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

[TheOpalFox]

I have a disability and my son has adhd. He’s 16 and moving from dla to pip. I have heard it’s hard for people to get pip from Dla. ? How would u answer the descriptors plz. ? Thanks

You need to answer honestly and have professionals who can back up your statements. They are not interested in labels, in diagnosis, they are interested in the difficulties he has compared to a person of his age and experience. Eg is he physically capable of preparing food and managing the routine of eating rather than is he a good cook, because most 16 year olds are not. Does he need help with self care, or does he need reminding to do every day tasks a typical 16 year old manages themselves.

there is no lower rate but standard and enhanced are similar

I get PIP. I was successful when I transferred from DLA to PIP right at the beginning of it all. I have always been honest, as you should be. I had a face to face assessment, and they’re starting to do a hell of a lot of more. The assessors can see straight through the bullshit when people exaggerate, then we get the moaning of “it’s not fair, they’re so mean…”

You absolutely do need to send in medical evidence to back up your claim too, for my review I sent in 499 pages, otherwise you might as well not bother.

It is not typical for someone with ADHD to qualify for PIP. If his circumstances are very severe and they actually interfere with him functioning day-to-day, you need to make that really clear

I understand you are also disabled, but your disability is not relevant to his claim

There’s this general up-to-date guide https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip

And they’re doing a new survey (with comments) https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/have-you-helped-your-child-move-from-dla-to-pip?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Benefits+and+Work&utm_content=V2+6+May+2026+Newsletter

We don’t have any medical evidence we don’t see anyone ?

Do you not have anything from school or your GP?

I assume op means her disability is making it hard to fill out the form.

Its quite different than the DLA form. Is there somone that could help you?

You get an opportunity on the form to explain the challenges your child has doing a set of tasks (they are around care, comms and mobility) and any support they have to do them and what would happen if that support wasnt in place. Then you add evidence of what you said.

Yes my son has an ehcp

You can use DS’s EHCP and the evidence in section K.

Thankyou we have that

So the charity Contact (for disabled children) have a great helpline and guide on how to complete PIP on their website....

Answer each question as it would be on his worst day. Be detailed, be specific. Send as much evidence as you can, the more evidence you have the better.

Don’t listen to the haters. They don’t understand what they’re talking about.

Can I suggest you look up Charlie Anderson’s videos on YouTube? They were beyond helpful when my dd was moving from DLA to PIP.

You have to understand where you fit into the criteria and nobody tells you.

Youd have been better off posting in the disability section @TheOpalFox.

These threads are full of people who are jealous of the help disabled people get when they themselves were happy to accept furlough payments in their times of need 🙄.

You don’t tell them your worst day is the norm.. you just be honest and tell them that it is a worst day and how often they occur. There are times during waking hours that I look perfectly normal, about 1/3 of my day. Another 1/3 is a struggle and the final 1/3 I am at my worst. This is what I told the PIP assessor. If I’d told them that I was always like it that would be totally wrong and they could quite literally say I had lied.

is he medicated? If so, show proof. Has he seen the GP for a review? Include that.

Can he travel alone, follow a route, will he be capable of learning to drive?

Does he need reminding to shower, to take meds, to brush teeth?

Can he order an Uber, catch a train, read a timetable, go to classes, meet friends etc

Hi all, when transferring from dla to pip, do you get a back payment if the amount your awarded from pip is higher then the amount you already receive from dla.
TIA 😊

Is your son in education? Put his name into the search on your email to get evidence. When the school ring me to pick my son up because he has fallen asleep in class I ask them to send me an email so I have it in writing as evidence that he doesn't sleep well.

Wow the media and right wing have really succeeded in demonising disability benefits huh

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.