Applying For Personal Independence Payment

1. Applying For Personal Independence Payment Mutual Support

2. The ‘How Your Condition Affects You’ Form • You can either ‘be invited’ or apply for PIP. If you meet the eligibility criteria the DWP will send you a form, viz: over 16 and under 65. • The form is designed to establish how your condition affects you in relation to 12 everyday activities.

3. The ‘How Your Condition Affects You’ Form • Having MS, in any form, does not per se mean that you will receive PIP! • Being eligible for PIP does not depend on what condition you have, but only on how your condition affects you in relation to the application form. • Although MS appears primarily to be a physical disability, it can also have sensory, cognitive and psychological effects.

4. The ‘How Your Condition Affects You’ Form • You must think about these aspects when completing the form. • Your answers to each category, section or ‘activity’ needs to explain, in detail, how your condition affects you. • If any of you are serial deniers about having MS and its associated symptoms – I have come across quite a few - then don’t bother to apply for PIP. You will not be awarded it.

5. The ‘How Your Condition Affects You’ Form • Be honest, you need objective medical, personal evidence; you must include real life examples. You must keep your GP, neurologist and MS nurse up to date with your condition. • If you fall down regularly, then this is the time to say so. Keep a diary! (the 50% rule). • Embarrassment will not get you PIP – if you are singly or doubly incontinent then say so!

6. The ‘How Your Condition Affects You’ Form • You could include the following: • How any medication or Disease Modifying Therapy affects you, e.g. does the medication/DMT make you feel tired, cause headaches or nausea; and • Whether your condition affects your concentration, memory, motivation or mood/anxiety levels. Are you prone to violent moods? • Affects of spasticity and spasms on your ability to move around reliably.

7. The ‘How Your Condition Affects You’ Form • What does ‘reliably’ mean? • Carry out the activity ‘safely’; • Carry out the activity to a ‘necessary and appropriate’ standard; • Carry out the activity ‘repeatedly’; • Carry out the activity in a ‘timely manner’ • If you cannot undertake an activity ‘reliably’, even with an appliance or aid then you cannot undertake that activity.

8. Sending In Your Form • You will be given an FOC return envelope with your form; • Make sure that you align the return address within the envelope window – use a bit of scotch tape to ensure the alignment; • Most important – make a photocopy of everything that you send to the DWP for your own records.

9. Assessment Criteria • You can find the PIP assessment criteria, including the information in quotation marks at • http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-toolkit-factsheet-002-assessment-criteria.pdf • The ’notes’ and ‘things to think about’ are our suggestions for how the criteria might be applied by DWP staff assessing your claim.

10. Daily Living Activity 1 – Preparing Food • A Can prepare and cook a simple meal – 0 • B Needs to use and aid or appliance to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal – 2 • C Cannot cook a simple meal using an oven but is able to do so using a microwave – 2 • D Needs prompting to be able to either prepare or cook a simple meal – 2 • E Needs supervision or assistance etc. – 4 • F Cannot prepare and cook food - 8

11. Daily Living Activity 1 – Preparing Food • Notes: • This activity is about whether you can prepare and cook a simple, hot, one-course meal from fresh ingredients (not ready meals). • ‘Preparing’ includes: peeling and chopping ingredients, and opening tins and packets. • ‘Cooking’ means using a cooker hob or microwave but does not include bending down to open/close an oven door etc.

12. Daily Living Activity 1 – Preparing Food • If you are unable to prepare and cook yourself a hot meal , or you only use a microwave rather than a cooker hob, due to the risk of an accident or injury due spasms or spasticity, then include this in your answer. • ‘Aids and appliances’ includes: can openers, specific types of containers or pans that you need to help you, a cooker guard on the cooker top or a kettle tipper to pour hot water. • ‘Assistance from others’ may include: motivating or reminding you to cook a meal or making sure that you are safe when cooking (spasms/spasticity etc.).

13. Things to Think About • What could happen if you experienced spasms, episodes of spasticity or loss of memory or concentration whilst trying to prepare or cook food? What is the likelihood of this happening? Has this happened before and, if so, what happened? How did it affect you physically and mentally? • Does anything else about MS affect your ability to undertake the activity (including: medication, DMT, side effects etc.)

14. Things to Think About • Your concentration and/or memory; i.e. need help to follow the process of preparing and cooking a meal; • Your rapid mood swings, depression or anxiety about the state of your latest relapse; • Your level of fatigue or your state of confusion;

15. Remember to include • Whether you can do this activity ‘reliably’ (safely, to an appropriate standard, repeatedly and in a timely manner); • Whether you need aids, appliances or help from another person; • How often does your condition affect your ability to do this activity (50% rule – keep a diary) • The impact of other conditions or disabilities that you have.

16. Things to Think About • Remember: this question is asking about your ability to do this activity, not your preference for doing it (i.e. whether you could do it, not whether you want to do it.) • If someone else normally prepares and cooks your food, then you must explain why they do it, and what might happen to you if you attempted it yourself.

17. Finally • You will only get a single score for each category, so make sure that you include as much relevant information as possible. Use an extra sheet if necessary. • There are 11 more activities; two for mobility and 9 more for daily living. The approach is the same. Evidence, Evidence and yet more Evidence, preferably objective in nature, and originating from your GP, neurologist or MS nurse.