What Is It?
PIP or Personal Independent Payment is the new DLA or Disability Living Allowance. It will come into being in April 2013 with a select group to test it out (and to prove that yes, obviously this will save the UK millions to get us out of debt but won’t really leave the half a million blind residence better off with their living standards, or covering their basic needs like, paying rent and feeding themselves, providing carers, aids and equipment, all the stuff able bodied people, who are writing these forms, planning interviews to spy the last few fakers and getting things like this through parliament, take for granted. In June 2013 all new and receiving claimants for DLA will be sent a letter inviting them to claim for the new PIP because DLA will be dissolved and payments will stop. In October 2013 a major reassessment will be done for old and new claimants and finally in January 2014 a full assessment as part of a rolling schedule using random selection.
You can read the criteria for PIP as it stands right now, it is a guideline and under further development but I recommend reading it and seeing how you score up, it will let you know what to expect at the face-to-face interviews. DWP are currently inviting people’s feedback if you are disabled, please, please let your voice be heard we have to work with these people so let’s try and make this at least bareable we, not they will be living with the choices made.
How will it work?
PIP is split into ‘daily living’ and ‘mobility’. You need to score 8 points to meet the standard rate and 12 points to meet the enhanced rate. Note that you need to score points for each component and not an overall score and the questions asked are over 11 fields that are based on your activity and mobility and not on what your current health is or what the nature of your disability is, yeah, that really makes logical sense in a disability claim. This new criteria seems to deal mostly with upper body strength and cognitive development, which doesn’t really affect a typical blind or deaf person in day to day living scenario, we may be slow when it comes to dressing, washing, cooking and cleaning, but we usually have a good range of physical mobility, we can move about, we just can’t see or hear where we are moving about too, which is why it’s unlikely that you will score 8 points for the standard rate or 12 points for the enhanced rate for the ‘daily living’ component. However, there is a glimmer of hope for those who use a cane or an assistance dog, you automatically score 8 points for an unfamiliar journey and 15 points for a familiar journey. I think the majority of blind cases will receive nothing from the daily living component but thankfully will receive at least minimum for mobility if not enhanced for mobility. And worryingly I don’t think the deaf community will make the standard rate let alone enhanced rate for either component, unless deafness or blindness is combined with another severe disability, just being blind or deaf on it’s own is minor and not worth it according to the new scheme. In a case study available online it states in black and white that learning braille or being a braillist goes against you in the new claim and questions whether you should try to make yourself as independent as you can because it won’t actually help.
Quick Facts Full list of FAQs
- Only people of working age (16-64) can claim PIP.
- If you have received an indefinite period award of DLA this does not automatically mean you will receive PIP at any rate, standard or enhanced.
- PIP may be more or less than their DLA or not awarded at all.
- Both PIP rates are still as yet undecided.
- If you are of working age and currently receive DLA you will not have to wait the three month qualifying ‘test period’ but will have to fulfil the nine month prospective test period.
- Entitlement will depend on your ability to carry out day to day activities and not on your health condition or what disability you have.
- DLA is not automatically switched to PIP you will be invited to claim by letter.
- Unless terminally ill (expected to die in the next 6-9 months) nothing is automatic or immediate.
- DLA was focussed on disability and how it effected day to day life. PIP is more about cognitive ability and mental health.
- There is no guarantee you will be able to keep your Blue Badge if you have received one whilst on DLA ‘but our intentions are to maintain arrangements where possible’.
Daily Living Componant
- Planning and buying food
- Preparing and cooking food
- Feeding and drinking (taking nutrition)
- Managing medicine and monitoring health conditions
- Managing prescribed treatment other than medication
- Washing (bathing) and grooming
- Toileting and managing incontinence
- Dressing and undressing
- Communicating with others
Mobility Componant
- Planning and following a journey
- Moving around
Rumours V’s Promised Facts.
In and out then forget you?
If you’ve ever been in this position before you know how laughable these face to face interviews have been in the past, with the interviewer’s clearly having no medical background, care, interest or is numerous cases not native English speakers. According to the myth buster sheet right at the end of the PIP FAQs page they have tried to relay our fears by putting in black and white for all to see that they are working with disabled people and their organisations to get feedback and help to develop this new scheme. And accessors and decision makers will be given special training and guidance to carry out their roles and draw on special support where needed. It sounds like for once they are actually trying to help, that or it’s a really elaborate disguise just to grab a few pennies back.
In the past you’ve popped along to an interview and you’re in and out in less than hour and then you don’t hear from them for maybe another three months till you fill out another unrelated generic form or you’re called up for another check up interview, this time they are trying to be on the ball and follow through rather than just whizzing you through and forgetting about you and then calling you up after a year. If you are a successful claimant, you will be followed over a period of a year which is reassuring the they won’t just dump you after the initial interview as long as the promised support is forthcoming and hopefully a bond will be built between the claimant and the decision maker, it would be nice to see the same person over and over, they get to know you and your difficulties and a trust and understanding can be built up. We are as untrusting of you as you are of us, you think we are lazy money grabbers, we think you don’t care or understand and forget us as soon as the office closes. I’m hoping that the new PIP will at least go some way into improving understanding and dealing with us as people and not merely stats.
I’ll lose everything?
ESA and JSA Employment Support Allowance and Job Seakers Allowance are not part of DLA and will not be replaced by PIP they are completely separate benefits and will not be affected. Also like DLA you can receive PIP if you are employed or unemployed.
However, PIP may affect your eligibility for other benefits. PIP is a non-means-tested and non taxable benefit.
65 cut of point?
If you are over 65 then no you’re unlikely to fit the eligibility criteria. However, if you’ve been in receipt of DLA/PIP before you are 65 you will continue to receive it as long as you continue to fit the eligibility criteria.
Part two will be a synopsis of how I feel about the changes from DLA to PIP probably in video form, coming soon.
