If I move out of my Mum's will I lose my PIP?

pocketstrings

Hallo

I wonder if anyone can give me any advice?

I am forty and live with my mother due to having had a severe disability since my mid-twenties.

If I can, I would like to try independent living and I know someone who has a flat up for rent relatively nearby. I would like to try living alone, even if it turns out that when I find I can't manage and have to move back home.

However, apart from wondering if/how I'd manage, I am concerned that if I did move out the DWP would stop giving me my PIP as they would say the fact I was living alone somehow demonstrated that I am less ill, even though I am, in fact, more ill than I was when they assessed me last year. I don't think I'd be able to manage without that money, as my needs would increase due to living independently.

Background: I get standard rate mobility and enhanced care rate. I am also in the Support group of ESA. I had to go through a tribunal to get this and during that the judge stated that although he was going to increase my award to the one I now have, he felt I was exaggerating my condition. I wasn't at all, but it is a hidden neurological condition the main problem of which is pain and the system is not well set up to take into account things you can't see.

Of course, in theory it is meant to be INDEPENDENCE payment, they should fairly assess your condition, listen to what your specialists say etc etc, but we all know it doesn't work like that.

Has anyone been in this position re moving and how were their benefits affected?

Diamandis

Depends on what you were awarded points for. If your points come from needing assistance to care for yourself, and this is care your mother currently provides, how will you get the care you need on your own? Are you planning to use carers? Will your mum be able to come over to help you?

pocketstrings

Well, this is it. My mum does sometimes give me assistance, but she is also out at work all day anyway. But I think they will point out that I must be better if I am doing without her help in the evening, although we are thinking she would come over to help. The thing is, during my tribunal they even said I couldn't be ill as I'd managed to get to the tribunal, and I couldn't be ill as I'd managed to apply for benefits, so they use anything.

Tommo1980

If no one claims carers allowance on your behalf, you might actually be entitled to more money. Living alone could mean you are eligible for the severe disability premium on top of your ESA.

Ames

PIP is about the help you need, not the help you get. Even someone living alone and not getting any help should qualify if they need it.

Tommo1980 wrote: »

If no one claims carers allowance on your behalf, you might actually be entitled to more money. Living alone could mean you are eligible for the severe disability premium on top of your ESA.

This is true now, of ESA. If the OP is in a universal credit full service area then applying for housing benefit would mean moving from ESA to UC, which doesn't have the premiums that ESA has.

pocketstrings

UC isn't in full service in the area I'd move to, but is in the area I currently live in, although I am not on it, I am on ESA (support group) and PIP.

The thing about PIP being about the help you need, not the help you get is the theory, but I don't think it works like that in practise, just like the theory is everyone who really is seriously disabled gets the appropriate benefit, but the reality is very different. My concern is that they may be using the fact I live with my mother at all as an indicator of how disabled I am and decide, if I move out, that I must be less ill than I was, which is the opposite of the truth.

If it helps, I get standard rate mobility, though in reality my mobility is worse than they have decided and get enhanced rate living. But the living bit is made up of things like me needing encouragement to eat, dress etc (in fact I am more days than not just too ill to do these things). I fear they'll therefore decide that no longer applies.

Ames

You only hear about the bad stories. Loads of people get PIP living alone, and have straightforward claim processes.

If you didn't get encouragement would you not get dressed all day, not eat properly, not wash etc? If so then you still qualify. You might have to go to appeal, but that's true of anyone.

Also encouragement doesn't have to mean someone there in front of you. It could be via a text, or a phonecall, or even an email.

If you think you can handle living alone then I think you need to do it sooner rather than later so you can stay on ESA. If no-one gets carer's allowance for you then you'll get the SDP of £63 per week which you can use to pay for help.

Mojisola

pocketstrings wrote: »

I am forty and live with my mother due to having had a severe disability since my mid-twenties.

If I can, I would like to try independent living

It could be the best thing to get yourself independent now.

If you stay dependent on your Mum until she gets too old to care for you, you will find it much harder to adjust.

As well as moving out, try and get some professional care organised - do you have a social worker who could help?

pocketstrings

Thank-you to all of you who have taken the time to reply - I really appreciate it.

I was given higher rate care and standard mobility after a tribunal. The whole process and even just filling out the form made me suicidal. Luckily I see a counsellor, although if my PIP stops I definitely won't able to afford to see her any more.

I feel that higher rate mobility and standard care would more accurately reflect my situation, but when I went to a place for advice locally they said not to bother trying to get DWP to recognise that as it wouldn't actually change my award.

The care component was based on the idea that I need encouragement to eat, get dressed etc and that I get that from my mum. Often, you see, I am too ill to eat and she brings up little cut up pieces of bread to my bed for me to pop in my mouth there as i am too ill to eat. I would say this is due to the physical disability not psychological, but the DWP framed it all as mental and so I think if I move out they will say that must have improved and stop my PIP.

I don't know, in truth, if i am even well enough to cope living alone, but as I have never tried i thought i could give it a go at least. The person who has the flat to let is someone i know who is a landlord by profession and he said i could let it for six months to start to with and if i can't cope i can move home again.

destinyskye

hey sorry to jump on your post but I'm in a similar position I'm on enhanced pip and my grandma is my carer. I was hoping to move to a different town which is where my partner lives and to move in with him but is this possible or will my pip be stopped because I won't be living with my carer (my grandma)

Alice_Holt

No, your PIP will not stop. (see post 5 and others)

If your grandmother claims carers allowance for being your carer, then that is likely to stop when you move to a different town as she (I presume) is unlikely to be able to care for you for the requisite 35 hrs.