My aunt and her daughters PIP/ benefits

[Whatyearisit20]

my cousin has been on dla most of her life, not diagnosed with much but symptomatic of a lot. She does have an autism diagnosis however this is not the main cause of why she was on dla.
she is now moving over to pip and will be able to claim her own UC.
she went to through main stream education and did not require an ehcp of any kind and is a very capable person.
she spend quite a lot of time at our house with my kids because I think she just enjoys the hustle and bustle of it so I know her very well !
i receive Dla for my eldest and aunt rang me to see if I knew any information about how she could be the one to still receive cousins pip ( was dla ) and her universal credit due to her being incapable.
I was slightly taken back by this rightly or wrongly they got my cousin a cash in hand job that she works at Saturday and Sunday perfectly able and take 20 percent of her wages for rent.
she is fairly independent and travels her self, shops her self etc
so I highlighted that I didn’t think this was reasonable and if cousin is entitled to it then she should now receive her money.
I spoke to cousin about what she wanted and she said she wanted it to come to her.
she is very capable I just don’t understand it.
aunt is now annoyed at me and said that daughter was fine with it until I spoke to her and is furious but I just feel like cousin needed to know all
options and is capable of making her own decisions.

Yes ours went up as in many cases neurodiverse kids simply aren't capable of being independent even if there are no physical disabilities.

Personally I think 16 is far too young to expect children with additional needs to manage their own finances.

This is absolutely true. Some will be eligible for DLA but not be eligible under pip criteria. For example, young people with Type 1 Diabetes are usually eligible for DLA as the care component is based on hours of care required. PIP is based on a series of task descriptors so they usually only score one point for needing assistance to manage medication. Even though that is a round the clock job. They can qualify but it’s usually based on anxiety and psychological needs rather than the T1D itself. It’s unfair, but that’s the system.

Equally, PIP assesses 16 year olds as adults, so the expectation in terms of independence is the same as a fully fledged adult. So some autistic young people can score higher on PIP due to needing prompting and supervision with most activities of daily living and being unable to plan and follow journeys without support.

That’s a simplistic example and won’t apply to every applicant. But the criteria are so different.

I agree completely. It should absolutely be 18.

@BrightYellowTrain also knows what they are talking about.

Am the only one wondering why a 15/16 year old still in education is expected to pay board?

No one here can determine if she's entitled to pip. At 16 I was the appointee and had it in my account as my child was still in full time education and I still paid for everything. Once he left we changed it so it goes directly to him and he now pays board. 16 is still quite young but the fact her mum charges board when she's still in (presumably due to her age full time?) education concerns me.

She will do the pip assessment and unless she lies, the money will go directly to her. If she gets any. If she's capable it will come out in the forms and interview so nobody else would be taking the money.

This isn’t accurate. The appointee process is completely separate from the PIP application itself.

PIP is nothing to do with working! It's not means tested and is paid for the added costs of being disabled. It's not an income replacement

See my above comment. You can work and receive pip. Even millionaires can receive pip

@Agix Absolute nonsense. That's only relevant to the care component and even then it's not that clear cut. I get enhanced pip mobility and standard care and I don't have any carers!

I am well aware of that thanks. However I have never sat in on a PIP assessment where the assessor has not asked the claimant if they work and if so what type of work they do which is the point I was making in my post.

Pip is an in work benefit.
But, it may be that the job that she does contradicts the difficulties your aunt put on the forms

@Walkacrossthesand How fucking DARE you make such wild assumptions about a disabled teenager who you've never met and haven't even been told how her disabilities affect her, just what she's been diagnosed with... Wow. The most ableist post I've ever read on Mumsnet and that's quite an accolade

@Miley1967 I've been on PIP since 2013 and DLA prior to that and they've never once asked me if I'm working....?
However they have for my LCWRA assessments

Ok that's fine but I have supported a lot of people through PIP assessments and each time they have been asked if they are working and what job they do. I have also seen it asked at tribunals by the panel. I guess people do have different experiences though. Of course they will always ask you at your LCWRA assessment because that is a work capability assessment.

So your 16 year old cousin is still in full time education, mum receives child benefit etc for her because she is still a dependant, but then charges her rent from the money she makes at her weekend job? I’d also be suspicious. A 16 year old in full time education with a little weekend job should not be paying rent. Give it a bit longer. She’ll probably move in with you permanently and then she’ll have the support she needs to achieve independence as an adult.

It's real, @vegtrug, and it happens. Only the OP can know if that's what she's uneasy about, hence my post.

I want you to read this all before you respond.
Every child should have a roof over their heads and be fed, those are basic needs that parents should be meeting anyway - along with any other needs the child has, they have more than basic needs, even before disability comes into account.
However, like you said, often parents can’t work, which limits household income. And universal credit doesn’t cover basic costs.
in an ideal world you’d have the disability money spare after essential costs but you don’t and that isn’t your fault.