Assesements

[Diasi]

My research suggests when PIP was introduced in 2013 to replace DLA any claimant below retiremaent age would be migrated to PIP, this process is still ongoing. Any DLA claimant above retiremaent age in 2013 would continue to receive DLA.
The introduction of PIP was to make disability benefits more fairer for the disabled.(Govt jargon, not mine) yet thousands of DLA claimants have lost some or all their benefit.So much for fairness !

DLA was awarded based on a person's medical condition irrespective of how it affected them so a person, who had medical conditions but who could drive, cook, chop wood, walk the dog for 5 miles a day & didn't need any care, got DLA.

PIP is based on how a medical condition affects a person's day-to-day living so this same person wasn't awarded PIP as they were fully mobile & didn't need any care.

[Goingtoseed]

Hi when i spoke to pip advisor they said all pensioners with ongoing conditions would be eligeble for this xxxx

That is exactly what I am talking about. The eligibility factor to get a 10 year award will be based on the conditions being ongoing and unlikely to change thus the difficulties will never improve.
Hence why they said 'eligible'. There are many in receipt of PIP who are now pensioners that don't have a condition that will never improve.
The government last year indicated who should be entitled to a 10 year award. They actually listed some illnesses and conditions that they accepted would give rise to difficulties that would never improve. They quoted Parkinsons. MND and MS as some.


At the moment it is quite simple to get a standard care award based entirely on having 4 different aids that are obtained easily. Compare that to someone who is suffering MND. Is it being suggested that those with the 4 aids, walking stick, help with bathing, help with getting dressed/undressed etc and currently on a Standard Care award for say 3 years  should get a 10 year award just the same as a Parkinson sufferer?


I have many issues and you could say that two of them are certainly life threatening. But with the correct treatment and medication I can live a quite normal life without any interference from those issues. Additionally no one knows what advances will come about over the next 5 years in medical science.


I have a 5 year award of PIP both at the Enhanced rates (care & mobility) - do I consider myself in the same position as my late friend was in having MND? Certainly not. Should I get a 10 year award with no further assessment to be carried out? No, I honestly believe that I would fit another 5 year one and have assessments every 4 years. I'm 70 and this has been the norm for me since I went onto PIP from DLA back in 2013.


PIP is not a one size fits all benefit.

[katkin11]

Pensioners with cronic artritis will never get better/ i know a lot of them and cant see them being able to run marathons or run for a bus in the furture.

[mick607]

Or an amputee won.t grow another limb.

[GrannyMac]

Excuse my ignorance of such issues, but is the principle of disability benefits to make up, at least in part, for extra costs incurred from having a chronic condition and/or disability where one has to pay for help?

After GTS suggested as we are over 70 we may be entitled, I went through the claim form as if I were my OH, with a long standing heart condition.  If either of us get to a point where we can do very little for ourselves, then I'll have a look again.  At present, he couldn't claim, in truth, to need help with anything on the form.   It made me realise how incapacitated someone must be to qualify!

We have a nephew with early onset, fairly severe Parkinsons. I'd like to think that someone in his situation, with a family to support, gets the long term financial help he needs.  His condition won't improve.   He gets the top level everything, but it in no way compensates for his salary.

[mick607]

It's not designed to compensate for the loss of his salary GM but only to help with additional costs for transport & care that's all.

[GrannyMac]

It's not designed to compensate for the loss of his salary GM but only to help with additional costs for transport & care that's all.

I get that.  it was the mention of Parkinsons by GTS that brought his situation to mind.  He would fit the criteria on the form in abundance. A decent career cut short.  At least he gets a bit of pension from his public sector employer.  Others are much worse off.

[mick607]

That is so sad GM.

[GrannyMac]

It is Mick.  No matter how well someone plans, or how hard they work, ill health takes no notice.  Thats why I get a bit irritated with people who point out that luck plays no part in life.  😢

[mick607]

I agree entirely GM.

[Diasi]

It is Mick.  No matter how well someone plans, or how hard they work, ill health takes no notice.  Thats why I get a bit irritated with people who point out that luck plays no part in life.  😢

Luck / happenchance , or whatever you want to call it, plays a huge part in many aspects of life.

[Goingtoseed]

I get that.  it was the mention of Parkinsons by GTS that brought his situation to mind.  He would fit the criteria on the form in abundance. A decent career cut short.  At least he gets a bit of pension from his public sector employer.  Others are much worse off.

The DWP in their statement of last year emphasised that those with conditions that are severe and create impact and are unlikely to improve would get the 10 year award. They identified Parkinsons as one of those conditions that would fall into that category.


I have attached the recent statement that clearly says at the top of the page that the 'eligible' conditions would be those that are most severe and lifelong.


I doubt many would put some every day condition in the same category as Parkinsons or even MND.


People with the most severe, life-long conditions

[mick607]

Yet Amber Rudd the pensions minister responsible say's nothing about the severest illnesses only but all OAPs should not have regular reviews.Read what she says.
https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2019/may/light-touch-pip-reviews-be-rolled-out-disabled-people-pension-age
We will have to wait & see !

[Goingtoseed]

Yet Amber Rudd the pensions minister responsible say's nothing about the severest illnesses only but all OAPs should not have regular reviews.Read what she says.
https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2019/may/light-touch-pip-reviews-be-rolled-out-disabled-people-pension-age
We will have to wait & see !

Yes we will have to wait and see what the 'missing small print' will say.

What a Minister says is one thing, what actually happens thereafter is another thing.
I really do wish that people take everything with a pinch of salt with what is both said and reported especially by various non official websites like disability rights and politicians.

What really matters is what the DWP formally issue as a statement of intent. That is what I was referring to above.
The latest official statement says that the 10 year review period and light touch review will be available for those 'persons with the most severe and lifelong conditions' - (the eligible criteria).

No mention has been made that it will apply to everybody who is over SRA. In fact if it did include all of the 270,000 claimants the cost would be enormous.

[mick607]

Saw this on another forum tonight.
  PIP ongoing awards for pensioners.    <blockquote> An example of the letter being sent to pensioners with PIP about their awards becoming 'ongoing - light touch' has been published as part of an FoI request, you can download it here:
 https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/reque..._passthrough=1
 
 You won't get the letter until a month before your next 'review would have been triggered'.
 (I'm not sure if that 'triggered' means 12 months before the award end date like they do with reassessments, or the award end date itself).
 
 Info from the FoI reply:
    if a claimant has an award review date, the letter will be sent 30 days before the review would have triggered. If a claimant is terminally ill and in receipt of a time limited award, the letter will be sent 30 days before we would have sent them their end of award notifications.      A claimant will also receive a new entitlement letter (PIP0500) and a Motability letter (PIP0501) if they are in receipt of Enhanced mobility.      The light touch process has yet to be fully designed, but we aim to do so well in advance of the first reviews taking place in 2023.   https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/reque...final.pdf.html </blockquote>   

Hope it helps.