the meantime recommended ‘Access to work’ program as diabetes is a disability covered under the Equality Act.

 

[Pipp]

Thank you for the warm welcome .. Thank you all for your replies. These are really helpful. I will look at the website and see what further info I can get before making a decision to apply or not. My workplace have in the meantime recommended ‘Access to work’ program as diabetes is a disability covered under the Equality Act.

If you have to travel a lot for work, the Access to Work progamme could possibly fund a P.A. to assist you when travelling. Also, your employer ought to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to accommodate your needs.

 

[jjraak]

Hugs for the anxiety @Duchess4eva .

Great link by @lovinglife .

I'd recommend reading that thoroughly before you apply .

And swot up on the entire pip programme.
They won't be specialists and/or most likely not even aware of how your illness/condition impacts and affects you.

@Pipp point is SO spot on.

Horrific RTA left me severely injured

Went the PIP route

Lost points because person on the phone didn't think I 'sounded' in enough pain..

Three limbs broken, two severe enough to be life long disabilities , still unable to walk 10 months later when I got the call or lift anything heavy with my bad hand, like a cup of tea, didn't seem to be 'as' important as saving money.

Lesson learned.

Top tip, like it or not, treat it like an audition for a part in a Hollywood block buster...

Make sure they can see & hear you at the back.

Let whoever interviews you, see AND really 'feel' how this affects YOU.

Good luck.

 

[Duchess4eva]

Thank you

 

[jjraak]

Thank you

I remember failing my first driving test.

Apparently I didn't look in my mirrors enough...I flicked lots of glances up and could have described at an point the car behind if they covered up the mirror...but they failed to see me do it....my bad.

Next test I passed.

Checking the mirrors I didn't just flick my eyes up, I looked like a giraffe, my neck & head were moving about so much.

No way they couldn't see I looked.

That's the points we need to make clear.

It's not a lie or cheating.
We're just conditioned to minimising any condition when asked.

"How are you today?"
"I'm grand, how are you?"

Sound familiar ? even when we're feeling rough.

The person is (if by phone) just hearing a voice down the line & making up the scene from what we are telling them.

Help them understand it better.

 

[In Response]

Getting PIP sounds to me as if you are treating the symptom rather than the cause.
By all means talk to your employer and ensure they are making reasonable adjustments as required by law.
However, I believe you also need to look to reduce your anxiety of hypos. Have you discussed this with your medical team/DSN? It sounds as if it is greatly affecting your quality of life much more than it should.
I strongly recommend requesting some counselling regarding your hypo anxiety.

 

[Pipp]

Went the PIP route

Lost points because person on the phone didn't think I 'sounded' in enough pain..

In the past, I was an employment adviser for people with disabilities / life limiting health conditions. Something benefit claimants are not told by DWP is that if they can’t carry out one of the activities on the assessment without pain, extreme fatigue, or distress for more than 50% of the time, they should be assessed as being unable to complete that task.
The term used in the assessor manual was (probably still is) ‘can carry out the activity reliably, repeatedly, and in a timely manner’. This would be deemed to mean reliably = safely ,without pain, or distress, or such things as stumbling dropping things, hesitating; repeatedly = e.g. you could manage the activity once, but could not repeat it again within a short time frame; in a timely manner = the task could be completed in a similar time scale to somebody without your impairments.
Where many claimants slip up is that if they are asked a question e.g. can you make yourself a cup of tea? Often they say they could, when the could only , perhaps, once a day, but not every time they wanted a drink. Or they could, but would spill it or be in danger of scalding. If you can’t do a task 50% of that time, it should be recorded that you can’t do it at all.

Anxiety is more difficult to prove to an assessor. Keep diaries, and records of events that increase anxiety, but also get evidence from health care professionals.

 

[Duchess4eva]

Thank you. I have had CBT before because I went through a point where I couldn’t tell the difference between a hypo and a panic attack ( this was prior to the Libre2 sensor and I had to depend on my accu check mobile). I had to travel to work on a packed tube in central London and thought I was gonna die every time I was squashed up against the window.. i think it was from then that my diabetic control when to pot and I literally felt mire comfortable having highs than lows… I appreciate that convo is for a different group chat . Anyway…. I am defo in a better place with my condition but it took a lot of scares to get there.

 

[Duchess4eva]

Getting PIP sounds to me as if you are treating the symptom rather than the cause.
By all means talk to your employer and ensure they are making reasonable adjustments as required by law.
However, I believe you also need to look to reduce your anxiety of hypos. Have you discussed this with your medical team/DSN? It sounds as if it is greatly affecting your quality of life much more than it should.
I strongly recommend requesting some counselling regarding your hypo anxiety.

I appreciate this. Thank you

 

[Angela82]

PIP is not awared for any particular condition, but for how a condition affects day to day living.
Popular media tends to suggest DWP benefits are awarded for certain conditions. This is misleading.
The website recommended by @lovinglife is very useful, and explains the application process really well. It certainly is not as simple as popular media suggests.

Hi Pipp, I clicked your link at @lovinglife but it didn't take me to any info about explaining the PIP entitlement in any detail. Could you please point me in the right direction of where I should be looking. I've recently received a claim form for PIP and would like some useful info. It's not just for my Diabetes, I have alot of Diabetes related complications and also have recently been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, migraines, severe depression and moderately severe anxiety. It's took along time to get diagnosed with fibromyalgia but have been suffering for approx. 5+ years. Depression I'd say a couple of years and anxiety for around a year, which I personally think alot is due to the fact I'm unfit for work and I worry about finances as I'm really struggling and the depression alot due to the loss of my career as I absolutely loved my job but I couldn't manage it with all the issues I'm having. I hope 1 day I can get back to it somehow but I can't see that light at the end of the tunnel just yet. But yes, any PIP advice would be useful now while I'm getting my form completed. TIA

 

[Ushthetaff]

I took my form to CAB , they helped me fill it in . Well worth it

 

[lovinglife]

Hi Pipp, I clicked your link at @lovinglife but it didn't take me to any info about explaining the PIP entitlement in any detail. Could you please point me in the right direction of where I should be looking. I've recently received a claim form for PIP and would like some useful info. It's not just for my Diabetes, I have alot of Diabetes related complications and also have recently been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, migraines, severe depression and moderately severe anxiety. It's took along time to get diagnosed with fibromyalgia but have been suffering for approx. 5+ years. Depression I'd say a couple of years and anxiety for around a year, which I personally think alot is due to the fact I'm unfit for work and I worry about finances as I'm really struggling and the depression alot due to the loss of my career as I absolutely loved my job but I couldn't manage it with all the issues I'm having. I hope 1 day I can get back to it somehow but I can't see that light at the end of the tunnel just yet. But yes, any PIP advice would be useful now while I'm getting my form completed. TIA

That’s the home page link, all the links are clickable and will take you to the info you’re looking for. This is the link to the free PIP test where you can put in your answers and will generate your points for you, it also has advice on words to use etc

Take the PIP test

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

Hope that helps

 

[Pipp]

Hi Pipp, I clicked your link at @lovinglife but it didn't take me to any info about explaining the PIP entitlement in any detail. Could you please point me in the right direction of where I should be looking. I've recently received a claim form for PIP and would like some useful info. It's not just for my Diabetes, I have alot of Diabetes related complications and also have recently been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, migraines, severe depression and moderately severe anxiety. It's took along time to get diagnosed with fibromyalgia but have been suffering for approx. 5+ years. Depression I'd say a couple of years and anxiety for around a year, which I personally think alot is due to the fact I'm unfit for work and I worry about finances as I'm really struggling and the depression alot due to the loss of my career as I absolutely loved my job but I couldn't manage it with all the issues I'm having. I hope 1 day I can get back to it somehow but I can't see that light at the end of the tunnel just yet. But yes, any PIP advice would be useful now while I'm getting my form completed. TIA

There are some free resources, which gives basic info, but there is a membership fee for full access to everything.

PIP claims

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

I used these a lot in my previous employment to assist disabled people with claims. As despite my training, I was not aware of some of the pitfalls, or the detailed information that DWP assessors used In carrying out the assessments. ( They don’t publicise their handbook for general public use).I have been retired for several years, and aware that benefits have changed a lot in recent years, but it is important to give information not about your conditions, but how these conditions impact your daily living.

As mentioned by @Ushthetaff , there are welfare benefit agencies such as CAB, that can assist in form filling. I do believe it is also useful to have the knowledge required oneself, as the form filling is just the start of the process. An interview follows, and it can be difficult to get an advocate to attend with you, due to the volume of their workloads.

 

[Duchess4eva]

There are some free resources, which gives basic info, but there is a membership fee for full access to everything.

PIP claims

Get the benefits you're entitled to: help with personal independence payment (PIP), universal credit (UC), employment and support allowance (ESA),disability living allowance (DLA). Claims, assessments, reviews, appeals.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

I used these a lot in my previous employment to assist disabled people with claims. As despite my training, I was not aware of some of the pitfalls, or the detailed information that DWP assessors used In carrying out the assessments. ( They don’t publicise their handbook for general public use).I have been retired for several years, and aware that benefits have changed a lot in recent years, but it is important to give information not about your conditions, but how these conditions impact your daily living.

As mentioned by @Ushthetaff , there are welfare benefit agencies such as CAB, that can assist in form filling. I do believe it is also useful to have the knowledge required oneself, as the form filling is just the start of the process. An interview follows, and it can be difficult to get an advocate to attend with you, due to the volume of their workloads.

I should point out that I am a statutory mental health advocate and we are not allowed to complete benefit forms for our clients. A support worker or a PA should be approached.