Any advice on moving from DLA to PIP for autistic teens

[User3627282646322244]

Any words of wisdom for a DLA to PIP.

my son is 15, 16 next year, autistic - diagnosed at 5. Fairly significant needs, with an ehcp, in mainstream but struggles, I wish I fought more for a Sen school but at the time we were still on the backend of covid. He won’t pass any of his GCSE’s, he might not even sit the exams, he has significant learning delays, anxiety, poor mental health at times and sensory issues amongst other issues, he needs a fair bit of care both at school and at home, despite this he’s really sociable but only with older teens and adults, not his age group.

he was awarded DLA in 2016 and got awarded until he has to change over to pip, so I’ve never had to renew his claim.

I have no idea what to expect from pip. Undoubtedly he’ll be entitled to it! But because we’ve pretty much been left on our since diagnosis, with no support, I don’t have much paperwork to back up any of his needs!

It sounds like DS will need an appointee.

It is worth reading about PIP. The criteria are quite different to DLA. It is especially important to understand the reliability rules. For PIP, a claimant can’t do something unless they can do it reliably. That is safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time frame. So when asked if DS can do something, if he can only do it with XYZ, the answer isn’t ’yes but’ it is ‘no…’

If DS’s EHCP and the evidence included in K is even half good, it should provide good evidence. You can use communication with the school as evidence too.

I would recommend searching for a blank copy of the form online so you can see the layout and what the questions are. Then you can start a document where you can start gathering examples of the difficulties your DS has that are relevant to each question. eg there's a section on 'can they prepare and cook a meal?' It is helpful for the assessment if you can back up what you're saying with examples - this does constitute as evidence.

When you are invited to apply for PIP, you're not given very long to return the form (although you can ask for an extension). Like DLA, the PIP form is pretty hideous: it's long and it's emotionally draining. By having a working document you can keep going back to, helped me to break it down into manageable chunks.

It's definitely worth getting a copy of the PIP2 form to review the questions. The Benefits and Work website is fantastic for user guides to filling out the forms.

Evidence can come from unexpected places, like school teachers and and child care/clubs they do. And any EHCP annual review paperwork should have Ed Psych or SALT reports, or even just progress reports from his SEN support. My DS gets PIP now and it was time consuming but straightforward to apply because he clearly couldn't do the things he was being assessed on like cooking, self care, planning journeys etc.

DD is in her thirties and still on DLA. I think Covid put a stop to the transition in some areas. I know she will have to migrate eventually.

@NightHeron while there are some older working age adults with an existing DLA claim still on DLA, that doesn’t apply to those reaching 16 now. For those not in hospital and/or claiming under the special rules, all will be invited to claim PIP at 16 regardless of the area of England they live in.

Although the process of switching existing claimants still on DLA to PIP resumed in September.