Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello Forum People.
I had my dreaded PIP assessment for my renewal a week or so ago. I currently get the enhanced daily living component based on a previous mental health issues only diagnosis but since then I've been diagnosed with Asperger's.
The assessment was worse than I expected. I was constantly cut off mid way through explanations and rarely allowed to finish answering questions. When I was able to answer a bit more fully I was asked 'why' again and again: 'why was I not under the mental health team?', 'why did I not receive help from an Asperger's service?' and 'why could I not do x or y?' - all questions beyond my understanding or control (ie funding cuts mean there is not an adult Asperger's service in my area).
I am now panicking...a lot. My ESA is tied into my PIP benefit. I can't face losing either, let alone both.
My question is: has anyone had any kind of positive stories about PIP, especially after such a negative assessment experience? I hope so...
Thank you.
Having filled in an PIP assessment on behalf of my Daughter it became immediately clear to me that the assessment only caters for those with a visible physical disability and lends itself badly to assessing those with hidden mental impairments.
God knows what will come of it and god knows how my daughter will ever be able to complete these forms after I die, people with life long mental disablities which last from cradle to grave and which are non curable should never ever have to be reassessed every couple of years, their life quality will never change, so why reassess those whose abilities can never change or improve, all it does is cause anxiety, distress and worry to parents and their children.
She fears ending up on the streets once we die as she will have no one to help her comlete these assessments, what's really worrying is that she may be right! It puts an awful burden of guilt on parents knowing that when they die they can no longer help or assist their disabled child, I feel so bad that i will one day abondon her as nature takes it's course.
As an autistic individual, who like many here receive the enhanced rate of PIP, I'm actually glad the government recognise that I'm not a hopeless case and that some of the things I struggle with now I may not in a few years. Especially as I'm working hard on coping strategies to ensue this is the case. For example, my inability to cook as significantly reduced since I found out this was due to sensory overload/burnout. To overcome this I stopped working Weds as it meant I never had to go more than two days without being able to have a low sensory day.
If the forms are causing your daughter a lot of anxiety, esp around your death and lack of support, could you take the time now to train her on how to fill these in? There are a lot of supporting resources on the internet you could go through with her to train her on how to find the help she needs and what to do with it once she has the resources. I followed these and had no issues with my initial application or renewal.