PIP and carers allowance

rorysdad

My wife has stage 4 cancer and for the past 9 months has been receiving twice weekly treatment in our home from nurses as she has a huge open wound caused by infection following surgery in April 2018.

The cancer was diagnosed in 2014. She has been receiving PIP since that diagnosis.

She notified PIP of the wound and they stopped her claim.

In their decision they effectively suggest that her condition cannot be that bad as she receives carers allowance for our special needs son.

What implications does this have for my wife and my son?

I thought that a PIP recipient was entitled to claim carers?

Rd

NeilCr

Has she challenged the decision

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/appeals/mandatory-reconsideration/

If not - she should but please note the timescales

Might be a good idea to get some help from MacMillan. Especially if they have a benefits advisor in your area

https://finance.macmillan.org.uk/benefits/benefits-online

If she still qualifies for Carers Allowance then that should continue okay

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/carers-allowance/

tomtom256

PIP should not have been stopped purely because she claims Carers Allowance.


Many people and couples on PIP/DLA claim CA for each other and other people without issue.


I would challenge it and ask for the full decision in writing.

rorysdad

Thanks for the reply. What the PIP people are saying in the Mandatory Reconsideration Notice is that where my wife says for instance that she cannot prepare meals, cannot walk more than 50 metres, cannot stand for long periods - then how come she can care for our son and receive Carers Allowance?

I have in fact been reading more on the above myself and what I have found is that you have to provide care for 35 hours per week and there is no legal definition of the word "care". So, providing "care" for 35 hours per week (5 hours per day) may not necessarily mean that you have to be preparing meals etc?

It could, for instance, be argued that "care" is being provided in *supervising* someone when they are getting dressed/undressed, when they bathe and generally being around to ensure that they come to no harm etc?????

RD

calcotti

rorysdad wrote: »

It could, for instance, be argued that "care" is being provided in *supervising* someone when they are getting dressed/undressed, when they bathe and generally being around to ensure that they come to no harm etc?????RD

Spot on. Someone can qualify for DLA or PIP because they need supervision or prompting to do things. The carer therefore does not need to do things but needs to be around to provide warnings of risk or to call for emergency assistance. Obviously such supervision can be provided while sitting down.

rorysdad

We are getting a report from our GP about my wife's conditions which will form part of the PIP appeal and when I mentioned what PIP had said about the carer's allowance side of things our GP thought it was ridiculous and commented "Any good parent would provide care for their child, even if they had no limbs"!!

RD

rorysdad

Might be a good idea to get some help from MacMillan. Especially if they have a benefits advisor in your area

https://finance.macmillan.org.uk/benefits/benefits-online

Macmillan have been no use whatsoever over the 4 years my wife has been suffering with cancer.

Everyone's experience is different but I know from reading posts on various cancer-related groups on Facebook that others have the same experience/opinion.

NeilCr

rorysdad wrote: »

Might be a good idea to get some help from MacMillan. Especially if they have a benefits advisor in your area

https://finance.macmillan.org.uk/benefits/benefits-online

Macmillan have been no use whatsoever over the 4 years my wife has been suffering with cancer.

Everyone's experience is different but I know from reading posts on various cancer-related groups on Facebook that others have the same experience/opinion.

Sure.

We all have different experiences. Although FB groups, generally, are not representative of the whole.

I am still inclined to think it might be good for you to have some help with the MR. How long have you got to submit it? Could be worth a visit to CAB or similar