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That's a wise answer!       

Yes, @Nick , you do need to fully understand the questions AND the correct way to answer said questions. Preparation is so key.   I don't get dragged into actual political discussions - too divisive! They're all as bad as one another!  

Thanks for that John, What gets me is the legal aspect of all this.  The law is not clear, so how can you honestly decide just how you answer the question. It's all very well to simply tick the box, yet that fails to address the problem............I know, I know..I should not be concerned about all this, but it does annoy me! What I would say is that the physical"Interview" by theDWP (apparently not a medical) is a complete waste of time and money. What does matter is understanding how to answer all those questions correctly and understanding what those questions actually refer to.  The reason it annoys me so much is that for many people the complexity of this means that the outcomes are simply in favour of the governments reduction in health care.  Yet for all that they are apparently spending more money on these outsourced schemes than they would if they simply scrapped the whole thing. A legacy I believe of right wing politics and a chap called IDS. 

@Nick , I'm sure BoJo appreciates your sacrifice, for the good of the country. So, your reduced award was for two years? Did they really expect you to be cured in this timeframe?

I'm still waiting for my invitation to apply for PIP. However, you should indicate that you can't walk 20 metres. Why give them the opportunity to mark you down? They don't need more encouragement.   Well done for being prepared. Take no prisoners this time.........   

Just a note to say we had an unexpected donation from one of Pete's Oldham AFC pals, onVirgin Money Giving and Gift Aid applied. Provided that is ratified by MS Trust, the Fund has swollen by another £25. Every pence matters - thank you!    

You may recall that my PIP application process back in 1018 was successful, although I had to concede my original 'higher rate' mobility for the lower rate.(I could have appealed but decided not to)  So here we are approaching 2020 and once again I must start thinking about PIP. The claim runs out this coming august and there is already a need to start planning for it!! What a pain!   Generally speaking I see my neurologist once a year and I saw him a couple of weeks ago. This was an opportunity for me to discuss PIP.  I don't really feel that any neurologist should be spending their valuable time on bureaucracy , however  he was only too glad to discuss this forthcoming claim and told me that I should be able to claim the higher rate of mobility.  He has provided me with a covering letter, describing my diagnosis and limited mobility.   It's apparent the DWP rarely, if ever contact specialists directly from the details on the completed application, rather depending on what documentation the applicant includes.  Even then I wonder if any of that gets read!  The dilemma now facing me is exactly how I fill in that form. I shall be doing these with the support of the Benefits&Work website, to which I subscribe, thereby having access to the full range of advice.  When it comes to the mobility section I have a choice of 'how far can you walk'  That is where it gets complicated ! Certainly I can walk more than 20 Mts, but can I do that repeatedly? can I do that on a bad day? can I do that when my MS hits me, or is affected by a UTI, or those other outside influences? Then the answer is no, so do I tick the box that says "It varies"  These are the finer points of how hard it is to get across anything meaningful on a form whose decisions are made, not by a person, but by an algorithm in a computer.  As time ticks along I will keep you all informed on how things progress.   Nick