Why was my PIP reduced?

peppapot

Please can someone explain how I was assessed for dla and got high rate mobility and used a walking stick. I then got assessed for pip and got standard rate mobility and I now use a mobility scooter?? I now will lose my mobility car too it’s farcical was there suddenly a miracle cure as I walked into the assessment at pip. I thought pip meant personal INDEPENDENCE payment I have now had my independence taken away as I can’t walk far and can’t use public transport because of other issues plus impossible to use on a scooter. Can anyone please help me what happened??

Ami2301

Hi @peppapot

Welcome to the community!

Sorry to hear about your situation, unfortunately I don't know the best advice to give you however other members of the community will share their knowledge and give you their advice soon.

Ami

peppapot

Thanks ami  I should have said I went into the pip assessment on my scooter not walked lol 

debbiedo49

Unbelievably more common than you think! Get advice from cab or welfare rights about appealing the decision. Dla anc pip are different with different descriptors but you will see lots of folks on here getting zero or less than they hoped for and having to go down the appeal route. 

peppapot

A quick update I have sent in a letter of complaint about how unqualified the assessor was and even got my medication wrong etc. I will put another update when I hear anything back.

markyboy

You need ask for a MR and put your case forward and if that fails go through the appeals process
complaining about the assessor will not get you a result at any stage of the process even though you believe they got it wrong.as they all cover each others backs
 

Yadnad

peppapot said:

Please can someone explain how I was assessed for dla and got high rate mobility and used a walking stick. I then got assessed for pip and got standard rate mobility and I now use a mobility scooter?? I now will lose my mobility car too it’s farcical was there suddenly a miracle cure as I walked into the assessment at pip. I thought pip meant personal INDEPENDENCE payment I have now had my independence taken away as I can’t walk far and can’t use public transport because of other issues plus impossible to use on a scooter.

The simple answer is that under DLA you would have received the highest award if you could not walk more than 50 metres.

Under PIP that distance was reduced down to 20 metres.

So anybody that can walk  beyond 20 metres and under 50 metres will now lose out. As in your case your Motability car has to be returned.

The idea behind this when the government brought it in was to reduce the number of claimants that were previously being paid the high rate of DLA for mobility.

peppapot

Is that not called discrimination? I’m being penalised for being disabled and now my independence has been taken away I will not be able to go out as much I totally rely on my car. When I got the letter from pip I sobbed my heart out as I will know be stuck at home more.

mikehughescq

The drop from 50m to 20m was challenged in court and upheld so it’s been tested and lost. I agree with @markyboy that you now need to do an MR. However, if you have something specific to complain about the HCP then it may be worth complaining also as reviews of reports do produce different points recommendations from time to time. That said, focus on the MR and use the online form at gov.uk.

Yadnad

Yes, Mike is correct. There was a challenge to the reduction in distance for PIP but given that the government can and do make things different when setting out the regulations for a new benefit the appeal was lost.

I presume that the government in their thinking thought that 50 metres is too far to assess someone who says that they have difficulties walking 20 metres would only pull in the most serious of cases only + it fulfilled the intention to save money. It could have been worse if they had decided that only 1 metre was the test.

Chloe_Scope

It may be worth taking the PIP Self- Test online to see what score you could have been given by an assessor. PIP and DLA are different benefits and assess different things. Some people get higher on PIP and some score higher on DLA.