going from DLA to PIP

Thanks Sarah, thats very clear and as i thought, so hubby was born 1 year to late and me 2 years to late, 1949 and 1951. Seems so unfair cos to have to apply for the PIP is near enough impossible to get from what ive read and heard. So anyone born before 1948 doesnt get touched then.

Sue

Sarah, a bit of advice for you, do not rush to getting a PIP Application Form completed. The online version has been changed by the DWP and prevents you from enlightening them of certain aspects that effect you personally, because they have made the answer boxes much smaller, it is one of the tricks they have done with PIP and ESA online forms. We may have the same disorder as another person, but they could be suffering in silence like many people do, while others will complain of every single pain, we are all different. The way the DWP see's us is from a totally different perspective I can assure you.

Theres many places on the actual paper version that if you hit them, they instantly "zero" your application, so you don't even reach the assessment.

What you have to remember is this, if you get a question and it has just a YES or NO box to tick, tick the box that applies to you and write either close to the question or add more paper so you can fill it in with as much content and detail as possible. Just because a person as a certain disorder, it does not mean it is the same as yours, you could be worse in one area than another, this needs to be explained in depth. It is like saying every Neurologist is the same, that would be a very inaccurate statement indeed, they all specialise in certain areas of Neurology. The same applies to Doctors in sugeries, they are all trained up to a certain degree, but you also find that there are a few that know more about certain disorders than others, this is why they have out of hours meetings to talk about certain patients and how other doctors would treat the same disorder.

My doctor is quite good she asks other doctors for their opinions on problems or seek further advice from hospital specialists, whom in my case means I end up seeing another consultant and having more tests done.

With PIP Application forms content and detail is essential, medication being taken and how much per day, and doses. Any additional medication done in hospitals, as in physio, chemo or injections are important include dates if applicable, or time between appointments. These days hospitals will normally send reports of such medication which include medication given, what part of the body and for which disorder. I have many and keep them in a folder if I am needed to send them to anyone.

Completing the form, do not rush it at all - if it takes a week then you will have much more content for the DWP than someone that fills theirs in just a few hours.

Also read through it a few times make sure everything is correct and do not put misleading information in it to make your case look worse. It only takes one person to contradict what you have written and you will lose your case.

Hope that helps a few people...

Regards,

Les.

Thanks for advice. As I mentioned I have no intention of fillling out a PIP form until I am asked to do so and they take my DLA from me. I just wanted to see what they were like.

Sarah

Thanks Les i thought so. For the first time in my life i actually wish i were five years older! Hubby has got to go through the proccess of trying to get PIP for the sake of being born in 1949 .  I myselfe wont even bother, my ailement of M.E.  is no wheres as bad as many, i dont take any medication for this as theres nothing out there so i dont stand a chance really.How one can go from getting high rate mobilty to failing PIP i dont know. You dont get better as you age do you, most of us get worse.As to under 16 getting DLA i know of children one of them my own relative gets £180 per week to spend on what she pleases, booze, fags makeup, clothes, has a learning disorder, but she is in no pain at all, she is 18,another one has the one where he keeps needing to wash his hands, another nice bank balance building up there too, again in no pain or physical disabilties.He is 14,  Whats going on hear, the government are attacking the genuine sick and those in pain every day, not interested in the physical side at all, dont take any notice of drs or hospital reports, neither scans or xrays, not interested. You def seem to get somewhere if you have a mental problem rather thana physical one thats for sure.

Sue

I too was born in 1949!! I agree, it seems that those with any degree of 'anxiety' and/or 'depression' will be quids in with PIP.  I too find it difficult to imagine that those with HIGH/MID care and/or mobility of DLA will end up with 0 points with PIP. I'm certainly not expecting anything better than a complete fail when I transfer over.

But as I have said before maybe it is a blessing in disguise. Do we really want to have to fill in these claim forms and be dragged before the likes of ATOS?CAPITA every few years to be reassessed when we are in our latter years? The thought of multiple reconsiderations and tribunals until I am 90 (if I actually make it that far) is not something I relish.

I'm waiting now for the government to change Attendance Allowance and make it along the same lines as PIP - now that will be something to worry about.

I can't seem to download a PIP application form from my computer.

Don't want to ring them as they are still paying me DLA so prefer to leave things well alone.

Any idea where I could get a form from so I can see what I have to do when I have to apply?

Sarah

Sara if i were you id leave well alone and dont be in a hurry to to apply  for PIP. until you have to. Carry on getting the DLA as long as you can, who knows you may well get an extra year before they get to you and ask you you to apply for PIP or just lose your DLA benefit and do nothing, its up to you then but i certainly wouldnt rush to apply for the PIP until you have too. im sending you a pm with a link which may help with downloading the form in advance just to see what questions are asked. im not sure but its worth asking them if available .

Sue

HI Les your right in what you say about  Do we really want to have to fill in these claim forms and be dragged before the likes of ATOS  Thing is many are relying on keeping their DLA or PIP when it comes to it to keep their mobility cars and free road tax if running their own car. To lose this means being home bound, its dreadful i know.  Heaven forbid if they do change the attendance allowence though. We dont get this but will both find it a struggle living on just state pension with running a car and buying extras to help us both. I rely on my DLA to get about and buy medications to help me cope with the daily pain and othrer ailments.

I think Satan himself is pulling the strings to our government  sometimes!

Yes I can fully understand what losing the mobility element wiil mean to those that have a Motability car. I have had those cars for quite a few years, but when it became apparent in June 2013 exactly what was to happen and how, I arranged with Motability to return my car after only 15 months. I then bought a new car on credit which they can't take away subject of course to the monthly payments being made.

At least we will not be without transport when my turn comes to move over to PIP.

When I fail the PIP assessment I will go straight over to Attendance Allowance. At least that way we can still get all of the add on's and extra premiums.

Les in your case it shouldnt be when you fail the PIP but IF you fail

Sue

Hi les if someone have enough proofs that he or she are disabled and they have the Gp support and one consultant I don't see why they don't get the pip I understand it's very tough with atos but at the end of the day ,there's appeal and they lost a lot of cases , so if you know how to fill the form you will be ok as sometimes a same question will be asked 5 to 6 times in a different way so all of us we need to read the form 10 times before starting filling it , and good luck to all 

It is good for you to be optomistic. Unfortunately where the DWP are involved, my history of their inability to make correct decisions is pretty conclusive

I am still fighting the DWP over a benefit that they say should have been paid to me from 2004 to 2011. The only thing stopping them making the payment is that they are denying that an appeal against the 2004 decision was received by them. I know I sent it, but they say that they can't find it.There is a note in their files that the letter was received by them, but they seem to have lost it - the appeal was contained within that letter. With interest the amount now stands at just over £20,000!!!

Even the professional Welfare Rights people are accepting that there seems to be a case to answer where ATOS/CAPITA are concerned in that they are seeing the cases that they represent come back with a 0 points despite evidence to the contrary being submitted.

 

Morning Les im using this post to reply to one of your recent posts which i cant find. Its to do with losing our pension credit and therfore losing getting cancel tax , i checked this out and found this

Income that is not counted towards Pension Credit

Income that is not counted towards Pension Credit includes:

Attendance Allowance

Christmas Bonus

Disability Living Allowance

Housing Benefit

So it shouldnt affect your council tax unless of course you have over £16.000. If you want the link pm me and ill send it to you.

Sue 

I should have said that Guaranteed Pension Credit automatically guarantees full Council Tax Benefit. Without it you have to make a claim to the council.

When they take my DLA off me (MRC - Mobility doesn't affect it) all of the premiums go with it. which makes me lose our GPC.

Yes you are right about those items not being taken into account, but even after losing the GPC, Mortgage payments and the DLA, it will still leave our combined income/capital above the threshold to get maximum Council Tax benefit. And yes we have £10,000 in savings in the 4 year granny bonds. Plus We have £85,000 (maturity of an insurance policy) which is to pay off the mortgage (£85,000) in April 2016. Under Pension Credit ALL capital is ignored for a given period of time - Assessed Income Period.

So losing DLA will mean that we can't get any Council Tax Benefit. 

Arrr Les i see, yes if you have over £16.000 then you cant get council tax help.

Sue

Correct, but you can be a millionaire and get GPC which gives you total exemption from Council Tax!

Lol Les im just confused now, i just dont understand it all, what id like to know is who gets GPC and how or why, we are on plain pension credit not the GPC, if we were then we wouldnt be having to pay for all our dental. Tried researching on the net to find a straight forward  answer to my question but its gibbly dooo and i just dont get it!

Sue

your confused? that makes two of us. Anyhow, GPC - Guaranteed Pension Credit is also known as Pension Credit as opposed to Savings Credit!!!

There are 2 parts to Pension Credit - the Guaranteed bit that is means tested and the Savings bit that is paid out based on how well you have provided for yourself in retirement (savings/private pensions etc) and isn't means tested..

The Guaranteed bit gives all of the exemptions, but the Savings bit doesn't.

Some people get the Guaranteed bit only, some just get the Savings bit whilst others get both.

It should show on your award which one you are getting.

Les thanks for explanation but as Tom Hanks said in the film BIG 'i dont get it '  what sort of savings counts then? Does it have to be the type in a special retirement fund then, i ask this as i know of people in our family who are over 75 and lots of savings, well over what we have yet they still got GPC, therefore everything else free as you say. So if you have saved for yoiur retirement years and you have say £20.000 in the bank this obviously makes you over the £16.000 limit for being excempt from council tax, so i still dont get it. There seems to be a different catagory to for over 70s or 75 as well. I know of a lady who is 85, she has £15.000 in her bank account yet still gets her council tax paid? Seems to me if you say yes we have saved for our retirment and we have say for example £7000 between you then you still get told you have to much, you dont qualify for help with dental !  It seems to me the mystery is how you save for your retirment yet still dont over the top at the same time. Yes we showed the letter to our dentist and she said no your not on GPC just pension credit which doesnt count for dental help.

In the main it amounts to what you have put aside for retirement in the form of pension policies and what they are paying out.

There is no difference as to age for Pension Credit.

When the DWP assess you for GPC they look at what capital and income you have coming in and top it up to the appropriate amount.

It is more than possible that if both (couple) get Attendance Allowance/Middle or higher rate for care of DLA/Standard or Enhanced rate for care of PIP of a mixture of one or the other + Mobility DLA/PIP and provided that at the time of claiming they did not have more than £10,000 in savings, the government would make sure that they would have a total combined income of not less that a £1 or so short of £700 per week - that is what the government say they would need to live on. On top of that they could get their mortgage interest paid up to maximum loan of £100,000/full housing benefit if they rent and full Council Tax benefit. On top of that they could claim the 'extras' dental etc.

If then they either inherit £1m or win the lottery, the DWP will ignore that extra capital for up to 5 years or for life if the claimants are over 75.