Pip Severe Disability Premiums

crantockgirl3407

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well. I would like help/advice on behalf of a 68 year old gentleman who I know. He lives on his own and is very vulnerable and isolated and has very poor health as well as severe anxiety and social phobia. He recently received a pip standard rate award in both components when he received a letter from the DWP to transfer from DLA to PIP.

I am not sure whether he is entitled to the severe disability premiums of PIP as he is on a state pension. He was on Pension Credit before but that stopped in 2016 and he is now on state pension benefit, and also receives housing benefit and a reduced Council Tax but he stills pays for his Council Tax just like all of us.

Also I'm not sure whether the disability premiums he was receiving when he was on Incapacity Benefit have been added to his state pension or not, as this gentleman does not have any clue what his entitlements are and is totally isolated, seldom goes out, and does not have anyone to advice him of his benefit entitlements?

I would be very grateful to know whether he is entitled to the severe disability premiums of PIP as he has got a state pension and also if anyone would know whether his disability premiums would have been added to his state pension when he stopped receiving Pension Credit in 2016. His savings are less than £2000. So if @Mary or her colleagues at the benefits training company or anyone else in this community can help to answer these questions, I would be very grateful.

Many thanks for your time and hope that you all have a very pleasant day.

wildlife

Hi, There is no severe disability premium for PIP just standard rate or enhanced. I presume the gentleman had a face to face assessment? If so what he has now is the result of that assessment. It may or may not be correct you would have to help him check the criteria, i.e. the list of discriptors that can be found online. If he changed from DLA to PIP some time ago it will be too late to appeal the decision about the rate of PIP he has ATM. PIP has nothing to do with state pension so will not have been attached to it. There are agencies that help with checking benefit entitlement, I know Help the Aged and the CAB do this, not sure who else. A home visit if possible would help your friend. It's very kind of you and hope what I have told you helps in some way.  

poppy123456

Hi,

As he lives alone if no one claims carers allowance for looking after him then yes he should be entitled to claim the severe disability premium.

SDP isn't part of PIP and isn't paid with the PIP award. It's also not paid on top of state pension. To claim this premium he needs to claim pension credit first because it's paid in with that.

crantockgirl3407

Hello @wildlife, thank you very much for replying to my enquiry. Before I proceed further, may I say what a very courageous, intelligent, and very nice person you are! I have been incredibly sad and upset about the horrible and unfair way you have been treated by atos and to add insult to injury, the ICE were very unhelpful in the way in which they treated your case.

What I am very impressed with is your fearlessness and determination to always put things right as you clearly hate injustice in any way, shape, or form.  As I said, you are a very courageous person, and please do not give up no matter what!

Moving on to my enquiry about the severe disability premium for the gentleman I mentioned in the email, he did not attend a face to face assessment at all! He received a letter from the DWP in September 2018 to transfer from DLA to PIP. He did that and received a letter from the DWP last week, informing him that he now has an ongoing award for PIP and has been awarded the standard rate for both care & mobility.

His PIP assessment was a paper based one luckily. Obviously as he is no longer on Pension Credit and is now receiving the state pension since 2016, I doubt whether he is entitled to the severe disability premiums which are associated with personal independence payment for people who are either in the standard or enhanced rates of the care component.

It is always a good thing to ask because you never know what your entitlements are until you ask, and then someone who knows the ins and outs of the benefits system and its process, then answers the questions.

All I know is that he did receive the disability premiums that are associated with Incapacity benefit & income support when he was receiving both benefits. He no longer receives income support and IB because he receives a a state pension now. However, he did not receive the DLA  severe disability premium at the time he was receiving IB and income support because he was on the lower rate care of DLA and therefore not eligible for any severe disability premium as he was not on the middle or higher rates care components of DLA

Many thanks for your advice and help and have a wonderful day @wildlife.

crantockgirl3407

Hi @poppy123456 many thanks for your input and kind help in this matter. You are an absolutely amazing member and always willing to help other members with their benefit queries. Please keep up the good work!

poppy123456

You're welcome. If he lives alone and no one claims carers allowance for looking after him then he will be entitled to claim severe disability premium. Details for pension credit are here. https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit

I would advise you both to visit his local CAB for help with the pension credit claim., otherwise he won't be able to claim the severe disability premium.

wildlife

@crantockgirl3407 I'm blushing but can assure you I'm not always nice specially when in pain. Sciatica today. Benefits are very confusing and as poppy has said best to seek expert advice on entitlement. x