Is it worth applying for PIP?

[elliejjtiny]

Ds1 is 15 and has asd. Was awarded lower rate care dla when he was 9 and its due to run out in 2023. Although he will turn 16 next year so dla will stop then anyway.

He gets no support for anything apart from the £20ish a week dla and the £50ish a week disability element on our tax credits. School have said he doesn't need support there. I'm assuming this is because he doesn't have meltdowns at school as ds2 who also has asd didn't get any support either until he had a meltdown at school and then suddenly he was eligible for support. He was getting support from the children's autism team but that stopped when he turned 14 as that is the upper age limit. We get a termly newsletter from the children's inclusion team about various days out/activities they are doing and he will do the occasional thing with them in the school holidays, mostly watersports. I always stay with him, mostly because ds2 will go too and he has higher needs including a previous suicide attempt.

The best way I can describe ds1 is that he is like an expat here from planet asd. He speaks the language fluently but it doesn't come naturally. When I see him at school or in social situations he constantly has his face kind of screwed up as it he is concentrating very hard to fit into the nt world. When he is at home or with other people who have asd he is relaxed, very smiley, has a spring in his step etc. He also stims which he won't do in public.

The main thing I'm worried about PIP is that he would have to be involved in the application and the assessment. I have always been positive to him about his autism and the idea of involving him in a form similar to the dla one where I will have to write down how different he is compared to others fills me with dread. Also him being interviewed by someone who's job is to dismiss his needs will be awful for him. I have been through a dla tribunal for ds2 when he was 10 and it was awful. The only comfort was that ds2 didn't have to witness it and see them dismiss all his needs like that.

On the other hand we can't afford to lose £70ish a week and as ds1 is getting older he needs us more, not less so me going back to work or dh increasing his hours isn't really an option.

You apply to be his appointee and fill the form in yourself. With the huge backlog due to Covid there is a good chance the decision will be paper based anyway.
Fill in this honestly and it will give you an idea if he will qualify or not. Even if you think he won’t dla continues until four weeks after a pip decision is made if you apply , and the process will likely take 6 plus months.
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-self-test

Thankyou. According to that form he should be entitled to enhanced rate care and standard rate mobility. He is very able academically, predicted 7's plus at GCSE next year and passed grade 5 piano, but is hopeless at practical things like having his phone switched on and remembering that he has piano on Tuesday so has to walk straight there from school (about 10 minutes walk). I've lost count of the times we have had to drive slowly around the town looking for him or that the lovely receptionist at his old primary school has phoned us to say he has randomly turned up there and can we pick him up. He is meant to be going to college next year but how he will do that without any additional support I don't know.

I don't want to piss on your chips OP but it's incredibly hard to get PIP for an autistic adult. You have to require significant support. The assessors are sneaky fuckers and will do their very best to ensure they can show he doesn't need it. DH has a physical disability and even that only gets him the standard rate. He can't cook or lift, we had to have a shower put in and our bath removed and they still assessed him as able to do things based on him being able to get in the fucking car.

I'm not saying you won't be able to get it but you need to be realistic with your expectations and prepare for a fight all the way to tribunal. I would recommend welfare rights at your local council to help with form filling etc. They are very good and will go as far as tribunal for you if needed.

My own DS lost his DLA when he went to high school because in review the fact that he was able to change classroom demonstrated he didn't need help. Never mind the fact he could t do anything f alone or independently at that stage; they are absolute arseholes. We didn't bother with the PIP fight, it was hard enough getting DH the standard rate.

My ed has crps in her heels amongst other places, so can't walk without pain, and only take a few steps in the home. Outside she uses a wheelchair. She doesn't qualify for the mobility element of PIP and only gets the basic rate of daily living. She is about to have another assessment, just sent of the forms, so we shall see if that changes.
My yd and ra/JIA and gets the basic mobility rate and daily living elements. She was however denied any of it until I disputed it.
PIP is stressful to do, from the firm filling to the assessment to to determination.
But in answer to your question, yes it is worth it. It helps my dds buy additional medications and aids to help them. Yd is currently saving most of hers for an ultra lightweight wheelchair.

I had a hard time getting PIP for my DS who has autism, learning difficulties, is registered partially sighted and attends a special school (going to SN college in Sept).

Worth applying but it's very strict criteria.

Ds is 17 and autistic and has just recently been awarded enhanced daily living and enhanced mobility. We did not claim DLA for him.

He currently attends mainstream sixth form but the plan is that he will hopefully be moving to a specialist college.

Our experience of applying for and Ds being granted PIP has been much straightforward than trying to sort the healthcare and education support he needs, which is incredibly difficult.

I filled in the form and his CAMHS worker added some extra information to it. I also sent in all the relevant paperwork we had. Ds only got his diagnosis in 2019, and an EHCP at the end of last year. So I had a fair bit of up to date information.

It took 8 months from start to finish. But Ds had no involvement in the process at all. The assessor contacted the CAMHs worker for extra information, which meant that they did not need to make any contact with Ds or us. A few weeks later we received a letter to say that he had been granted enhanced rate for both.

Don't be put off. I never applied for DLA as I didn't think that Ds would be eligible. So we were surprised that he was entitled to PIP, especially as he didn't have to have an assessment, which he would have massively struggled with.

He won't need to be involved in the application, you can do it for him and be his appointee. In my opinion though PIP is a lot harder to get and DLA a lot easier to get, just going on experience, so i would suggest you have good medical evidence to back up the issues that he has.

PIP is very difficult to get and the criteria is different from DLA. You need to look at the descriptors and be clear which one he meets. It’s not about the amount of care needed or whether it’s day and night etc like DLA.

You WILL be turned down and you WILL have to take it to tribunal. At which point there is a chance of being successful.

I work in this field and would always encourage anyone to apply for and appeal for their statutory entitlement to benefits. But it’s important to be realistic about the process.
You will need to go to tribunal and you will lose money while you wait for tribunal, so you need to be prepared emotionally and financially for that.

much to my surprise my son was recently awarded PIP. He had middle rate care and low rate mobility DLA from the age of 5.

We have no involvement with professional or support services at all. He lost his EHCP last year because all his targets had been met. I didnt appeal because he was going to college and I didnt know what support he would need.

I used all the reports I had when he was 12 when his DLA was last reviewed and highlighted what was still relevant - which was rather more than I thought !

He took no part in the process, I was interviewed as his appointee but I told them he would not be participating.

He got standard rate care and no mobility which I think was fair.

I found the questions on the form didnt really address the needs of young people like him, who after all are still children. So nil points for the bit about managing your household bills !
I did however make full use of the additional information section.
Its always worth applying.

@WhenZoomWasJustAnIceLolly you can’t make wild statements that the op will need to go to a tribunal. That’s simply not true , she may but the dla to pip success rate at 16 is high.

@Ted27 So nil points for the bit about managing your household bills ! it’s budgeting decisions not household bills. So my dc got 2 points for being unable to make complex budgeting choices ie if I gave them all their dla/pip they would spend it all on treats for others. I gave examples of when my dc was financially exploited and explained they have no real concept of the value of money.

@WhenZoomWasJustAnIceLolly. OP won't necessarily be turned down. We weren't. It did take a long time, that was possibly Covid related though. I'm very thankful that in the numerous battles we have trying to get Ds what he needs, PIP was definitely not the most difficult.

MyDcAreMarvel it isn’t really. Over 50% of DLA to PIP claimants receive no award at first application.
However around 70% of these are successful at tribunal.

OP’s ds is only receiving low rate care. I can only say anecdotally that in the hundreds of cases I have dealt with I have never seen anyone move from low rate care to a pip award.

My own dc was receiving high rate care low mobility and we ended up at tribunal for pip. And I work in the field and know exactly how to fill in the forms.

It’s not a dead cert that op will need to go to tribunal, you’re right, but it’s highly unlikely not to happen in my opinion and it’s important to be prepared for that. A lot of people accept the first no or the no at mandatory reconsideration because they don’t see tribunal as part of the process. The DWP act illegally left, right and centre and it’s more common to go to tribunal than not in order to get the right award.

Punxsutawney that’s great. It does sound though that the OP’s ds doesn’t have EHCP in place and is only on low rate care component of DLA so highly unlikely to be awarded.

Perhaps I am overly pessimistic as I only see the cases who battle for their claim to be recognised which might have swayed my view. However, I do see the DWP try everything not to award and to ignore medical evidence

@MyDcAreMarvel

as did I. the point I was making is that several of the questions have a very adult focus to them, so you do have to turn it around to make is fit a young person, which can make it harder

As my son got an award I am assuming I did OK

Weve just been awarded pip today funnily enough for my 16 year Old asd. I had to apply in January as that was when his 16th birthday was and we JUST got the decision through today. They delved into everything speaking to his school, paediatrician etc, you have to prove that he needs waaaaay more help than an average child of that age. My son cannot go anywhere on his own as he has no road sense, he is at a special needs school (going to a special needs sixth form next month) he has an EHCP plan to ensure his needs are met and has been on DLA since he was 6 and it was STILL a fight to get it but we've got it, so much so that he now gets full rate care and full rate mobility, whereas on dla he got medium rate mobility. It was so hard to get so if they believe he can manage in any way shape or form you will have a battle on your hands.

[quote MyDcAreMarvel]**@Ted27* So nil points for the bit about managing your household bills !* it’s budgeting decisions not household bills. So my dc got 2 points for being unable to make complex budgeting choices ie if I gave them all their dla/pip they would spend it all on treats for others. I gave examples of when my dc was financially exploited and explained they have no real concept of the value of money.[/quote]
Some 16 year old ( without special needs ) would spend all their money in one go though? My Ds at 18 burnt through 5k in a couple of months left to him by his grandparents and he has no special needs.

@WhenZoomWasJustAnIceLolly

Punxsutawney that’s great. It does sound though that the OP’s ds doesn’t have EHCP in place and is only on low rate care component of DLA so highly unlikely to be awarded.

Perhaps I am overly pessimistic as I only see the cases who battle for their claim to be recognised which might have swayed my view. However, I do see the DWP try everything not to award and to ignore medical evidence

I agree . Surely it's a lot easier to go from DLA to PIP even though the criteria are different, to applying for PIP for the first time.

I think at the moment it's a lot easier to get an award though. They have huge backlogs and aren't doing many face to face assessments. I've had loads of clients awarded it on telephone assessments only. I think it's mainly about the medical evidence you supply. Even ones that have gone to tribunal, the DWP are trying to make deals with people, making them offers before they get to a tribunal date. Even people I thought may struggle to get an award seem to be getting awarded.

@Babyroobs

I think at the moment it's a lot easier to get an award though. They have huge backlogs and aren't doing many face to face assessments. I've had loads of clients awarded it on telephone assessments only. I think it's mainly about the medical evidence you supply. Even ones that have gone to tribunal, the DWP are trying to make deals with people, making them offers before they get to a tribunal date. Even people I thought may struggle to get an award seem to be getting awarded.

The assessor noted DH didn't sound like he was in pain and that he didn't move seated position during his phone assessment

It certainly wasn't easier then previous experience of a face to face.

Sorry that was your experience budgun. It just seems to me like a lot of people are getting awarded at the moment. Our team normally has a lot of appeal cases on the go but very few at the moment.

@Babyroobs

Sorry that was your experience budgun. It just seems to me like a lot of people are getting awarded at the moment. Our team normally has a lot of appeal cases on the go but very few at the moment.

DH did get standard rate, which is what he had before, but his disability has considerably changed and I was hopeful for a change in the award to reflect that. Apparently because we were pro active with the bathroom rather than having it assessed by an OT it doesn't count as being needed to them. Just a choice we made!

@Babyroobs there is a difference between an adult teen wasting money due to immaturity than a teen unable to understand the concept of money. Your ds would know £5k is a shedload of money, for my dc it may as well be £50.

@Babyroobs posted too soon. It’s like if your ds spent the £5k the whole £5k on gaming equipment and designer clothing for his mate, because he thought that was the same as him paying for his McDonald’s the week earlier.

[quote MyDcAreMarvel]@Babyroobs there is a difference between an adult teen wasting money due to immaturity than a teen unable to understand the concept of money. Your ds would know £5k is a shedload of money, for my dc it may as well be £50.[/quote]
Yes point taken.