PIP Application Part One

“Apathy is a trap. There is no challenge... so there is no reward. Remember, there is always free cheese in a mousetrap.” - Steve Maraboli

In September 2019 I finally decided to take the plunge and apply for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefit.

For those of you who are not familiar with PIP it is a state benefit in the United Kingdom which is awarded to people over 16 with a qualifying long-term health condition or disability. The PIP is intended to help recipients with the day-to-day living costs associated with their disability or health condition. Essentially it allows the recipient to purchase items or services which will improve their mobility and/ or quality of life. The PIP has replaced a previous state benefit known as the Disability Living Allowance. I'm not going to bore you with any further details of the PIP here but if you want to know more you can visit the UK Government PIP webpage.

At first it was my self pride that made me hesitant about applying for benefits. I had never claimed state benefits before and I felt that I should just scrape by on my savings until I was well enough to return to work. As the months dragged on and my lupus symptoms became progressively worse, it became clear that going back to work was not going to be an option until my doctors got my disease under control. It was also clear that this process was going to take a considerable amount of time.

Navigating the UK benefits system is a bit like assembling flat-packed furniture without instructions. You figure out how two pieces fit together only to realise several hours later realise that they are back-to-front and upside down. After several hours of research and much head-scratching it became apparent that the PIP was the only state benefit that I was eligible to claim for.

Looking at the PIP application process online it didn't appear difficult or daunting. The applicant has to fill in a form about their health condition or disability and describe how it affects their day-to-day activities. The form is processed and then the applicant meets with a specialist health advisor to discuss matters further. A decision is then made on the applicants eligibility and the amount of PIP that is to be paid out. Sounds simple enough doesn't it......?

The next thing I did was to google search the PIP application process to see whether there were any helpful tips or suggestions. It turns out that people had a LOT to say about the PIP application process.....mostly about how awful, humiliating and unjust the process is. There are a multitude of stories detailing the plight of very sick and disabled people being turned down for PIP on the basis of the assessments carried out by private firms employed by the Government. The problems with the PIP assessment weren't restricted to a few internet message boards either; several national newspapers and channels have published stories detailing the shortcomings of the PIP process.

Many unsuccessful PIP applicants have appealed through the courts to have their assessments overturned and a surprisingly high number of these appeals have been successful. In June 2018 the Mirror newspaper reported that between January and March 2018 some 14,805 people had their assessment overturned by a tribunal. A total of 71% of all the PIP appeals heard during this period were successful.

Having read about the PIP application process and the high numbers of people being turned down for the benefit, I was very disheartened and I put off applying once again. It seemed pointless to put myself through the stress of the process if the odds were stacked against me and I was going to be turned down anyway. I didn't see myself having the energy to take my case through a long and arduous appeals process either.

What a defeatist attitude!

Eventually, I picked myself up and gave myself a good talking to. Apathy is the enemy of progress! If I don't apply for the benefits that I am entitled to then I have absolutely no chance of being awarded those benefits and as Steve Maraboli reminds us that there is always free cheese in a mouse trap....