Don't understand PIP and blue badge eligibility

MeenaM

My son has got PIP since 2016, he had originally scored 4 for Planning and following a journey and 0 for moving around. He has diagnosis of Autism , severe anxiety and depression. He suffers panic attacks and anxiety meaning he cannot leave the house alone, he has psychiatric and psychology input. When the Pip was re assessed following the Tribunal case they originally left it the same but I put in for a reconsideration. They agreed and awarded him 12 points for planning and following a journey, they concluded it was reasonable to suggest you need another person with you to be able to make any journey.
The blue badge scheme is extended today for those with hidden disabilities and i had thought he would automatically qualify but when i submitted the application today it only said "you may qualify" , I dont understand i though it was extended for those like my son with autism and severe anxiety meaning it makes it very difficult to access the community,
does anyone have any information about this or understand it ? thanks

poppy12345

Scoring 12 points for following and planning a journey for the new BB rules doesn't automatically qualify you. You need to score 10 points for descriptor E "unable to undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant".


Or.
Entitlement will also be extended to those who are assessed as having an enduring and substantial difficulty which causes them during a journey to either:

• Be unable to walk.
• Experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress.
• Be at risk of serious harm when walking; or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person.

https://www.contact.org.uk/news-and-blogs/new-blue-badge-rules-in-england-to-come-into-force-on-30-august/

MeenaM

poppy12345 wrote: »

Scoring 12 points for following and planning a journey for the new BB rules doesn't automatically qualify you. You need to score 10 points for descriptor E "unable to undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress to the claimant".


Or.
Entitlement will also be extended to those who are assessed as having an enduring and substantial difficulty which causes them during a journey to either:

• Be unable to walk.
• Experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress.
• Be at risk of serious harm when walking; or pose, when walking, a risk of serious harm to any other person.

https://www.contact.org.uk/news-and-blogs/new-blue-badge-rules-in-england-to-come-into-force-on-30-august/

so having autism and not being able to go out unaccompanied wont qualify? :eek: dont know why they didnt assess as "very considerable psychological distress" as it is melt downs and full blown panic attacks?

elsien

MeenaM wrote: »

so having autism and not being able to go out unaccompanied wont qualify? :eek: dont know why they didnt assess as "very considerable psychological distress" as it is melt downs and full blown panic attacks?

Not being able to go out alone would apply to a lot of people with LD who have no mobility issues that would require a blue badge, but just need someone because they're vulnerable on their own.
You probably need to send some extra evidence along about the panic attacks and meltdowns to back up your case.

antrobus

poppy12345 wrote: »

Scoring 12 points for following and planning a journey for the new BB rules doesn't automatically qualify you. .....

It depends on where you live. It does in Scotland or Wales, but not in England.

See here;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-can-i-get-one/can-i-get-a-blue-badge

poppy12345

antrobus wrote: »

It depends on where you live. It does in Scotland or Wales, but not in England.

See here;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-can-i-get-one/can-i-get-a-blue-badge

Yes, that's correct but as the OP stated the new rules that were extended today then it's England they were talking about. See link above.

K80_Black

MeenaM wrote: »

so having autism and not being able to go out unaccompanied wont qualify? :eek: dont know why they didnt assess as "very considerable psychological distress" as it is melt downs and full blown panic attacks?

If you read the actual descriptors, it makes no sense. 'Cannot undertake any journey because it would cause overwhelming psychological distress' scores 10 points - i.e. the lower mobility rate. 'Cannot follow the route of a familiar journey without another person, dog or aid' scores 12 points - i.e. the higher rate. You get less points for not being able to go out at all than being able to go out with assistance.

This is because the old descriptors used to end with 'for reasons other than psychological distress' at the end of them - aside from the one that specifically mentions psychological disress. It used to be totally impossible for people with mental illness to score the highest rate for PIP mobility, even if they were totally housebound. Now they score more for being more able than those who cannot go out at all, as there was a court ruling that said the old descriptors were discriminatory - they simply dropped the 'offensive' part of the descriptors and left the now pretty much defunct 'Cannot leave the house at all' category.

Those who automatically qualify for a blue badge, are those the government have deemed are unable to go out at all, not those who can go out with assistance. If they agreed that these people previously awarded 10 point for not being able to go out due to psychological distress can in fact go out with assistance, but only with assistance, then they'd be forced to award them the higher rate of PIP mobility. Instead they're giving them a blue badge, for free parking.

And apparently I'm the one whose mad.

calcotti

K80_Black wrote: »

This is because the old descriptors used to end with 'for reasons other than psychological distress' at the end of them - aside from the one that specifically mentions psychological disress. It used to be totally impossible for people with mental illness to score the highest rate for PIP mobility, even if they were totally housebound.

This doesn’t fully capture the history of the descriptors.

The words ‘for reasons other than psychological distress’ were only added to the start of descriptors c, d and f in 2017 because the government were trying to circumvent a court ruling about how the PIP descriptors should be applied in respect of people with mental health issues. The court had said that mental health issues should be taken into account.

Subsequently, in 2018, the government was forced, by further court action which found the change to be discriminatory, to remove this extra wording (and to undertake an expensive review of all PIP awards made while the wording was applied).

The current wording of the descriptors takes them back to where they started.

Fuller history is outlined here https://cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights/resources/article/pip-and-psychological-distress in first part of article from 2018.

In respect of the point scoring I think these two descriptors have different targets. Not being able to follow a journal without assistance could be the result of a wide variety of mental health conditions. The descriptor referring to overwhelming psychological distress has a specific target. In both cases the person affected may have no physical impairment affecting their walking. Previously automatic entitlement to a BB from PIP related solely to the physical descriptors. The new changes broadens this to include some mental health issues. I guess the argument is that people with psychological distress are going to need to minimise there time outside whereas somebody who needs assistance to navigate does not. (There is of course a lag of logic in giving a BB to someone on the grounds that they cannot undertake any journey but perhaps we’d better overlook that.)

This is the original government press release on the new changes https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-of-blue-badge-fraud-as-scheme-is-extended-to-those-with-hidden-disabilities

pearl123

Only just found out about the blue badge scheme being extended. My mother has severe and enduring mental illness and has never been able to travel without another person. She also has some mobility issues due to age. Do you just fill out the form or do you also need a medical professional to certify the facts as well?

poppy12345

pearl123 wrote: »

Only just found out about the blue badge scheme being extended. My mother has severe and enduring mental illness and has never been able to travel without another person. She also has some mobility issues due to age. Do you just fill out the form or do you also need a medical professional to certify the facts as well?

She will need evidence to support her claim.

pearl123

poppy12345 wrote: »

She will need evidence to support her claim.

I've got documentary evidence. I just wonder if it is enough.