How to answer PIP descriptors for a 16-year-old moving from DLA

When evidence is robust there is less need for anything other than a phone call follow up. Some claimants have piles of very strong evidence and back up from NHS professionals.

The more robust evidence you send the better.

My DC gets pip at high rate for both. I was interviewed to be accepted as appointee and that made everything much easier. It's telling that DC even now aged 25 would not be able to fill in their own form. We did not do the "worst day", we did not exaggerate. We just answered each question honestly. For example in the cooking section I put that DC has recently learned to cook eggs in the microwave and can make noodles, but does not use the hob or oven as they would get distracted and forget what they were cooking, so could not safely use them. I said left to own devices DC tends to eat cereal and noodles, or would take 6 bags of crisps and consider that a meal.

I think when you write honestly it shows.

No you are, listing traits that would qualify for PIP. PIP isn’t given for a diagnosis.Traits vary and the PIP form really doesn’t lend itself to a claim just for ADHD -particularly if medicated.

@Her53ff43 you are talking as if you know this child and ADHD affects everybody the same.

I have ADHD, DH has ADHD, and all 3 of my DDs have ADHD. Each of our profiles are completely different.

DS2 had a F-2-F assessment for PIP and he is registered blind (severely sight impaired) with a formal Certificate of Visual Impairment, and OT reports and the councils habilitation officer reports.
He did get PIP but don’t assume they won’t check what you put on the form.

Would like to add that if ADHD is medicated many of the symptoms listed below are alleviated and support needs lessened.

I have ADHD myself as do all my children. Only one of us gets PIP and it’s because of a host of other conditions in addition to it.

If you’ve been going regularly for issues and have had issues that need treatment he / she will but he won’t if you ask out of the blue having not visited regularly and not needed treatment for anything. Why would you need to go your GP regularly for ADHD? You don’t get PIP for a diagnosis .

EHCPs vary massively, my dd has severe ADHD and there is very little detail in her EHCP re impact.Many people have ADHD and don’t need PIP do you need to be able to prove you need it and have support. You would need evidence re impact on safety ( hospitilsations, treatment etc) he sees nobody. Re staying on task how does that impact the descriptors enough to get the points needed and where is the evidence?

As I said my dd gets PIP and has severe ADHD amongst other disabilities. It’s very difficult as a condition on its own to get PIP for.

Our GP did a letter for us detailing all issues and it was really helpful

This is completely untrue. An EHCP will detail information about the child's ability to concentrate, learn new information, process information, communicate, etc.

Inattention can cause issues with safety and executive function. Impulsivity can influence interaction, budgeting skills, and safety. Hyperactivity can cause issues with staying on task, following steps needed to stay on task, safety, etc. These combined can satisfy the requirements for PIP.

Bar confirming diagnosis GPs wont write letters re difficulties and why would taking adhd medication warrant PIP? It helps make it less severe so less requirement of support. Using a doesette box and reminders on your phone is not going to get you enough points.

I would have thought they have AI checkers like unis have.

I’m sorry but I don’t think this OP is genuine and is yet another attempt at ND benefit bashing.

You can get a GP letter to confirm any diagnosis and if you make an appt to discuss the difficulties your son has they can include that information.

Does he have any prescriptions for adhd medication you can send as well?

The PIP descriptors don’t lend themselves to ADHD so he’s unlikely to get it just for ADHD. It’s also not done on diagnosis but how a disability impacts life and support needs which anonymous people on the internet won’t know so pointless asking.

It’s your son, if you’re asking how to answer the descriptors he probably doesn’t need it particularly so if you have zero evidence.

An EHCP won’t help you as it’s support needed at home not within education. My DD’s EHCP helped because it listed all her conditions( your son only has ADHD apparently)and backed up some of her other disabilities. Her ADHD difficulties wouldn’t have earned her enough points in any of the descriptors and there was nothing in the EHCP to evidence how massively it impacts her life outside of school or the level of support she needs for all her disabilities at home.

I’ve known 3 people to have face to face meetings. So much for your experts.

And what the hell is ‘noone’.

"Don’t base your answers on the worst day and don’t exaggerate. PIP is based on the majority of the time, that is more than 50% of the time."

This ^

You describe a good day. You describe a bad day. Then you say how often a bad day happens. For example "about 4 out of 7 days are bad days"

Its also worth knowing that your son can only "do" a task if he can do it
Reliably
Repeatedly
Safely
Within a reasonable period of time.

Its good to put in a lot of detail about all the difficulties your son might have with a task, even things he "can" do.

The important thing is that when the form asks can he do X then you need to answer as if the question is "can he do X consistently, reliably, safely, without prompting or support, not missing out important steps that someone else has to deal with, as a minor activity that doesn't require significant preparation time or recovery time (ie won't wipe out the rest of the day as the only thing he achieves) and without unhealthy or damaging consequences?"

Too many people answer "Yes" incorrectly by not understanding this.

Or you could be honest.

people wonder why disability claimants get a rough ride? And why the country’s disability bill is now unsustainable….

If he has a diagnosis of ADHD, his symptoms must interfere with day to day life to meet the diagnostic criteria. If he has an EHCP he is likely to have symptoms which interfere with his ability to learn.

PIP isn't based on diagnosis. It's based on function.

No you don't. It's clear that you should describe a typical day. If there are worse and better days, you should describe both, explaining how many days are worse and how many are better in a week. It is not ok to describe every day as your worst day.

@TheOpalFox you need to be clear about the difficulties your DS has, including the times when medication has worn off, etc. The PIP criteria should all be considered against the conditions that an activity must be done safely, repeatedly, reliably, and in a reasonable time frame to be satisfied. If your DS can do an activity but it isn't safe, or he can't do it as many times as is needed, or he doesn't do it to an acceptable standard, or it takes him a long time, you need to explain what happens.
Examples:

• if someone can put a shirt on but they button some buttons in the wrong hole and miss some buttons altogether, and someone has to check their clothing over and fix their mistakes because they don't notice, then they haven't dressed themselves.
• If someone can wash in the morning but it takes them 45 minutes because they have to pace themselves due to pain and exhaustion, they haven't completed the task in a reasonable time frame, so they can't wash independently.
• If someone can technically cook but they don't know when food is fully cooked or frequently spill boiling water on themselves, or cut themselves with the knife due to their disability, then they can't cook safely.
• if someone can walk to the village in the morning, but it means that they can't walk anywhere for the rest of the day, and they have to rest all day, then they can't walk that distance.

The decision maker looks at the descriptors and decides which apply. You just describe what it looks like when your DC does the activity and what difficulties they have.

This is why people are losing sympathy with the huge numbers who are abusing the system. Benefits have become a system to beat by playing the game.

Why doesn’t your son need more money than any other teenager? That should be the only question.

This is fraud and theft. The government can use this post as evidence for prosecution.

Answering questions based on the worst day is fraud. It can end up with prosecution and a need to repay the money.

AI is your friend here. I fill in pip forms for people and use chat gpt all the time. Type your example in your own words then ask it to match it to the descriptor or help you word it properly.
you can request an online form - its much easier than hand writing it all.

You might get kinder and more helpful replies on the sen boards