Claiming personal independence payment

The government has said ‘What you get is not based on your condition but how your condition affects you.’  So a key thing to note is that people with CGD are not automatically entitled to claim PIP even though they are covered by the Equality Act 2010.

Each applicant is assessed on their ability to carry out basic activities, such as walking a certain distance, managing your medicines or treatments, communicating, making decisions about money, washing and bathing, or preparing and eating food. The assessment is based on a points system for how these activities are affected by your health problems.

Information will be gathered about the applicant from healthcare professionals and other support workers.

Most people will be expected to attend a face-to-face consultation with an assessor as part of the claim process.

The organisation ‘Benefits and Work’ has a simple self-test which allows you to score yourself for the daily living and mobility components of PIP just by clicking with your mouse.

Personal Independence Payment is paid every four weeks; it is tax-free and can be paid if you’re in or out of work.

It is paid in two parts. Whether you get one or both of these depends on how your condition affects you.

The daily living component as of May 2017 is:

Standard – £59.70

Enhanced – £89.15

Mobility component:

Standard – £23.60

Enhanced – £62.25

Claimants (or those supporting them) phone the DWP to make a claim for PIP. This involves an identity check and some basic questions.

The DWP will then send claimants a form where they can explain how their condition affects them. Additional support such as the provision of alternative form formats is available if needed.

Telephone: 0800 917 2222
Textphone: 0800 917 7777
Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 917 2222
Video relay service for British Sign Language (BSL) users – check you can use the service
Calling from abroad: +44 191 218 7766
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm
Find out about call charges 

Claim by post

You can get a form to send information by post (although this can delay the decision on your claim). Write a letter to ask for the form.

Personal Independence Payment New Claims
Post Handling Site B
Wolverhampton
WV99 1AH

www.gov.uk/pip/how-to-claim

If you live in Northern Ireland the process is different. Visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/personal-independence-payment

Here is a copy of the specimen form PIP1 – Specimen (publishing.service.gov.uk) for this part of the your application to give you an idea of what information is needed at this stage.

Once this process is complete claimants are then sent a form to fill out to explain how their condition affects them.

The claimant completes the ‘How your disability affects you’ form to explain how their condition affects their daily life, both on good and bad days, and over a range of activities.

Here is a PIP1 – Specimen (publishing.service.gov.uk) for this part of the claim to give you an idea of what this looks like.

Our tips are:

• Complete ALL the boxes in as much detail as you can. There are sections that ask for further information please do use these parts of the form to explain how your condition affects you. Remember that the assessors probably do not know anything about your condition so this is a chance to open their eyes about its impact on you.
• Consider asking your friends and family about how your condition impacts on your daily life because if you are ill often you can sometimes forget what ‘normal life’ is like.
• Compare what you can do to someone of a similar age who is not affected by CGD.
• Provide supporting evidence e.g. a doctor’s letter, a letter confirming your diagnosis, the list of medicines you take etc and send it in with your form. We strongly advice that you take this opportunity to send any relevant information in with your application.

The claim details, form and supporting evidence are then passed to the health professional assessor. This person reviews the claim against a set of clear descriptors to assess the challenges faced by the individual.

Most people will be asked to attend a face-to-face consultation unless a decision can be based on written evidence and claimants can take someone along for support. Home visits are available when necessary. This consultation provides the opportunity for the claimant to explain their support needs in their own words.

A DWP case manager will use all the information in the claim form, from the health professional and anything else that has been provided. They will make a reasoned decision on entitlement, including the level and length of award.

The appeal process

You have every right to challenge any decision made by the DWP e.g. appealing against a decision not to award a PIP benefit, challenging the level at which the benefit was set etc.

Unlike in the past, when you could simply go straight to appeal if you were unhappy with a benefits decision, you now must have a mandatory reconsideration before you can actually appeal. This means that another decision maker must look at the decision before you can lodge an appeal.

If you do decide to go to appeal the CGD Society will be able to provide you with a ‘Benefits and Work’ guide that will help give you the best possible chance of success at appeal, on how to challenge a medical report and how to write a submission to get your arguments in front of the tribunal before your appeal.  Also visit our webpage on attending a tribunal.

Have you been successful at claiming PIP or challenged a PIP decision? If so please share your experience and any advice you may have with us so we can help other people. Contact us at hello@cgdsociety.org

Other useful links

https://www.gov.uk/pip/overview

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

http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/personal-independence-payment-pip