Blue badge and PIP

Everyday living
1

Hi everyone I have finally received the blue badge which I didn’t think I would get. Any advice on whether I should inform PIP? I currently claim pip and get the standard daily living rate. My walking condition has got worse since I last claimed 2 years ago. Any advice please

2

You should inform the DWP if your condition changes in any way, particular if it gets worse. I don’t know what the procedure is if you want your PIP claim reassessed. Hopefully you’ll be awarded something for mobility.

I don’t know how things work in your area. I live in Warwickshire and they award Blue Badges for any level of PIP mobility.

Good luck with your PIP.

3

Hi azngirl

Generally speaking, you get a blue badge because you can’t walk more than 50 metres (obviously reliably, repeatedly, etc). And to qualify for standard rate PIP for mobility, it’s the same (20 metres for enhanced rate).

So, you could contact PIP and ask to be reassessed in the light of now qualifying for a blue badge. But you should be aware that:

  • The PIP assessor / decision makers will not take your blue badge as constituting evidence that you can’t walk more than 50 metres. They will make their own mind up. And to be honest, this is probably the right thing for them to do as the evidential requirements are much more rigid for PIP than for your local council who issued your badge.
  • Once you ask for your PIP application to be reconsidered, they will look at your entire award, both care and mobility components, and will make a new decision on both. So you need to be sure that your walking ability can be assessed as less than 50 metres and also that you do easily satisfy at least the standard care award points. Have a look at the PIP points qualification criteria: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/Migrated_Documents/adviceguide/pip-9-table-of-activities-descriptors-and-points.pdf

I’m certainly not saying you shouldn’t contact them; clearly if your mobility has become worse, it’s probably the best thing to do, just make sure you understand that the whole award will be looked at.

Sue

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4

Thanks cheerful dragon. I phoned up pip today and they have said I need to fill the forms again once I receive them in the post and will probably need to have an assessment again. So fingers crossed. I live in Buckinghamshire.

5

Thanks Sue. My RRMS has got quite worse in the last 6 months and I am really struggling to do day to day things. After I was assessed for the blue badge by an independent assessor she also recommended that I let pip know about the changes. Fingers crossed.

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