Questions about PIP?
Personal Independence Payment important phone Numbers
PIP Claims Line:
England, Scotland and Wales : 0800 917 2222
Northern Ireland: 0800 012 1573
PIP Helpline:
England, Scotland and Wales: 0800 121 4433
Northern Ireland: 0800 587 0932
Personal Independence Payment
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) was introduced on 8 April 2013 to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64. It applies to new claims from April 2013 (in some areas) and all areas from June 2013. DLA claimants aged under 16 and over 65 will not be affected.
People currently receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will be reassessed on a rolling programme from October 2015 unless their award runs out before that date or they ask for a reassessment. The intention is that by 2018 all eligible DLA claimants aged 16-64 will have been reassessed for PIP.
The structure of PIP
PIP has two components Daily Living and Mobility.
The Daily Living component is awarded at two different levels :
Standard rate - if you have a limited ability to carry out daily living activities £55.65 per week
Enhanced rate – if you have a severely limited ability to carry out daily activities £83.10 per week
The Mobility component is also awarded at two different levels :
Standard rate – if you have a limited mobility £22 per week
Timetable for the introduction of PIP
From 8 April 2013 – An initial pilot of selected new PIP claims in the North West and parts of the North East of England. No existing DLA recipients will be asked to claim PIP at this point.
From June 2013 – New claims to PIP will be taken in all remaining areas of the country. Only recipients, making a renewal claim, aged 16-64 on a fixed term DLA which is due to expire before the end of February 2014 will still apply for DLA. This means that this particular group will continue receiving DLA if eligible and at a later date invited to claim PIP.
From October 2013 – The following DLA recipients will be invited to claim PIP: children turning 16, people reporting changes of circumstances which would affect their rate of the benefit, fixed term DLA recipients whose award expires from the end of February 2014, and people who volunteer to be moved, if eligible, from DLA onto PIP.
How to claim PIP
Stage 1 - To make a claim you will have to telephone the DWP and provide basic information which will include your personal and contact details.
Stage 2 – After confirming your eligibility the DWP will send you a questionnaire to gather more information about how your health condition or disability affects your day-to-day life.
Stage 3 - Once your questionnaire has been received by the DWP, your case is then referred to one of the appointed providers IAS or CAPITA along with any additional evidence which you have included. The provider then conducts the assessment (desk based or face to face), gathers any additional necessary evidence and gives an assessment report to the DWP.
Stage 4 – The DWP Case Manager (a decision maker who acts on behalf of the Secretary of State) reviews the assessment report and the evidence, before making a decision about your benefit entitlement.
The Case Manager will inform you about the entitlement to the benefit in writing. If you are not awarded benefit, or if the benefit will be reduced, the Case Manager will telephone you (3 attempts in 48 hours) to explain the reasoning for the decision.
Appeals - If you are not satisfied with the decision reached, you can request a reconsideration. This will usually be conducted by a different Case Manager. If, following the reconsideration, you are still not satisfied with the decision, you can submit an appeal. You cannot submit an appeal without first requesting a reconsideration.
Information and guidance
The Department for Work and Pensions have recently released an information leaflet regarding the scheme, which can be downloaded at gov.uk.
