Using your seizure log
for a PIP application

Why evidence matters so much for PIP

PIP is assessed not on your diagnosis, but on how your condition affects your ability to carry out daily activities. This means having epilepsy or another seizure condition does not automatically qualify you — what matters is demonstrating the real-world impact on things like dressing, cooking, travelling, managing medication, and being in public safely.

Many people underestimate their condition when filling in forms, either because they're describing a good day, or because they struggle to recall specific episodes clearly. A seizure log removes that uncertainty. It gives you — and the assessor — a factual, dated record of exactly what happened and when.

What PIP looks at (the relevant activities)

PIP is divided into two components: Daily Living and Mobility. For people with seizure conditions, the most relevant daily living activities are usually:

• Preparing food — can you safely cook? What happens if you have a seizure while using a hob?
• Taking nutrition — are seizures affecting your ability to eat safely?
• Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition — tracking and managing your condition counts here
• Washing and bathing — do you need supervision? Are showers safer than baths?
• Dressing and undressing — can you dress safely without supervision?
• Communicating verbally — are there post-ictal periods where communication is affected?
• Engaging with other people face to face — social impact of unpredictable seizures
• Making budgeting decisions — cognitive impact of seizures or medication

For Mobility, the key question is whether you can plan and follow journeys and move around safely — which is significantly affected for most people with active epilepsy who cannot drive and may be unsafe travelling alone.

How Seizure Tracker helps

The activity categories in Seizure Tracker are directly aligned with PIP's daily living descriptors. Every time you log a seizure, you record what you were doing at the time — cooking, in the bathroom, travelling, with children, sleeping, and so on. Over weeks and months, this creates an objective picture of which activities are regularly affected.

Your report can show, for example:

• That you had 14 seizures in March, 7 of which occurred while cooking or eating
• That 9 seizures happened while you were alone, demonstrating unsupervised risk
• That your average seizure duration is 4 minutes, with notes showing post-ictal confusion lasting much longer
• That seizures happen at all times of day, including at night (logged as "sleeping")

This is far more persuasive than a general statement like "I have seizures several times a month."

Step-by-step: building your PIP evidence

1. Start logging immediately

Don't wait until your assessment is coming up. The stronger your evidence, the further back it goes. Aim to log every seizure, even minor ones. Use the notes field to describe how you felt afterwards — confusion, fatigue, injury, how long before you recovered.

2. Be specific about activities

When logging, tick all the activities that apply. If you were cooking and had a seizure, tick "Cooking." If your child was present, tick "With kids." These specific context notes are exactly what makes your log useful as PIP evidence.

3. Log the aftermath, not just the seizure

Use the notes field to capture the post-ictal period — the time after the seizure where you may be confused, exhausted, unable to speak, or needing supervision. Assessors are interested in the total impact of a seizure, not just the event itself.

4. Generate and review your report

In the History tab, tap Save Report or Print to generate a full PDF. Review it and check it accurately reflects your experience. The report includes a summary of seizure frequency, a full chronological log, and an activity breakdown.

5. Submit it with your PIP form or as supporting evidence

You can include a printed copy of your report with your initial PIP form (PIP2), or submit it before your assessment as additional supporting evidence. If you have a mandatory reconsideration or tribunal, it becomes even more valuable.

6. Get a supporting letter from your GP or neurologist

A clinical letter that references your seizure log ("the patient has provided consistent records showing X seizures per month") carries significant weight. Ask your GP or neurologist to review your report and include reference to it in any supporting letter they provide.

Appealing a decision

If your PIP claim is refused or you're awarded fewer points than you believe you're entitled to, you have the right to request a Mandatory Reconsideration, and then appeal to an independent tribunal. At this stage, a detailed, consistent seizure log is particularly powerful — it demonstrates a documented pattern over time, not just a snapshot.

Organisations like Citizens Advice and Epilepsy Action offer free support with PIP appeals and can help you understand your assessment report and identify where to challenge it.

Tips for describing your condition accurately

• Describe your worst days, not your best. PIP asks about your ability to do activities "reliably, repeatedly, safely and in a timely manner." If you sometimes can't cook safely, that matters — even if other days you can.
• Include the time to recover. If it takes two hours after a seizure to function normally, say so.
• Don't minimise. Many people with epilepsy have become skilled at managing around their condition — but this doesn't mean the condition doesn't significantly affect their life.
• Describe the fear and unpredictability. Living with the constant possibility of a seizure affects behaviour — avoiding cooking alone, not going out unaccompanied, not bathing without someone nearby. That impact is real and relevant.