PIP for ADHD

[marshmallowmix]

Been in the news this morning as labour looking to slash benefits bills the cost is enormous and growing.

One of the main points discussed was getting PIP for ADHD I did not think this was possible …🤔.

We are taxed more than ever so cuts will abve to be made but surely this is madness giving out PIP for ADHD …there are genuine claims but… they said there are a 1000 new people per day now claiming PIP…so those on the make are going to spoil or for genuine a claims but something is very wrong 😦with the benefits system.

The numbers we are spending on benefits are incredible …let’s see what they slash but cuts are coming under Labour as it’s got out of hand.

For what purpose? How would Attendance Allowance for ADHD help someone who doesn’t work and whose family is grown up and has flown the best? Do you even understand how ADHD affect people?

OP what do you know about ADHD? I know absolutely nothing and as such would have no idea how some could qualify for PIP. As such, I wouldn’t post about it. So come on then, tell us the answer and explain how it outrages you.

I am the mum of a
disabled teenager who is trying to get a part time job. No one, and I mean NO ONE will give her a chance. Not even for volunteering. Until we force employers to be more inclusive even for entry level part time jobs people will always be disadvantaged. They will never gain experience or have the opportunity to learn and prove themselves. I feel very strongly that this would help reduce the benefits bill.

Sorry this is shocking

You’ve been looking in the wrong places (or not looking at all)

chadd.org/adhd-weekly/adhd-diagnosis-after-retirement/

Aah did you get one of those golden tickets for your kids?

You don’t get benefits for a specific diagnosis, you get them for the extra help you need, extra costs incurred or in the case of children the extra amount of parenting, supervision etc over a typical child of their age. ADHD is a spectrum disorder but at its extreme a person may need 24/7 supervision and anyway it’s often has comorbidities.

there are people who receive money by playing up the system, it would be wrong to imply otherwise but it isn’t about a single condition, often those who claim disability benefits who are let’s just say marginal on eligibility are in a circle of worklessness, sometimes it’s even multigenerational, it’s pretty complex and rather than focussing on pip we need to be looking at the practical support people need to go into the workforce with confidence and be able to over time earn more than the minimum wage so they can see the benefits of working

Yep - I know this comes up several times on every one of these threads, but I'll go for it.
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/zero-percent-fraud-rate-for-pip,-dwp-figures-show

Really?! Are you sure you aren't just underestimating the amount of difficulty that ADHD might cause someone?

I have applied for PIP twice. I went to tribunal and was turned down the first time and I reapplied in December 2024 and am now waiting for either an appointment for a health assessment (likely) or a decision based on my paperwork (unlikely).

They need to give PIP to more people. But they could easily save money by eliminating their massive infrastructure and allowing GPs to decide. The costs of administering PIP must be absolutely massive- they employ an army of healthcare professionals to do assessments, and an army of back office people and computer systems to scan and distribute all the paperwork that the claimants send in (I probably sent them around 80 sides of A4 and I don't suppose that is unusual). Then there is the office space for all these activities and the premises for conducting assessments. It's this massive expensive system designed to say no to the sick and disabled.

DC2 has ADHD and it is incredibly disabling.

Who are they taxing to the hilt? Cos it ain’t the likes of Amazon and the banks, is it?

I have an ADHD and the questionnaire is clearly meant for people with dementia rather than people who are just disorganised.
it would be nice to have someone reminding me of these things but to expect that a taxpayer should foot the bill for that person not working is shocking.
you are part of the problem if you helped your friend to claim PIP for that, and people like your friend is the reason it will be reformed. I hope. As a taxpayer.

They could save a lot of money, if they bothered to concern themselves with the way that the PIP Process is administered, in the first place.

My oldest has adhd and autism. He doesn’t just struggle to focus, he forgets what he’s doing when he’s crossing the road! Stopped to chat with a neighbour utterly unaware that traffic was queueing up! If he cooks he might leave the gas ring on. I can’t even begin to explain how debilitating adhd can be.

He gets full pip for mobility and care needs.

I also have significant adhd and although I am something of an underachiever in academics and work, I do manage “life”. Not brilliantly but I cope. I get no pip - I haven’t applied as I don’t think I’d qualify.

ADHD affects people in different ways and varies massively in its severity. It also comes with other co-morbidities which may be less discussed.

One has to wonder why that is. The system is corrupt.

If you were affected by a condition that meant you could qualify for PIP then you'd understand. People with ADHD come in all
Shapes and sizes, abilities and inabilities. Ableist people can't help but roll their eyes when they literally have no idea!

Ah ok so we should just let half the population to sit on PIP then

I don't think you have the first clue how dibilitating ADHD can be for people. In any case, as others have said it's not on the diagnosis but the needs of the individual.

I hate these benefits bashing threads.

A benefit bashing thread, how original.

Just an ADHD diagnosis cannot get you PIP, it’s based on how you are affected daily not your diagnosis.

ADHD can be quite disabling for someone people for others not so much just like many disabilities.

If you were really shocked and appalled that people with ADHD were getting disability benefits, why come to Mumsnet to complain instead of educating yourself to why that may be?

(and Yes we all know people scam the system, many don’t but this thread doesn’t seem to be about scamming the system. It seems to suggest OP doesn’t think certain conditions need help).

PIP is not an out if work benefit - so whether someone works or not has any bearing what so ever on whether they qualify to claim PIP or not.

Do some research. PIP is not an employment benefit. It helps disabled people live independently, which includes help staying in employment AND PAYING TAXES.

Many, many people who work, may claim PIP as well. For some people it is being able to claim PIP, that actually helps to enable them to work.

I have a friend with ADHD who gets PIP. He is severely impacted by his diagnosis, he can’t hold down a job, he can’t drive, forever missing his stop or getting on the wrong bus when he uses public transport, forgets to eat and is significantly underweight, has addiction issues, misses medical appointments, forgets to take his medication, can’t manage housework at all so his house is a state, struggles to manage his money, honestly his life is chaotic and he really does struggle to manage adult life and does rely heavily on others to support him.

I also have ADHD (and autism) but I wouldn’t qualify for PIP because it doesn’t impact my daily living to the extent it does his, I have struggles but they are very different and I am able to be fully independent and hold down a job with some minor accommodations made by my workplace.

Not everybody with ADHD would qualify for PIP, diagnosis alone isn’t enough, but some people do because it can have a genuine impact on the ability to manage daily living tasks.

I spent a short period of time in between jobs doing some PIP assessments. It was interesting.

Some people whose needs were so obvious I don't know why they didn't just get a paper based assessment and award. Some people who really over estimated what they could do "oh yes, I can bathe" then you dig a bit and find it takes them an hour to manage to get undressed and they're crawling in using a chair to help. Some people who maybe did meet criteria but had no evidence - either the can't move because of pain but never seen a specialist and take paracetamol twice a day, no prescribed pain meds or can't leave the house or vomit with fear at the idea of public transport but only on a low dose first line antidepressant and never tried therapy or been referred to anyone. Some people whose forms were blatant lies, often got bunches written by the same "advisor" all with the same conditions which made no sense with meds, same wording and not a shred of evidence between them.

ADHD came up a couple of times, mostly people who had aged out of DLA. The PIP criteria is not the same as DLA and I know some were annoyed by it but they could do the things "he can't read because he can't concentrate" - you need to be able to read a couple of sentences not a novel and they could do that - but I got the frustration because it felt like something was being taken away. Other people their ADHD was impacting enough to meet the criteria and I imagine they were awarded.

People are having to be defensive when the ignorant are permanently on the attack.

Why don't you actually go and speak to disabled people in real life rather than frothing over slanted media reports.