An introduction to Personal
Independence Payment
for support organisations and advisers
December 2012
1
A new benefit for disabled people is being introduced
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will replace DLA for eligible
claimants aged 16 to 64 from 8 April 2013
– This includes all new claims and existing DLA claimants aged 16 to 64 on
the day PIP is introduced
• It is part of a wider reform of the welfare system
• It remains non means tested and non taxable, and is payable both in and
out of work
• It will include an assessment of individual needs and introduces more
consistent use of supporting evidence
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PIP is designed to help with additional costs
 PIP is to help towards some of the extra costs arising from ill health or
disability
 It is based on how a claimant’s condition affects them not on what condition
they have
 There is a three month qualifying period (the time a condition or ill health has
existed before a claim is made) and a nine month prospective test (the
amount of time a condition or ill health is expected to last when a claim is
made)
 Awards will be reviewed to make sure the assessment continues to reflect
the claimant’s needs
 Reviews will be at appropriate intervals depending on how likely it is for their
condition or impairment to change
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PIP is for working age people
• PIP is for people aged from 16 to 64 on or after 8 April 2013
– This includes existing DLA claimants who have an indefinite or ‘lifetime’
award
• Children (up to 16 years of age) will carry on getting DLA
– DWP will contact the parent or guardian of a child before their 16th
birthday to let them know they should consider claiming PIP
• People aged 65 or over on 8 April 2013 will continue to get DLA as long as
they remain eligible
• People receiving Attendance Allowance will not be affected by the
introduction of PIP
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PIP will be introduced from April 2013
February
April
June
October
2013
2013
2013
2013
New claims to PIP start for
people living in Cheshire,
Cumbria, Merseyside, North
East England and North
West England. When a DLA
claim is received from this
area, it will be treated as a
claim to PIP instead.
New claims to PIP will start
for the remaining parts of the
UK. There will be no new
claims to DLA for people
aged 16 to 64.
From October 2013, DWP
will start to reassess existing
DLA claimants.
DWP will start reassessment
to PIP of fixed period DLA
awards coming up for
renewal, young people
turning 16 or where DLA
claimants with indefinite
awards report a change in
their condition.
DWP will send general
information about PIP to all
existing DLA claimants in
their DLA uprating letters.
DLA claimants don’t need
to take any action as a
result of this letter.
DLA new claims continue in
all other parts of the
country and for existing
DLA claimants.
October
2015
DWP will begin selecting
existing DLA claimants and
tell them what they need to
do to claim PIP. We will
prioritise DLA claimants who
have turned 65 after 8 April
2013, when PIP was first
introduced.
5
PIP has two components with two different rates
Personal Independence Payment is made up of a:
• Daily living component
• Mobility component
Awards will be made up of one or both of these components
Each component will have two rates:
• Standard
• Enhanced
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The assessment criteria are designed to be objective
The criteria DWP will use to assess people against to PIP will:
• Assess disabled people as individuals
• Focus on the impact that their health condition or impairment has on their
daily lives
• Consider the individual’s ability to carry out key everyday activities
• Take account of physical, sensory, mental, intellectual and cognitive
impairments and developmental needs
• Reflect variable and fluctuating conditions
They take into account whether activities can be carried out:
•
Reliably
•
Repeatedly
•
Safely, and
•
In a timely manner
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The proposed entitlement threshold is the level of
points needed to make an award of PIP
Daily living component (activities 1-10)
Standard rate = 8 points
Enhanced rate = 12 points
Activity
8
Mobility component (activities 11-12)
Standard rate = 8 points
Enhanced rate = 12 points
Possible
points
Activity
Possib
le
points
1. Preparing food
0-8
11. Going out
0-12
2. Eating and drinking
0-10
12. Moving around
0-12
3. Managing your treatments
0-8
4. Washing and bathing
0-8
5. Managing your toilet needs
0-8
6. Dressing or undressing
0-8
7. Communicating
0-12
8. Reading
0-8
9. Mixing with others
0-8
10. Making decisions about
money
0-6
There are five key stages to claiming PIP
1
Thinking about claiming
Information about PIP will available from
a range of sources, including online, via
leaflets and through support
organisations. This will explain the
eligibility criteria and help the claimant
decide if they want to claim PIP.
4
Assessment
5
Decision
Existing DLA claimants will be
contacted individually to ask if they
want to claim PIP.
2
3
9
Making a claim
Claimants (or those supporting them)
phone DWP to make a claim to PIP. This
involves an identity check and some basic
questions. Paper claims won’t normally
be used, and online claims should be
available from Spring 2014. Additional
support, such as provision of alternative
formats will be available.
A ‘How your disability affects you’ form is
then posted to the claimant.
Telling your story
Claimant completes the ‘How your
disability affects you’ form to explain how
their condition affects their daily life, both
on good and bad days and over a range
of activities.
Supporting evidence can be sent with this
form, which they return to DWP by post.
Claim details, form and supporting
evidence are passed to the health
professional.
Most people will be asked to attend a face
to face consultation unless a decision can
be reached on the basis of written
evidence. Claimants can take someone
along for support, this will provide the
opportunity to explain their support needs
in their own words. Home visits will be
available when necessary.
The health professional reviews the claim
against a set of clear descriptors to
assess the challenges faced by the
individual.
A DWP Case Manager will use all the
information in the claim form, from the
health professional and anything else that
has been provided. They will make a
reasoned decision on entitlement,
including the level and length of award.
Existing DLA working age claimants will be asked if they want to
claim PIP
• Existing DLA recipients who are aged between 16 and 64 years old on 08 April 2013 (the
day that PIP is introduced) will need to decide if they want to make a claim to PIP
• From October 2013 there will be Reassessment to PIP of fixed period DLA awards
coming up for renewal, young people turning 16 or where DLA claimants with indefinite
awards reports a change in their condition.
• From October 2015 all remaining claimants in receipt of a DLA award will be invited to
make a claim to PIP. We will select those recipients of DLA in receipt of an indefinite
award or a fixed term award , and notify them about what they need to do to claim PIP.
• Once selected for reassessment, claimants will be asked to claim PIP.
• If they do, then their DLA award will normally continue until a decision on the PIP claim is
made. If they don’t claim PIP then their DLA claim will end.
Existing claimants do not need to take any action now
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There will be an individual assessment
• The PIP assessment will involve health professionals who consider the evidence
provided by the claimant, along with any further medical evidence
• Most people will be asked to a face to face consultation with this health professional
as part of the claim process
• Claimants can take somebody with them to the consultation
• Home visits will be available when necessary
• People with severe health conditions or those who are terminally ill are unlikely to
be asked to go to a face to face consultation
• The health professional will provide advice to a DWP benefit Case Manager
• The DWP Case Manager will then use all of this information to decide entitlement to
PIP
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There may be an impact on other benefits and services
The reassessment of DLA to PIP, or a new award of PIP may affect other benefits and
services including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tax Credits (Disability premium up to age 20 where applicable and severe
disablement allowance
Disabled Child premium Up to age 20
The Enhanced disability premium (currently payable for DLA Highest rate Care
awards)
The Blue Badge scheme
Carers Allowance
The Motability scheme
Public transport concessions, e.g. Freedom Passes
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
DWP intend to maintain existing passporting arrangements, wherever possible
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You can find more information online
More information on PIP for claimants can be found on the Gov.uk internet site:
www.gov.uk/pip
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