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People with long-term mental or physical health problems that make daily tasks or movements difficult can apply for financial assistance.
How much you receive and for how long you receive it depends on the severity of your medical condition or disability and how seriously it affects your life.
If you think you may be eligible for Personal Independence Benefit, you will be assessed in two ways: daily living tasks and mobility. You may receive weekly payments for one or both, depending on the outcome of your claim.
PIP replaces Disability Living Allowance unless you are under 16 or born on or before 8 April 1948.
It’s tax-free and isn’t affected by your income or savings, or most other benefits. Below we explain what the rules are, how you can register and where you can go for help.
Apply for Personal Independence Payment: Getting started
The daily living and mobility components of the Personal Independence Payment are paid at standard or enhanced weekly rates. Payments are made every four weeks into a bank, mortgage or credit union account.
Source: Gov.uk
You can submit your claim by telephone or in writing, after which you will be sent a form to complete. Online applications are tested but are currently only allowed if you live in certain zip codes.
Telephone 0800 917 2222 or look for an alternative PIP contact details here. If you need help, you can have someone with you, or they can call on your behalf, as long as you are present at the time.
The government recommends that you have the following information to hand when you call: contact details, date of birth, citizen service number if you have one, account number and sorting code of the bank or building society, name of the doctor or healthcare provider and contact details, dates and addresses of nursing homes or hospitals where you spent time, and dates for periods when you spent more than four weeks abroad and in the countries visited.
Scotland has started introducing disability benefits for adults instead of PIP, which will be rolled out in the summer of 2024. If you live in Northern Ireland, go to NI Direct.
If you are currently on Disability Living Allowance, the government will eventually write to you about receiving PIP unless you are a child or of the cut-off age.
Children who reach the age of 16 are not transferred to PIP if they have twelve months or less to live or are in hospital.
How is PIP assessed?
When it comes to making a claim, you will be assessed on your ability to cope with daily living tasks and your mobility.
Examples of everyday situations that people may have difficulty with include making food, eating and drinking, managing medications, using the toilet and bathroom, and handling money.
Mobility problems include planning and following a route, moving and leaving home. This may be the result of mental or physical conditions.
The government says it will assess whether you can perform tasks safely, how long they take, how often they bother you and what help you need.
The Disability Equality Charity Scope has useful tips for completing a PIP formand how to best present your information. It says: ‘For each activity there is a list of PIP descriptors.
‘When you complete the form, please include the descriptor and always use the word ‘because’ in your answer. Try to give examples of difficulties or accidents you have had while carrying out the activity, or when you have needed help or used an aid.’
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It adds: ‘Don’t exaggerate, but when you give examples, be prepared to describe your bad days.
‘What seems normal or easy to you may not be to others, especially if you have adapted because of your condition. Make sure you include anything you find difficult or impossible to do, even if it’s not every day. And explain why that is difficult or impossible.’
What are other PIP participation rules?
To apply for PIP, you usually need to have lived in Britain now and for at least two of the past three years.
There are exemptions if you live abroad and work in the armed forces or are a family member of someone who does, or if you have recently returned from an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. There are separate rules for non-British citizens.
If maybe you have 12 months or less to livethere is a different claims and assessment process.
People who already have a PIP benefit can continue to receive this after they reach state pension age. If you are over 66 and need to reapply, you will need to claim attendance allowance instead, unless you previously received DLA or PIP in the year before you reached state pension age.
PIP decisions and how to challenge them
When you receive a decision letter in response to your claim, if you are successful it should tell you when payments will start, what day of the week they will arrive (every four weeks), how long the PIP award will last and when your claim will be assessed unless it is open-ended.
Indefinite benefits for serious conditions continue to be reviewed every ten years.
The government has information about PIP assessments here. You are expected to report any change in your circumstances, for example to your personal details, condition or place of residence, on the website PIP information line 0800 121 4433.
If you are refused a PIP or want to challenge a decision, you can request a ‘mandatory reconsideration’.
You may want to enlist the help of a charity from the start, but especially if you run into trouble with an initial claim or with an assessment.
An organization most relevant to your medical condition or disability is a good starting point for information or assistance, or check the list below as some of them offer direct assistance with claims.
Where can you get help with a claim?
Here are some sources of help with Personal Independence Payment claims.
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