Hello Anna,
When you have an award of PIP you can ask the Department for Work and Pensions to look at it again, to see whether it can be increased.
This is called a supersession.
To do this, you can phone them and ask for another form to complete, or you can write them a letter.
It doesn’t matter which you do, but I’ve written a suggested letter for you below.
If you prefer to ask for a form, just copy the information in the letter into the mobility parts of the form. For parts of the form that don’t relate to mobility just write no change (or explain what has changed).
For the letter, you will have to find the address to send your letter from the most recent correspondence that you have from PIP.
With your letter or form you should print and include the consultant’s letter that you read to me.
Your letter should say something like:
Dear DWP
I would be grateful if your would supersede my PIP award to include mobility component.
I have good and bad days, but most days my walking is severely affected by my condition.
Standing From Sitting
Most days, it takes me a long while to stand up from sitting. I have pain in the back of my legs and buttocks and I always need to push up on the seat, arms of the chair or a stick to stand up.
I can no longer simply lean forward and rise up.
It now takes a minute or so to do what I used to be able to do in just a couple of seconds.
Walking Outside On The Flat
Most days, once I begin walking, my gait is very laboured, even using a stick.
I have such severe muscle wasting in my right leg that if I am lying on my back I can no longer raise my right foot.
This means that, although I can take a step forward with my left leg; to bring my right foot forward I have to shift my weight fully onto my left leg and use my left hip to rotate my torso anti-clockwise, swinging my right leg and foot forward.
My right foot lands slightly in front of the left and I begin again.
All of this is accompanied by continual pain, burning sensations, and numbness.
All walking, over any distance takes me much longer than it used to before I became unwell.
Although I might be able to manage to walk a couple of bus-lengths, it would now take me two or three minutes where I would have only taken twenty seconds when I was well.
Balance
My balance is now very poor. My walking looks and feels like I am drunk. Feeling: unreliable, as though I might be caught off guard and fall over. This does happen. I fell over last week. Looking: staggering, I am unable to walk in a straight line.
Variation During the Day
During the first part of the day and during the evening, my walking is even more restricted.
Often, during the first part of the day I have to wait for my brain to connect to my legs.
I often cannot feel my right foot – although I still have the pain.
Most days I simply would not attempt walking outside during the first hour or so that I am up, or during the evening.
Yours faithfully
Anna
Hopefully this letter will do the trick – Feel free to change anything that I have misunderstood or add in any extra details that you think are relevant.
They can award the mobility component just from the information that the letter gives them.
They may ask you to have another assessment with a health-professional. If so, just focus on standing up from sitting, walking outside on the flat and managing kerbs. That’s all they can take account of.
If they don’t award the mobility component they will send you a letter telling you so.
You can then ask them to reconsider this (which rarely works) and then you can appeal to an independent panel called a tribunal (which often works).
If you get stuck dealing with any of this, get back to us and we will do our best to point you in the right direction.
Best wishes
Mike Bolton
Benefits Explainer