Can someone explain PIP to me & why children with learning problems get loads

[Toocleverbyhalf2]

I'm disabled and unable to work any more because of health problems. I receive PIP at £220 a month, which is almost solely spent in my needs: running my car & paying privately to a therapist for my mental health problems ( a years wait on the NHS) and physio for my physical problems. I'm not moaning, I'm grateful I can do these things and it makes my life a bit easier.
However, my niece has two school age daughters & claims PIP for both of them: one has severe asthma & the other has ADHD. She receives nearly £1000 a month and I can't see where that money goes to be honest. They are spoilt rotten with toys, all year round, but apart from that I can't see why she needs the money. Can someone enlighten me?
I'm not judging, just curious

PIP ( and DLA I think it still is for children) is a benefit to help with the additional costs of a disability. So you use yours to run a car and for therapy and your niece can use hers in any way she sees fit to make the lives of her disabled children a little better. Some parents of disabled children might use it for therapy eg speech therapy or any special aids. It might go towards replacement mattresses for an older child who wets the bed or to replace furniture that a child destroys. It is completely up to the parent how it is spent. If your niece chooses to spend it on toys then I guess that is up to her , no-one dictates how it is spent just as no-one dictates how you spend yours.

Or perhaps if her child has asthma which is severe she needs the heating on more or it is difficult for the child to use public transport so she gets taxis . Having 2 children on DLA will mean that if your niece is entitled to tax credits too she will get the disability premium for tax credits which is why she gets such a lot of money.

I get HRC and LRM for my DD who has autism. That is £416 every 4 weeks. Plus an extra £80 per week in tax credits. It goes towards the cost of having a stay at home parent to care for her as no childcare provider would take her. It's a huge drop in lost income and doesn't go anywhere near the cost of caring for her.

Because of ds disabilities I have had to stop working.

Surely as an adult with disabilities it doesn't take much to realise he challenges that families with disabled children face?

Like I said, I'm not judging but I was curious. You've all answered my question. Thankyou

DLA for children is paid in two parts - a care component (how much extra care they need above an average child of their age' and a mobility component. Each component has various rates.

My DS has high functioning autism and appears 'normal' to many people. He has loads of toys . We get the highest rate for care and the lower rate for mobility.

You can't necessarily say who should get what benefit by looking at them...

Like fuck you weren't judging.

Oh but points for an extremely lightning rod type title designed to attract other judging twats disablism!

I know we should all just report these goady fuckers and not bite, but it's tricky sometimes...

I get £300 a month for my ds. I am massively, hugely grateful for it.

I am monumentally luckier than most parents of a child with SN as I am able to work at home. But that £3600 a year is nowhere near the difference between what my salary would be and what I can earn working for myself. That's the true financial cost of raising a disabled child - it's not the therapies and the clubs and the transport, it's the fact I can never get back to earning what I'm worth.

Hth.

Maybe I didn't word it very well, but I'm not judging. I wanted to compare what I spend on my health needs to what is spent on children's needs.
I give up

OP. Maybe yours needs reviewing, it's really not a lot of money 🙁

Parents who have disabled children need more than they get too, it's not enough.

I'll keep my thoughts to myself where it would come from if they made me Prime minister tomorrow. I'm in no mood for a row, but suffice to say it wouldn't be from other beneficiaries.

But every child's needs is different just like every adults so I am not sure what your point is.

Even with you relatives both children will have different needs so the money will be spent in different ways

You can't he pip for children, also your pip depends on your ability to claim other benefits such as tax credits and ESA

I think she's having you on as my profoundly deaf daughter and Aspie daughter don't get anything on DLA as PIP is not allocated to children as I said before. I'm sure she uses it for the same as you, hospital appointment travel, and aids the children might need at home or specific items the children need. You would be surprised by what children with those conditions need.

I'm afraid I would question spending PIP money on private healthcare and maintaining a car , when everyone else has to wait in the list or catch a bus. But that's just me.

I get DLA for my DS.
Not PIP. He will be assessed for that when he is 16 and it might comfort you to know that he probably won't get it. Its very hard for teens with LDS and ASD to get PIP.

Why the hell are you comparing yourself to someone with two disabled children?

Christ it comes to something when someone with actual experience of living with disabilities is begrudging others with disabilities help.
You want to watch it. The sort of people who would agree with you about the loads of money your Niece gets are just the same people who would see you tipped off PIP for being a scrounger.

Take my son's money. You are welcome to it. In return I would like a child who can go out on his own, doesn't wreck my house and doesn't need restraining when things don't go his own way.

Not judging my arse.

Sorry what I meant was that as an adult you can claim ESA which brings the amount overall to a similar amount. I think the OP was miffed that she gets a lower rate as an adult compared to a child, I took it that she felt the amount was less for adults when they needed more assistance than a child.

But you pay for private treatment

I had to wait 2 years for specialist therapy. Despite having loads of money given to me just for having a disabled child I couldn't afford private therapy.

Do you want me to sit here questioning why you get to spend all your money on something like that?

FFS

Namechangeeemergency - I feel your pain, neither of my dds were deemed in need of any DLA. Despite DD2 needing hearing assessments miles away every 3months which cost me £40 in travel alone. DD1 who is an Aspie really needs interventions for her transition to secondary school, she also needs a tutor that the school refuse to pay for , this I have to find the cash for , I end up spending my own PIP money on this.

In case you are genuine,we get just over £500 a month for our son. We spend over £800 a month on therapy the nhs recommends but doesn't provide. Then travel to appointments and parking (without ds I woukd cycle but he needs equipment like a wheelchair). Then an extra £250 a month on after school childcare because he can't go to the after school club, then £2000 a year on equipment like a specialist bike which being a child he grows out of. Then the fact his food requirements are double a child of his age without a disability. The fact his shoes are £110 a pair, his coats wear out because of his wheelchair, he always needs knee high socks which I tend to get over the Internet from abroad... Etc.etc etc.... Last time I counted it cost me about £10,000 on top of his dla per year just because of his disability. I stopped counting. Luckily I can afford it because I am well paid. But many can't.

Oh and train fares to hospital appointments in London, disability swimming lessons ( can't do groups), horseriding which is part of his therapy, specialist chairs to sit at at home, height adjustable desks etc.. Etc... Etc...

My friend claims DLA for her son. It enabled her Dh to become a stay at home dad as they regularly need to collect him from school of it's a bad day.

You are very lucky to be getting pip as it's very hard to get. I know many people who are unable to get pip or esa.

I use mine to home educate my son- he was massively failed in school and if you frequent disability boards you'all know that the quality of education for SEN is sadly lacking. I qualify as he s full-time career. However, for the benefit of this I have the job centre contacting me several times every fucking week even though it clearly states that I am a carer of a disabled child.