Future of PIP Debate - 4th September

As we explained in our previous post, there will be a debate in Westminster on 4th September about the future of PIP. 

I posted last week about the importance of writing to your MP and telling them about your benefit application process - because it’s not just about PIP - it’s about the overall awful situation facing Keyworkers with Long Covid in terms of access to any financial support. We need people to write to MPs to encourage them to speak at this debate and it’s a golden opportunity to bring the issues our community face in terms of benefits front and centre.

You can find out more about the debate here:
You can find your MP here:

When you write to them, tell them about your Long Covid journey 
- when you contracted Covid, 
- what you were doing at the time, 
- how Long Covid affects you - very important if you’ve had a battle to get PIP!

Tell them about your benefits journey:
-What do you qualify for (and why) - that’s Universal Credit, Employment Support Allowance, Industrial Illness Disablement Benefit, NHS Illness Allowance.
-What DON’T you qualify for (and why)
-What the process was like and it made you feel - ie if you were turned down for PIP, were you well enough to go to MR, even appeal? How did that make you feel? 

I know this is a big ask, but there’s time to write this and we can post this again to prompt people. Tell all your friends too! You can copy and paste the words in this post to your own social media profiles.

Q&A
Q- I live in Scotland, I’m still on PIP, but the country now has ADP - should I still write to my MP and ask them to attend? 
A- YES. I know plenty of Keyworkers who are still on PIP as it’s not transferred - some are still going through the tribunal process or had to. these stories are just as important.

Q- I didn’t manage to get PIP, but as I’m in Scotland I now have applied for and got ADP - should I still write to my MP? 
A - Yes - Not only is it important to highlight any difference in how cases are handled, your PIP story is as important. It’s likely that your MP’s constituents could also be on PIP. 

Q- I don’t have the energy to write a letter and don’t know where to begin
A- it’s totally understandable. Ask friends to help you and bear in mind you’ve got over a month to do this. You don’t have to write a long essay - even asking for a meeting to discuss this would work. Keyworker Petition UK are going to put together a draft letter shortly to help, but the above structure is basically what it’s going to look like. 

But don’t feel you have to do this; energy is precious, so put yourselves first. But if you can, it will be a powerful statement! 

PS let us know below how you get on!

As before, we are still looking to hear about your IIDB journey, wherever you are in the U.K., ahead of the Scottish Bill, seeking to create a version of the IIAC to make decisions on the future Scottish IIDB qualifying diseases and conditions. As before, please let us know if we can use your story in future campaigning, but you’ve got the right to ask us not to at any point. We of course will use this anonymously.

Thanks everyone! Happy Weekend! #LongCovidStrong #YouClappedUsNowBackUs #ClappedUsThenScrappedUs