dla

hi everyone , iv joined benefits and work on behalf of my son who is in receipt of dla but im unsure to wether for many years he has been receiving the wrong amounts of dla as i have done an online test for pip on his account and the results are for the high areas in care needs and mobility needs ,my question is should i challenge this by going for pip now or wait for the change over which could be some time away ,im not sure what steps to take or to maybe start with citizens advice first . many thanks for any advice ...... at present my son has middle care rate and low mobility needs on dla

whaley wrote: hi everyone , iv joined benefits and work on behalf of my son who is in receipt of dla but im unsure to wether for many years he has been receiving the wrong amounts of dla as i have done an online test for pip on his account and the results are for the high areas in care needs and mobility needs ,my question is should i challenge this by going for pip now or wait for the change over which could be some time away ,im not sure what steps to take or to maybe start with citizens advice first . many thanks for any advice ...... at present my son has middle care rate and low mobility needs on dla

Hi w,

Welcome to Benefits and Work

Before we can advise further, can you please clarify how old your son is ?

Are his DLA Awards fixed term awards, or are they indefinite/life awards ? (if applicable)

Please reply to this topic and we will take it from there !!

bro58

bro58 wrote:

whaley wrote: hi everyone , iv joined benefits and work on behalf of my son who is in receipt of dla but im unsure to wether for many years he has been receiving the wrong amounts of dla as i have done an online test for pip on his account and the results are for the high areas in care needs and mobility needs ,my question is should i challenge this by going for pip now or wait for the change over which could be some time away ,im not sure what steps to take or to maybe start with citizens advice first . many thanks for any advice ...... at present my son has middle care rate and low mobility needs on dla

Hi w,

Welcome to Benefits and Work

Before we can advise further, can you please clarify how old your son is ?

Are his DLA Awards fixed term awards, or are they indefinite/life awards ? (if applicable)

Please reply to this topic and we will take it from there !!

bro58

Hi w,

O.K., we will narrow it down to one question, is your son under 16 years of age ?

bro58

Hi w,

As you have not responded, I will try to cover the different scenarios.

If your son is currently under 16 years of age, he cannot transfer over to PIP, as it is for "working age" claimants only, 16-64 years old.

If under 16, around 16-20 weeks before he turns 16, you (his parent or guardian) will
be contacted to inform you about the change in benefits from DLA to PIP.

You will also be asked whether your son needs an appointee and what their preferred method of communication is.

When he reaches 16 they will contact him personally, telling him that he needs to apply for PIP.

Provided he makes a claim for PIP his DLA award will continue beyond his sixteenth birthday, until 4 weeks after a decision has been made on his entitlement to PIP.

This is on the provision that he lives in an Active PIP Postcode Area at that time :

PIP Postcode Map.

If he doesn't live in an active PIP area, he will be reassessed as an adult under DLA criteria.

if under 16, You could of report a C of C and have his current DLA Awards reviewed. Under this scenario, any change to the DLA award (positive or negative) would be active from the date of reporting the C of C.

If he is currently over 16 years old and you report a Change of Circumstances (C of C) regarding a change/deterioration in his Mobility limitations or Care needs, again, if not in an active PIP area he would be reviewed under DLA criteria rather than PIP.

If over 16, with a fixed term award, then he should expect to be invited to claim PIP 16-20 weeks before the end of the fixed term award, if in an active PIP area, if not, DLA.

If over 16 with "Indefinite"/Life DLA Awards, then he should expect to be invited to claim PIP sometime after October 2015 running until October 2017.

Have a look at our : PIP Self Test

You should be aware that PIP has a totally diferent qualifying criteria to that of DLA, see :

PIP Claims Guide. (2nd Link on page)

Under any of the scenarios mentioned above, (except for reporting a C of C if under 16) there will be no backating of PIP, he will continue to receive his current rate of DLA until 4 weeks after the date of the PIP decision.

This will be the case whether he receives a higher PIP award than his DLA, or no PIP award at all.

Please reply to this topic if you have further queries.

bro58