Am I able to claim the mobility side of PIP?

Coldste

So I claim the daily living part of PIP at the standard rate and ESA been ruled as unable to work due to autism been claiming for a while now. A friend said to me since I was claiming PIP I might be able to get a discount, on road tax once I pass my driving test. So after looking into what PIP I get I found out it’s only the daily living part I get. Looked at the example PIP form on .gov and the mobility questions are (for those that don’t know)
“Do you need help from another person to plan a route to somewhere you know well?”
“Do you need help getting somewhere you don’t know well?”
“Are you unable to go out of severe anxiety or stress?”

Now this is the interesting part, I don’t go anywhere without me mum to places I know or don’t know, so I’m not sure if I should be able to claim this side of PIP. So would it be worth phoning the DWP or seeing a benefits advisor about this. Only I don’t want to risk having to reapply for PIP and  when non of my daily living has changed. I see and hear so many stories about people finding out the were missing out on stuff they were rightfully entitled to claim.   

Alice_Holt

If you advise PIP of a change in circumstances, then you are asked to complete a new form and go through the whole assessment process again.

I wouldn't suggest you phone PIP - the people you speak to are call-handlers, not benefit advisers, and often give incorrect information.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/fill-in-form-pip/13-going-out/

peteuk

Your Pip assessment would have covered mobility, so you have already been assessed for it.  Some would argue that having a drivers license gives you the capacity to plan a route and so will discount the mobility section (It was still happening in 2022).

The threshold for not leaving the house is high, and will need hard evidence to back it up.

The risk as you point out is you will have a full assessment and losing your award,

HillStreetBlues

peteuk said:

Your Pip assessment would have covered mobility, so you have already been assessed for it.  Some would argue that having a drivers license gives you the capacity to plan a route and so will discount the mobility section (It was still happening in 2022).

The threshold for not leaving the house is high, and will need hard evidence to back it up.

The risk as you point out is you will have a full assessment and losing your award,

I disagree.
Learning to drive and taking a test a person will always be accompanied by another person.
To get any award you do not need "hard evidence" but the more supporting evidence a person has will help.

Alice_Holt

peteuk said:

Some would argue that having a drivers license gives you the capacity to plan a route and so will discount the mobility section (It was still happening in 2022).

      Yes, this can be the usual nonsense cited by assessors as "evidence" for not awarding a mobility award. 

   OF course, what should be looked at is the claimant's holistic ability to plan and follow a journey on foot, driving and using public transport.  The assessment should consider claimant’s ability to manage entirety of a journey, including parts not accomplished by driving.

   It's scarcely surprising that over 70% of PIP appeals succeed at tribunal when the standard of assessments and DWP decision making is so woeful.  I have even seen a report of a telephone assessment claiming that "good eye contact was maintained throughout". 
  There is something unsettling about claimants having to disclose very personal issues and health problems to a supposedly qualified assessor, only to receive a rushed dismissive cut and paste report complete with spurious comparisons. 
      

HillStreetBlues

Alice_Holt said:

peteuk said:

Some would argue that having a drivers license gives you the capacity to plan a route and so will discount the mobility section (It was still happening in 2022).

      Yes, this can be the usual nonsense cited by assessors as "evidence" for not awarding a mobility award. 

   OF course, what should be looked at is the claimant's holistic ability to plan and follow a journey on foot, driving and using public transport.  The assessment should consider claimant’s ability to manage entirety of a journey, including parts not accomplished by driving.

   It's scarcely surprising that over 70% of PIP appeals succeed at tribunal when the standard of assessments and DWP decision making is so woeful.  I have even seen a report of a telephone assessment claiming that "good eye contact was maintained throughout". 
  There is something unsettling about claimants having to disclose very personal issues and health problems to a supposedly qualified assessor, only to receive a rushed dismissive cut and paste report complete with spurious comparisons. 
      

That is terrible, but knowing how bad they can be, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest

Spoonie_Turtle

Coldste said:

… Looked at the example PIP form on .gov and the mobility questions are (for those that don’t know)
“Do you need help from another person to plan a route to somewhere you know well?”
“Do you need help getting somewhere you don’t know well?”
“Are you unable to go out of severe anxiety or stress?”

Now this is the interesting part, I don’t go anywhere without me mum to places I know or don’t know, so I’m not sure if I should be able to claim this side of PIP.

The question is, do you need to go with your mum to feel safe/not overwhelmed/here able to navigate?

Think about why you go everywhere with your mum - if it's for practicality or convenience (e.g. you don't drive and there's no public transport), IF there were suitable public transport that could take you places, would you be able to go without feeling overwhelmed/disoriented/unsafe?
Or if you already take public transport together, would you be able to do it without her, without getting lost or overwhelmed or so exhausted you can't do anything afterwards?

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/fill-in-form-pip/13-going-out/

The relevant activity here is Planning and Following Journeys - these are the descriptors https://pipinfo.net/activities/planning-and-following-journeys

And this is how it's assessed https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria#mobility-activities
Note: "11d or 11f only apply where a claimant could not reliably make their way along a route without an accompanying person, assistance dog or orientation aid. The presence of another person out of preference, is not sufficient."

poppy12345

peteuk said:

The threshold for not leaving the house is high, and will need hard evidence to back it up.

I completely disagree with this. You don't need "hard evidence" at all. I've probably mentioned this before but when i claimed PIP for my daughter back in 2017 she didn't have any diagnosis at that time so i had no medical evidence to send to support her claim.

At that time you could count on your one hand how many times she left the house alone (nothing has changed since then). She wouldn't even know which direction to go in or be able to tell the time to know when to go to catch a bus.  Even during her college days she had a taxi paid for by our LA which was door to door.

Decision, Enhanced for both parts awarded by DWP.

peteuk

HillStreetBlues said:

peteuk said:

Your Pip assessment would have covered mobility, so you have already been assessed for it.  Some would argue that having a drivers license gives you the capacity to plan a route and so will discount the mobility section (It was still happening in 2022).

The threshold for not leaving the house is high, and will need hard evidence to back it up.

The risk as you point out is you will have a full assessment and losing your award,

I disagree.
Learning to drive and taking a test a person will always be accompanied by another person.
To get any award you do not need "hard evidence" but the more supporting evidence a person has will help.

I am only going by experience and what I was taught, either during initial training or through mentored assessments. 

Ive seen a drivers license/use of car used for many activities. 

For OPD - the threshold is high and it does need hard evidence, because of the high threshold.  For instance if the OP can  take medication prescribed by GP and leave the house then its not OPD, but if there is consultant letters, mix of medication tried etc then your more likely to get OPD proven.

Please don't get me wrong, I totally agree that the drivers license is wrong, but Id rather people know what they are up against.   

HillStreetBlues

peteuk said:

I am only going by experience and what I was taught, either during initial training or through mentored assessments. 

Ive seen a drivers license/use of car used for many activities. 

For OPD - the threshold is high and it does need hard evidence, because of the high threshold.  For instance if the OP can  take medication prescribed by GP and leave the house then its not OPD, but if there is consultant letters, mix of medication tried etc then your more likely to get OPD proven.

Please don't get me wrong, I totally agree that the drivers license is wrong, but Id rather people know what they are up against.   

I do feel you need to make it clear that you talking about how a "assessment" might work, in case you put someone off from claiming.
If after an assessment a claim is refused,  there is a MR that doesn't normally change a decision, then a Tribunal that does normally change a decision.
From personal experiences, I know how bad "assessments" can be, also know how it can be a battle with little evidence, but someone can get the correct claim to they are able to follow the process to the end.

Spoonie_Turtle

HillStreetBlues said:

peteuk said:

I am only going by experience and what I was taught, either during initial training or through mentored assessments. 

Ive seen a drivers license/use of car used for many activities. 

For OPD - the threshold is high and it does need hard evidence, because of the high threshold.  For instance if the OP can  take medication prescribed by GP and leave the house then its not OPD, but if there is consultant letters, mix of medication tried etc then your more likely to get OPD proven.

Please don't get me wrong, I totally agree that the drivers license is wrong, but Id rather people know what they are up against.   

I do feel you need to make it clear that you talking about how a "assessment" might work, in case you put someone off from claiming.

Completely agree.  What you are talking about peteuk is the initial assessment, not whether they could actually be entitled to PIP according to the actual criteria.  While it's good to prepare people, the way you word it makes it sound like they wouldn't be entitled to PIP rather than you warning of the outcome of the assessment - which is often totally irrelevant to whether someone is actually entitled to PIP.

Thankfully assessors are 'only' the initial gatekeepers not the ultimate arbiters of whether people get an award or not.  But it's absolutely scandalous that the first hurdle is in reality geared to fail people and make them need to fight for what they are entitled to, despite often being very unwell and really not able to fight without it making them even more unwell.