The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Is a New Disability Benefit That Will Replace

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The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a new disability benefit that will replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA).It will provide help towards the daily living and mobility costs of disabled people. PIP will not be means tested or taxed or based on National Insurance contributions.

PIP will only apply to people aged 16 to 64 years. Children under 16 will still be able to claim DLA and people aged 65 or over can claim Attendance Allowance.

New claims for PIP can be made from 10 June 2013. There will be no new claims for DLA for people aged 16 to 64. . From 28October 2013 (subject to a controlled start) your DLA will be re-assessed for PIP when you reach 16 OR if your DLA award has to be renewed OR if your care or mobility needs change.

Between October2015 andDecember 2017, all other DLA claims will be re-assessed.

PIP has two components – one for Daily Living and one for Mobility. Each has two rates – a Standard Rate and an Enhanced Rate. The rates for 2013/14 are:

PIP Daily Living Standard Rate - £53pw. PIP Daily Living Enhanced Rate- £79.15pw.

PIP Mobility Standard Rate - £21pw. PIP Mobility Enhanced Rate - £55.25pw.

PIP is based on a number of activities that your disability makes it difficult or impossible to do. Each activity has a number of ‘descriptors’ with a score. There are 10 activities for Daily Living and 2 for Mobility. You need 8 points or more to get the standard rate and12 pointsor more to get the enhanced rate (see Wallchart No. 2 for the assessment criteria).

To claim PIP telephone 0800 917 2222.If you already get DLA, you don’t need to do anything until you are contacted by the DWP and invited to make a claim for PIP. There are several stages to claiming including a two part claim form with strict deadlines for sending them back. You are also likely to be called in for a medical test or ‘consultation’ as part of your claim. You may not need to have a consultation if you provide plenty of evidence with your claim. Your DLA won’t stop until your PIP claim is decided

If you disagree with your PIP decision you can’t appeal straightway but you can ask the DWP to look at it again. You only have one month to do this. If the DWP doesn’t change its decision you have a month to appeal to an independent tribunal.The DWP then has 28days to prepare its appeal response.

For more information;

For help and advice: speak to your care manager if you get a support package from Surrey County Council’s Adult Care Service or if not, contact Surrey’s new independent advice service at

THE DAILY LIVING COMPONENT

ACTIVITY 1 - PREPARING FOOD

Needs to use an aid or appliance to prepare or cook a simple meal (2pts). Cannot cook a simple meal using a conventional cooker but can do so using a microwave (2pts). Needs prompting to be able to prepare or cook a simple meal (2pts). Needs supervision or assistance to prepare or cook a simple meal (4pts). Cannot prepare and cook food (8pts).

ACTIVITY 2 -TAKING NUTRITION.

Needs - to use an aid or appliance to be able to take nutrition OR supervision to be able to take nutrition OR assistance to be able to cut up food (2pts). Needs a therapeutic source to be able to take nutrition (2pts) Needs prompting to be able to take nutrition (4pts) Needs assistance to be able to manage a therapeutic source to take nutrition (6pts). Cannot convey food or drink to their mouth and needs another person to do so (10pts)

ACTIVITY 3 – MANAGING THERAPY OR MONITORING A HEALTH CONDITION.

Needs to either use an aid/appliance to manage medication or supervision/prompting or assistance to manage medication or monitor a health condition (1pt) .Needs supervision prompting or assistance to manage therapy of no more than 3.5 hours a week (2pts) Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to manage therapy of more than 3.5 hours but no more than 7 hours (4pts).Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to manage therapy of more than 7 hours but no more than 14 hours (6pts).Needs supervision, prompting or assistance to manage therapy that takes more than 14 hours (8pts).

ACTIVITY 4 – WASHING AND BATHING

. Needs to use an aid/appliance to wash or bathe (2pts) Needs supervision or prompting to be able to wash or bathe (2pts) Needs assistance to wash either their hair or their body below the waist (2pts) Needs assistance to be able to get in or out of a bath or shower (3pts) Needs assistance to be able to wash their body between the shoulders and waist (4pts) Cannot wash or bathe at all and needs another person to wash their entire body (8pts)

ACTIVITY 5 – MANAGING TOILET NEEDS OR INCONTINENCE.

Needs to use an aid/appliance to manage their toilet needs or incontinence (2pts) Needs supervising or prompting to manage their toilet needs (2pts). Needs assistance to manage their toilet needs (4pts) Needs assistance to be able to manage incontinence of either bladder or bowel (6pts) Needs assistance to be able to manage incontinence of both bladder and bowel (8pts)

ACTIVITY 6 – DRESSING AND UNDRESSING.

Needs to use an aid or appliance to be able to dress or undress (2pts) Needs prompting to dress, undress or determine appropriate circumstances for remaining clothed OR prompting or assistance to be able to select appropriate clothing (2pts). Needs assistance to be able to dress or undress their lower body (2pts) Needs assistance to be able to dress or undress their upper body (4pts) Cannot dress or undress at all (8pts)

ACTIVITY 7 - COMMUNICATING VERBALLY.

Needs to use an aid/appliance to be able to speak or hear (2pts) Needs communication support to be able to express or understand complex verbal information (4pts) Needs communication support to be able to understand basic verbal information (8pts) Cannot express or understand verbal communication even with communication support (12)

ACTIVITY 8 - READING AND UNDERSTANDING SIGNS,SYMBOLS AND WORDS.

Needs to use an aid/appliance, other than spectacles or contact lenses, to be able to read or understand either basic or complex information (2pts) Needs prompting to be able to read or understand complex written information (2pts) Needs prompting to be able to read or understand basic written information (4pts) Cannot read or understand signs, symbols or words at all (10pts)

ACTIVITY 9 – ENGAGING WITH OTHER PEOPLE FACE TO FACE.

Needs prompting to be able to engage with other people (2pts) Needs social support to be able to engage with other people (4pts) Cannot engage with other people due to such engagement causing either overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant OR the claimant to exhibit behaviour which would result in a substantial risk of harm to the claimant or another person (8pts)

ACTIVITY 10 – MAKING BUDGETING DECISIONS

Needs prompting or assistance to be able to make simple budgeting decisions (4pts) Cannot make any budgeting decisions at all (6pts).

THE MOBILITY COMPONENT

ACTIVITY 11 – PLANNING AND FOLLOWING JOURNEYS.

Needs prompting to be able to undertake any journey to avoid overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant (4pts) Cannot plan the route of a journey (8pts) Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid (10pts) Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant (10pts) Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid (12pts)

ACTIVITY 12 – MOVING AROUND.

Can stand and then move more than 50m but no more than 200m, either aided or unaided (4pts) Can stand and then move unaided more than 20m but no more than 50m (8pts) Can stand and then move using an aid or appliance more than 20m but no more than 50m (10pts) Can stand and then move more than one metre but no more than 20m either aided or unaided (12 pts) Cannot, either aided or unaided, stand or move more than one metre (12pts)