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Advice please.

Posted , 4 users are following.

natalie21584
natalie21584

Hi all,

I have messaged on this site and recieved amazing advice each time.

I do have a question which is similar to what i have asked before.

I am 27 and a dwarf standing at 4ft5, I went for an assesment for PIP last november and from that i was accepted for standard pip for daily living. 

I could not understand why only for that because i have always had struggles to walking and standing and sitting in one position for a period of time.

I just left it because i didnt know where to go from that.

Here we are August 2017 and i had a driving assessment with QEF mobility to which for me to be able to drive i have to have an adapted car, i was also told there are no moblilty driving schools within the south of the UK that have adapted cars and i would need to get my own adapted car to have lessons in and to drive.

The adaption itself is £1000, for the adaption to be fitted it is £300 for insurance on a provisonal it is over £800 and i need to buy a car and have a duel brake fitted... 

While i was at the mobility centre the person who was conducting the assessment assumed i am getting higher rate mobility allowance and thought i could get a car from that.

My question is what is best for me? I am so desperate to drive and be like everyone else but to pay nearly £5.000+ i simply cannot afford that or do i risk making a change of circumstances and try again and see if i can get higher rate for mobility? which also risks what i already have. 

I hate the fact that i cannot even learn to drive or even practice in car parks.

Please advise me.

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • sukes
    sukes natalie21584

    Posted

    Hi Natalie,  yes I remember you smile  but unfortunately I cannot remember how long your PIP award is for and whether you applied for a Mandatory Reconsideration at the time.  

    I can understand you wanting to drive and it's so expensive to have a car adapted.  I know Denise always warns people that they could stand to lose everything by going for a change in circumstances and of course you are aware of that yourself, so it is difficult to advise you which way to go.  Did you get any points at all for mobility.  I wish you luck whatever you do decide, I'm sure Denise will be speaking to you soon. x

    • natalie21584
      natalie21584 sukes

      Posted

      Hi Sukes,

      I didnt apply for MR as i didnt know what steps to take and i am sure my pip award is until 2026. 

      I know my past (childhood) has nothing to do with now but i dont understand how i had mobility and living for DLA as a child and now i dont, it isnt like i had grown 2 foot and turned into a different person. 

      I either do nothing and accept fate i basically cannot drive, get a loan which would be in the region of £6k+ and put myself in financial strain or try again for change of circumstances and risk to lose all. 

      I dont know anyone whos in my situation or similar. 

      Thank you for your message Sukes. x 

    • denise15811
      denise15811 natalie21584

      Posted

      Having a mobility DLA award as a child would have no relivence on you having PIP Enhanced mobility now. The criteria is completely different. If your mobility has got considerably worse since your last recent assessment and you have evidence to prove it has then you may stand a small chance. If it hasn't or you don't have evidence then i think you're risking this. It's my opinion only of course only you can decide what you want to do.

    • natalie21584
      natalie21584 denise15811

      Posted

      It is all so fustrating, but like you have stated the risk is too huge to make. I have just over 9 years of my daily living PIP. 
  • denise15811
    denise15811 natalie21584

    Posted

    Hi Natalie,

    Yes i also remember you. I also remember you asked a similar question about putting in a change of circumstances not long ago but you didn't come back to reply to my answer that i gave you.

    How many points did you score last time for the mobility part? I can't remember if you scored any points.

    I also can't remember if you said your mobility has got worse since your last assessment? Or how long your award was for?

    Putting in a change of circumstances so soon after your last award (November) is very risky and you do risk losing everything you already have. A change of circumstances means another PIP2 form being sent. You will not be treated as having a review for a change of circumstances. Many people have done the same as you're thinking now and still haven't got the Enhanced mobility award. Another thing to remember is i know that being able to drive is very important to you and the adaptions to a car for you aren't cheap. Being on Enhanced mobility the adaptions to any car you choose wouldn't be free. You would have to pay for these the same as you would a car if you bought it yourself, so the down payment for any car you chose wouldn't be cheap. I have a mobility car with no adaptions it's just an automatic, even these cars (SUV) because i need the hieght to be able to get in and out easier i had a down payment of £300 to pay.

    Not being able to sit/stand for long periods of time would not help you get the Enhanced mobility. It would be based on how far you could walk regularly, reliably, without pain and discomfort. 20m or less for Enhanced mobility. Also put in change of circumstances you would most likely need another face 2 face assessment, like the first time. Extra evidence would also be needed. It's your choice but if it was me i'd leave well alone and wait till my review was due. Far too many people report changes and end up either having everything taken away or the same award as before. Also to put in change of circumstances because you want to learn to drive and can't do this is something that you need to think seriously about. I'm not even sure about the rules of provisional drivers and the motability scheme, i know that those aged 16 if claiming Enhanced PIP mobility or High rate DLA mobility then they can learn to drive at this early age. As for anything else around a learner driver i do not know. If i find any info regarding this i'll post my finidings later.  Hope this helps.

    • natalie21584
      natalie21584 denise15811

      Posted

      Thank you for your advice Denise,

      My PIP for basic living is for 10 years, 2026. 

      Just feel like im trapped and basically have no route to take. 

      By the sounds of things im going to have to get a loan.

      Thank you for replying to me.

    • denise15811
      denise15811 natalie21584

      Posted

      No problem Natalie,

      Having scored 0 points last time is a high risk to take. I wish it wasn't for you. If you lost what you already have then you'd have nothing. I know it's sad but that criteria for Enhanced mobility is a tough one to be up against. If you have standard for mobility then you may standand a better chance but zero points. Also having the longest award length of time (10 years) 9 years for review means that they don't expect your condition to change for this length of time. I really wish there was an easy answer for you but i'm sorry there isn't. frown

  • AlexandriaGizmo
    AlexandriaGizmo natalie21584

    Posted

    Hi Natalie, I think I also commented on your previous thread but brain fog stops me being sure.

    I have a mobility car which I was granted last year due to walking ability, or should I say lack of.

    I ended up paying out nearly £5000 upfront payments to have one that allowed me to drive it, no matter that I got mobility I still needed to fork out as I had no option.

    I wouldn't know what to advise as you could as others have said its a lot to lose.

    • natalie21584
      natalie21584 AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      Thank you for your response Alexandria,

      Im looking at a cul de sac.

      I didnt expect to go for a driving assessment to be told their are no driving schools for me and i would have to get my own car and adapt it and find an instructor to teach me in my own car.... That is the bit i am struggling with... if i had a driving instrutor catered for me then id be ok. 

  • AlexandriaGizmo
    AlexandriaGizmo natalie21584

    Posted

    Would it not be possible to contact the nearest driving school to you with adapted car so you could either meet up half way or possibly get friend or family to drive you there, my daughter in law is only 4 foot 7 and drives a normal car with a wired seat raiser
    • natalie21584
      natalie21584 AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      There is none local to me, when i went for my assessment on Wednesday the person said the nearest two places are up north. 

      I was thinking could i not just buy the adaptions myself and insert into a normal car that everyone else would use to learn to drive? So when i do a lesson i would be putting in and taking out all the time.. 

    • AlexandriaGizmo
      AlexandriaGizmo natalie21584

      Posted

      I would imagine that could be a possibility, a raised seat cusion , you could buy that off eBay and rubber blocks for excellerator and brake pedal, these can be put on and off.

      Where about in UK are you close too

    • natalie21584
      natalie21584 AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      Thank you for advising me.

      I am in Farnborough, Hampshire.

      I went to Calshalton which is by Croyden (QEF Mobility) for my assessment. 

    • AlexandriaGizmo
      AlexandriaGizmo natalie21584

      Posted

      There could be another option, contact a driving school that does intensive training and get somewhere to stay, with friends or maybe new friends and then you can do everything there and then
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