DLA and PIP for a child

redrose1414

Hello,
My daughter gets DLA and was reassessed in December with this new award expiring August 2016.
I have had a letter saying in April (when she turns 16) she will need to apply for PIP and does she need an appointee.


My questions are:-


Why does she need to claim an adult benefit in her own name when by law she must stay in full time education or an apprenticeship etc until she is 18. I am confused over whether my daughter is classed as an adult or a child at 16.


And the second question is our postcode is ME1 (Kent) and as far as I can see PIP hasn't been rolled out into our area yet so has there been a mistake.


Any advice will be gratefully received.


Thank You

nannytone_2

it has nothing to do with her being classed as an adult of a child really.
for the specific benefit PIP, the rules are that anyone between ther ages of 16 and 65 are expected to claim this instead of DLA.

System

I don't know about PIP as my DD is still on DLA [almost 18 yrs old] but the appointee is fairly simple. I am my DD's appointee as although she can use her bank card/account she cannot deal with the people/paperwork associated with her claims.

Basically she gets and has control over her money but I get the headache caused buy the endless form filling !

redrose1414

nannytone wrote: »

it has nothing to do with her being classed as an adult of a child really.
for the specific benefit PIP, the rules are that anyone between ther ages of 16 and 65 are expected to claim this instead of DLA.

Thanks nannytone, the benefits confuse the hell out of me!
I just can't get my head around her claiming PIP rather than carrying on with DLA when she will continue to be eligible for child benefit and child tax credit (but cannot claim these herself) as she must legally stay in education until she is 18. Especially as the DLA award has until 2016 before it expires.

redrose1414

CHRISSYG wrote: »

I don't know about PIP as my DD is still on DLA [almost 18 yrs old] but the appointee is fairly simple. I am my DD's appointee as although she can use her bank card/account she cannot deal with the people/paperwork associated with her claims.

Basically she gets and has control over her money but I get the headache caused buy the endless form filling !

I will be her appointee for the same reasons you state!
Have you had a DLA award expire since your DD turned 16?
I can't fathom whether I am being 'invited; to claim PIP and give up the DLA award or being told to claim PIP and the DLA award will cease on her 16th birthday.
I'm also unsure whether I 'have' to claim PIP instead of DLA or choose to claim PIP instead of DLA as it doesn't seem to have been introduced in our area yet.

rogerblack

redrose1414 wrote: »

I can't fathom whether I am being 'invited; to claim PIP and give up the DLA award or being told to claim PIP and the DLA award will cease on her 16th birthday.
I'm also unsure whether I 'have' to claim PIP instead of DLA or choose to claim PIP instead of DLA as it doesn't seem to have been introduced in our area yet.

PIP has been introduced in every area.
You're probably thinking of areas in which self-reported changes of circumstance are treated as requests to migrate to PIP.
This does not apply for people turning 16.

The invitation to apply for PIP is optitonal - however if you do not take this up, then DLA will shortly end.

System

redrose1414 wrote: »

I will be her appointee for the same reasons you state!
Have you had a DLA award expire since your DD turned 16?
I can't fathom whether I am being 'invited; to claim PIP and give up the DLA award or being told to claim PIP and the DLA award will cease on her 16th birthday.
I'm also unsure whether I 'have' to claim PIP instead of DLA or choose to claim PIP instead of DLA as it doesn't seem to have been introduced in our area yet.

Prior to DD's 16th birthday she was given an indefinite award so I think she will be in the last group to move over to PIP.

kingfisherblue

My son also has an indefinite award. I have been told by the DLA unit that his application to move to PIP will be around October 2015. We are in a WA postcode.

rogerblack

'...until around October...'
My understanding is that there is no legislative basis whatsoever to these - they are merely indications of what will happen in the general case, not binding policy.
If you are 'invited' to apply for PIP - even if you are in a group where the general date has been given - you must either apply for PIP, or lose DLA.