Please help. 68Yo DLA to PiP? no clue.

pfpf

hi,
I don't have a clue what I am looking for information wise as I have no knowledge of any benefits at all.

my MIL has phoned and asked if I can help as she has a form to fill in. she's 68 and as far as I can tell from our phone call she receives what I understand to be DLA and the form is for PiP (I've only picked up these terms/abbreviations tonight).

I am her go to for anything she doesn't understand. I have no issues helping her fill in the form but are there any pitfalls / things I need to be aware of?

I don't know what her current claim for DLA consists of, but I do NOT want to make errors on her PiP form that may cause issues for her.

should she have all the details to hand that the PiP form requires? I have a long journey to get to her and want to get it done in one visit, she has to the have the form back by 1/7 she says.

any help / advice at all would be appreciated.

thank you.

poppy12345

When you fill out the form you need to put as much information as possible about how her conditions affect her. Adding a couple of real life examples about what happened that last time she attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to her, will help.


She needs to make sure she sends evidence to support her claim because they very rarely contact anyone for any evidence.


She also needs to expect a face to face assessment because most people have them.


This link may help.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/fill-in-form/


This link is long but will help to understand the descriptors and what they mean. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria


Having some understanding of what it's all about before filling out the form will definitely help. They will give her 14 extra days to return the form if she needs it, all she has to do is ring DWP to request this.

calcotti

When you visit make sure you have plenty of time. Many people do find it too much to work through in one go.

As poppy says if she rings DWP she can request an extension of time - they normally give two weeks extra if asked.

Rubyroobs

PIP has different criteria to DLA and many people lose awards in the process because they don't meet the PIP criteria. I see a lot of people who have been on high rate DLA for years on end but don't qualify for PIP enhanced mobility. try to get some help with the form.

[Deleted User]

OP you could see if you could get help from AGE UK but she would need to get the 2 week extension, as you need to send it off in my recent experience around 10 days before the due date.

Alice_Holt

What health conditions / disabilities has she?

PIP is about points awarded for specific descriptors:
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-self-test

This site also has some useful guides to completing the form for members (but membership is c.£20 per year).

Reliability is a very important concept to grasp when completing the form.
As is "on the majority of days,"
The PIP assessment guide (and the Benefit & Work guide) have information on this.

Your MIL should definitely ring to get the 14 day extension.

pfpf

thanks for all the input, very much appreciated. MIL phoned AC and they have made an appointment for a home visit.

phone lines are jammed but MIL is also calling for an extension to the deadline date.