Parents of disabled teenagers claiming PIP.

[DeloresJaneUmbridge]

I’ll put this in SN as well but just wanted to post something positive which might reassure other parents of teens approaching 16 who get DLA currently.

My son was 16 in December and I was told at that point to claim PIP for him.

Someone from the DWP came out to see us and signed me up as DS’s appointee as he isn’t able to manage money yet.

I put the claim in at the end of February with all the evidence etc.

Heard yesterday that he’s been awarded enhanced rate care and mobility until 2024.,

Am still in a state of shock as I was expecting him to be called for a Face to Face assessment but they seem to have decided that isn’t needed. To be fair they did have copies of all his speech therapy assessments and occupational therapy input plus some stuff from his school .

So it was quick
It was relatively painless apart from the form which as we all know is hellish.

An this is good news.
Glad you both avoided the ftf and related outcome.

I had no problems with my oldest son. In the process with my second and no decision yet but we don’t have to do a face to face assessment. It’s been easy for us so far. Universal credit when they leave school though is another story. It’s making me ill tbh.

Until 2012 your children would have been entitled to contributions based ESA under the youth rules, meaning they didn't have to go through all the conditionality with UC, and also that their award was not means tested. Scrapping that was a travesty, but people didn't care because it didn't affect them.

They don't call you if they come out to you first. Our award was for 5 years, due for reassessment later this year

Yeah. My tax credits were stopped immediately in December when I claimed UC for him. I’m still only getting £250 a month. I should be getting another £550 a month. I’m paying out all his expenses and really starting to struggle. I could cry about it. So stressful.

I have a SN child she is only 10. So sad that the goverment is making it hard for us familes who have a hard time as it is with a disabled child,i hope all of you get the money you are ment to get.x

We’ve never had higher rate DLA for DS. It seems now he is still struggling at 16 that they consider him more disabled.

I did say that I couldn’t predict how he would progress over the next few years.

So a five year award feels a good amount of time for us to see what happens. He’s still got a lot of development to go through.

My hope is that with time he will be independent
At that point he might not even need PIP but at the moment we don’t know.

Definitely trading my battered old car in though and joining the Motability scheme.