Changing from DLA to PIP

If you are 16 or over and claiming Disability Living Allowance (DLA), your benefit will change to Personal Independence Payment (PIP). You will have to be assessed for this, even if you have a lifetime or indefinite award of DLA.

 

Claiming Personal Independence Payment

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help you with some of the extra costs if you have long-term ill-health or disability.

To be eligible to claim you must be 16 years or older but under 65 years of age.  Personal Independence Payment is made up of two components called “The Daily Living Component” and “The Moving Around Component” (often referred to as the “Mobility Component”). Each component can be paid at, either a Standard Rate or an Enhanced Rate, depending on how much help you need. For more details visit www.gov.uk/pip.

The process of making a claim involves, firstly ringing the Department of Work & Pensions who will take basic details. Secondly, you will be sent a form to complete. The form will ask you to describe how you manage a series of daily living tasks as well as how you manage to plan a journey and walk. Thirdly, in most cases, you will be asked to attend an assessment.

 

The Assessment

Once you have filled in and submitted your PIP form, a healthcare professional will assess your claim and may contact a medical professional who knows you for further information. Ordinarily, assessments are conducted face to face but with the Covid 19 situation, assessments are being conducted via telephone or video, such as Zoom or Teams, for the foreseeable future. At the assessment, the Healthcare Professional will assess how you can manage the 10 daily living activities and two regarding mobility mentioned on the form you completed.

They will give you between 0 and 12 points for each one, depending on how you can do it. You need to score at least 8 points on a particular component to get the “standard” rate award, and 12 points to get the higher or “enhanced” rate.

If the assessment reverts back to being held face to face the healthcare professional may come into the waiting room to meet you. They may ask you how you get about and how you travelled to the assessment centre. Do make it clear if you had to be dropped off at the door of the assessment center or the assessor may assume that you are able to walk the distance from the car park. They may carry out a brief physical examination. They will also assess how well you can concentrate, answer questions, and express yourself if these things are affected.

When you are explaining what you can do, be sure to tell them what you need help with, and why. Tell them if you need reminding or encouraging to do things. Explain any aids and adaptations that you use in your home. If it takes you more than twice the time a person without a disability would take to complete an activity, explain why this is. It may help to take someone who knows you well to the consultation; they will not be able to answer for you but may be able to help you to explain your difficulties. A few days after the assessment, ring the DWP and ask them for a copy of the assessment report. This will give you some idea of what the actual decision might be.

The Assessment will then be sent to the DWP, who will make a decision about your eligibility e.g. which component you will be paid, at what rate you will be paid and for how long. If your claim is unsuccessful or reduced, the DWP will write to you to tell you how many points you got and why.

If you disagree with the decision you can ask for it to be “Reconsidered”. You must do this within one calendar month from the date of the decision. Be careful though, because when you ask for reconsideration, the DWP will look at the whole award again and the whole award could be taken away or the rate of that award reduced. If you are in any doubt, take advice by seeking help from an advice agency such as Shine, Citizens Advice Bureau, or a Welfare Rights Advisor.

 

Asking for reconsideration:

• Ask the DWP to send you copies of all the evidence that was used to make the decision.
• Ask them not to take any further action until you have had the chance of responding to that evidence in writing.
• Put your response in writing and send it to the address on the decision letter as soon as possible.
• Keep a copy for yourself. If you have not received the evidence after two weeks, contact them again.
• When you receive the evidence, look at where the difference of opinion is and try to get help to set out in writing exactly which scores you disagree with and why.
• Try to get evidence from a healthcare professional, Therapist or Support Worker who knows your needs well.

 

What happens next?

The DWP will look at any further evidence you submit. They will then either change the decision in your favour or write back to say that they have been unable to change the decision. In this case, all is not lost, as you now have one month from the date of the new decision to lodge an appeal.

If you appeal the decision, the appeal hearing would normally be held face to face in a location close to your home. However, due to Covid 19 face to face Tribunals are suspended and are being carried out via telephone or video for the foreseeable future.

It is always advisable to choose to attend an oral or video hearing, where you will be able to put your case in person. If you choose a paper hearing, you will not be able to attend the hearing, and your case will be decided on the paper evidence already sent in.