Long Post, grab a cuppa!
With PPMS, I receive High Rate DLA for mobility £57.45 & High Rate care £82.30 total £139.75. Like many, I await a pip assessment. Originally this was going to be by Oct '15 but too many problems brought delays to DWP.
I will be 65 at end of January '16. I understand that if dwp do not start my assessment before I am 65, I will be ineligible to apply for pip and will have to apply for Attendance Allowance! Even though they have delayed my assessment!
Att.Allow is £82.30 which in effect is £57.45 per week less!
I hope I am wrong about this. If I am right, then is it a ploy by dwp to delay assessments in order to stop the mobility allowance?
Can anyone in our group confirm if my info is correct? If so, any suggestions?
Hi Chrissie
Have a look at the Age UK guidance: http://www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Factsheets/FS87_Personal_indepen…
(particularly page 22). It advises that the rules depend on your age as of 8th April 2013. If you were over 65 on that date and were already getting DLA, you’d just remain on DLA indefinitely. However, if you were under 65 on that date, between now and 2018, you’ll be invited to make a claim for PIP. This would mean that you’d potentially retain the mobility component, albeit with tighter rules about eligibility. If you don’t qualify for PIP under the new rules, then you could claim Attendance Allowance, but of course, there is no mobility component for AA, although the care element is less restrictive than for PIP.
So, ultimately, it depends on whether you qualify for the mobility component of PIP, in addition to the tighter rules for the care element as to whether you get PIP as opposed to Attendance Allowance.
You could of course join http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ for more detailed information about claiming PIP and/or look at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-c…
Sue
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Managed to find this from trawling lots of info, facts & fiction. Hope this helps others as I feel so reassurred now.
HERE IS THE OFFICIAL DWP RULES on transit from DLA to PIP
ANYONE AGE 65 BEFORE APRIL 2013 WILL CONTINUE WITH DLA.
in receipt of DLA at present, whether high, low, care, mobility or both, will have a letter or phone call from the DWP to apply for PIP.
DLA recipients will change from DLA to PIP if they were below 65 when PIP was first introduced.
The current backlog at DWP dictates when the PIP letters and assessment will take place. This “transit period” does not change the rules to a different benefit (such as A.A),
DWP “intend” that all DLA recipients will be assessed by September 2017 and will begin to receive PIP at the rate based on the assessors report. This decision can be appealed if the applicant does not agree with the assessors report.
ATTAINING 65 YEARS OLD DURING THE TRANSIT PERIOD WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE TO APPLY FOR PIP.
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ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE (A.A)
ANYONE WHO HAS NOT APPLIED for DLA before reaching age 65 has to apply for Attendance Allowance (AA) subject to qualifying criteria.
**********************************************
Phew! This took some finding out and collating but worth the effort, I think. At least all the facts are together from different DWP sources and definitely up to date.
Chrissie x
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I just had a look at your link Sue but didn’t quite work. So I googled Age UK Documents PIP (no underline) & the entire booklet with index etc can be printed!.
Really useful for all of us still awaiting an assessment. Gives hints and tips to apply for PIP, what the assessors look for and evidence the applicant can provide.
Anyone UNDER 65 by 8th April 2013 on DLA will change to PIP. Anyone who WAS 65 by 8th April 2013 will remain on DLA.
Chrissie x.
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