Claim PIP or AA

rockingbilly

I now have the PIP2 form to fill in and to be honest looking through it it seems a lot of work for little return.
I am currently on DLA - HRM & MRC and have done so for the past 15 years on an indefinite basis.
Due to my age I could claim AA instead (67 - 68 in June)

I know that AA doesn't have the mobility element but to be honest that doesn't bother me. I don't want or need the Motability scheme and don't drive very much myself. Yes I would lose my BB option but my wife has her own BB and she does most of the driving in any event.

From a cash point of view it's about a £22 a week loss compared to what I am getting under DLA. I have no idea what I may get under PIP as I am not at all hopeful in getting any award.
It seems that with AA you do not have regular reassessments which at my age is a godsend.

So the loss of the money and mobility element is something I could live with when looking at AA as something you would more of less get for life without any real aggro.

Am I missing something? Is my way of thinking rational?

nannytone_2

rockingbilly wrote: »

I now have the PIP2 form to fill in and to be honest looking through it it seems a lot of work for little return.
I am currently on DLA - HRM & MRC and have done so for the past 15 years on an indefinite basis.
Due to my age I could claim AA instead (67 - 68 in June)

I know that AA doesn't have the mobility element but to be honest that doesn't bother me. I don't want or need the Motability scheme and don't drive very much myself. Yes I would lose my BB option but my wife has her own BB and she does most of the driving in any event.

From a cash point of view it's about a £22 a week loss compared to what I am getting under DLA. I have no idea what I may get under PIP as I am not at all hopeful in getting any award.
It seems that with AA you do not have regular reassessments which at my age is a godsend.

So the loss of the money and mobility element is something I could live with when looking at AA as something you would more of less get for life without any real aggro.

Am I missing something? Is my way of thinking rational?

how do you work out it is a loss of £22 a week?

AA low/high equates to DLA/PIP mid/high and standard/enahanced.

your loss would be the £57.45 mobility component a week.

AA is not easy to get either.
you have to prove that your issues are not merely because of the raging process.

i would continue with the PIP route personally, but it is your choice

rockingbilly

nannytone wrote: »

how do you work out it is a loss of £22 a week?

AA low/high equates to DLA/PIP mid/high and standard/enahanced.

your loss would be the £57.45 mobility component a week.

AA is not easy to get either.
you have to prove that your issues are not merely because of the raging process.

i would continue with the PIP route personally, but it is your choice

The difference between high rate AA (I do require and need attention 24/7) and my DLA is in fact just over £30 a week and not £22 - may maths!

I do actually have major difficulties in my life. I have an OT from Social Services coming out to assess me next week (I should have done this years ago but didn't because I didn't want to accept what my limitations are). They have already provided a toilet frame and bed riser and they are aware that I now have to use my wife's electric bath rising chair. Those bits of kit came out as urgent because of the immediate problems that they became aware of.

PIP to me is so narrow and restrictive that I would find it extremely difficult to warrant many points. On top of this they are reassessing at regular intervals (what do they expect to find - that I have enjoyed a miracle and regrown some internal organs??) I seriously cannot cope with that sort of regime. With AA, so I am told, it is very much a case of setting out what help I need and why I need it. With that broad view, I can easily prove what my needs are. Plus the F2F is nothing as difficult or stressful as the PIP one.

NeilCr

I must admit I'd go for PIP first because then I would have two goes at it.

You say you've been on MRC for DLA for 15 years. When was your last reassessment? Because, as you know, you're going to have to go up a rate.

But, to me, it sounds like you've made your choice. If you are certain you will get HR AA and you won't be able to cope with PIP and all that it entails then, for you, I'd say it's a no brainer.

nannytone_2

rockingbilly wrote: »

The difference between high rate AA (I do require and need attention 24/7) and my DLA is in fact just over £30 a week and not £22 - may maths!

I do actually have major difficulties in my life. I have an OT from Social Services coming out to assess me next week (I should have done this years ago but didn't because I didn't want to accept what my limitations are). They have already provided a toilet frame and bed riser and they are aware that I now have to use my wife's electric bath rising chair. Those bits of kit came out as urgent because of the immediate problems that they became aware of.

PIP to me is so narrow and restrictive that I would find it extremely difficult to warrant many points. On top of this they are reassessing at regular intervals (what do they expect to find - that I have enjoyed a miracle and regrown some internal organs??) I seriously cannot cope with that sort of regime. With AA, so I am told, it is very much a case of setting out what help I need and why I need it. With that broad view, I can easily prove what my needs are. Plus the F2F is nothing as difficult or stressful as the PIP one.

so you're offsetting the difference between mid rate care and high rate AA and taking that away from your mobility loss.

the re assessment periods for PIP are up to 10 years so i wouldn't call them 'regular'
it will be just as difficult to get high rate AA as it would be to get enhanced PIP. I'm not trying to put you off but AA is far from a certainty.
having a social services assessment is a good idea and may lead to some physical help ( i receive direct payments so i can employ a PA) but remember most authorities require a contribution towards the cost of this help.
my local authority charges 70% of my DLA care, so without any mobility award you will be losing a fair whack of you entitlement

NeilCr

I agree with nannytone. HR AA can be quite hard to get

Some interesting info here from Benefitandworks

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum?view=topic&catid=10&id=105206&start=6

bigbill

Continue with the PIP as your DLA continues at the same rate as now while they decide if you qualify for PIP, even if they say late on your not going to get PIP your DLA then runs on for another 4 weeks before they stop it in full, so you have that 4 weeks to claim or start the claim to AA?

rockingbilly

NeilCr wrote: »

I must admit I'd go for PIP first because then I would have two goes at it.

You say you've been on MRC for DLA for 15 years. When was your last reassessment? Because, as you know, you're going to have to go up a rate.

But, to me, it sounds like you've made your choice. If you are certain you will get HR AA and you won't be able to cope with PIP and all that it entails then, for you, I'd say it's a no brainer.

I haven't had any reassessment for DLA since 2001

The equivalent rate for what I already get would be HRM (DLA) = either Enhanced or Standard PIP & MRC (DLA) = Standard PIP
I'm not certain of anything, but my best chance seems to be with AA as I just cannot see where I would get enough points in PIP to get any award.

And let's be honest surely when they set up PIP was it really the intention for the DWP to continually reassess those getting on for 70 right up until the day we die - working age yes?

NeilCr

rockingbilly wrote: »

I now have the PIP2 form to fill in and to be honest looking through it it seems a lot of work for little return.
I am currently on DLA - HRM & MRC and have done so for the past 15 years on an indefinite basis.
Due to my age I could claim AA instead (67 - 68 in June)

I know that AA doesn't have the mobility element but to be honest that doesn't bother me. I don't want or need the Motability scheme and don't drive very much myself. Yes I would lose my BB option but my wife has her own BB and she does most of the driving in any event.

From a cash point of view it's about a £22 a week loss compared to what I am getting under DLA. I have no idea what I may get under PIP as I am not at all hopeful in getting any award.
It seems that with AA you do not have regular reassessments which at my age is a godsend.

So the loss of the money and mobility element is something I could live with when looking at AA as something you would more of less get for life without any real aggro.

Am I missing something? Is my way of thinking rational?

rockingbilly wrote: »

I haven't had any reassessment for DLA since 2001

The equivalent rate for what I already get would be HRM (DLA) = either Enhanced or Standard PIP & MRC (DLA) = Standard PIP
I'm not certain of anything, but my best chance seems to be with AA as I just cannot see where I would get enough points in PIP to get any award.

And let's be honest surely when they set up PIP was it really the intention for the DWP to continually reassess those getting on for 70 right up until the day we die - working age yes?

But - as I said you can try for PIP and if you don't get it then go for AA. In my experience many people who were on DLA do get PIP on transfer. If you haven't been assessed for 15/16 years it suggests that they recognise your condition is serious and permanent (which it clearly is) so your PIP application may well be fine

Sorry if I misread you. You did seem confident about AA. You said you can easily prove what your needs are. If you aren't then all the more reason to give yourself two shots at it

Nannytone is right about PIP reassessments - they don't have to be every year or two years. There really isn't any difference between working age or retirement age re assessments (in fact I suspect it may be less rigorous as you get older). DLA operated the same way so it's not entirely new

You do seem quite suspicious about the whole PIP process. There are some horror stories but there are lots of folks who you never hear about who have had okay experiences. Personally, I think the PIP form itself is more user friendly than the DLA and AA ones.

It's up to you but, in the light of this post, I'd agree with bigbill

rockingbilly

NeilCr wrote: »

But - as I said you can try for PIP and if you don't get it then go for AA. In my experience many people who were on DLA do get PIP on transfer. If you haven't been assessed for 15/16 years it suggests that they recognise your condition is serious and permanent (which it clearly is) so your PIP application may well be fine

Sorry if I misread you. You did seem confident about AA. You said you can easily prove what your needs are. If you aren't then all the more reason to give yourself two shots at it

Nannytone is right about PIP reassessments - they don't have to be every year or two years. There really isn't any difference between working age or retirement age re assessments (in fact I suspect it may be less rigorous as you get older). DLA operated the same way so it's not entirely new

You do seem quite suspicious about the whole PIP process. There are some horror stories but there are lots of folks who you never hear about who have had okay experiences. Personally, I think the PIP form itself is more user friendly than the DLA and AA ones.

It's up to you but, in the light of this post, I'd agree with bigbill

Thanks everyone. In light of what has been said I too have to agree that bigbill's post seems to be on the nail. What he is suggesting really is not to make any decision now, just go through the motions re PIP and if all else fails then go for AA. Doing this means that money will always be coming in - sort of playing the system.
OK you have convinced me that I was over reacting to the PIP process and yes I am very suspicious of how PIP is assessed - I don't trust any government department and certainly not the DWP - had far too many problems with them over the way they deny everything until you can prove that they are wrong and then get no apology. Seems that they try it on in the hope that people will give in. Even with the PIP application at the moment I still haven't had any reply from them as regards sending me a PIP1 form (don't need it now I had to back down) but I asked some other questions in those letters such as - I am not agreeing to the consent part until they tell me where the info goes, who uses it, why etc etc - then the question of why they need my health professionals details at the application stage when the same info is requested on the PIP2 which is when I will tell them and still not received a copy of that form when it was completed over the phone.
When I looked at the PIP1 form and compared it with what the regulations say is actually needed to start the claim off, the DWP are asking for far more information than they legally require.