Pip assessment

poppy123456

twonker said:

Be aware that the DWP view a PIP award as monies paid entirely to cover the extra costs such as the purchase of disability aids, extra heating/water costs etc  that having a disability brings to the table. It is not paid to cover the normal day to day living costs that each and every one of us has.

Why should te1 be aware? There's no law in what you have to spend the PIP money on and DWP don't check what you spend it on either. Very often people use it for everyday living costs because they have no option but if they do chose to spend it this way that entirely up to them.

cristobal

poppy123456 said:

twonker said:

Be aware that the DWP view a PIP award as monies paid entirely to cover the extra costs such as the purchase of disability aids, extra heating/water costs etc  that having a disability brings to the table. It is not paid to cover the normal day to day living costs that each and every one of us has.

Why should te1 be aware? There's no law in what you have to spend the PIP money on and DWP don't check what you spend it on either. Very often people use it for everyday living costs because they have no option but if they do chose to spend it this way that entirely up to them.

I agree with @poppy123456 ...not sure who started the myth about PIP being for extra expenses.

If PIP is for "extra costs" then the DWP would almost certainly want receipts for the money paid. 

twonker

poppy123456 said:

twonker said:

Be aware that the DWP view a PIP award as monies paid entirely to cover the extra costs such as the purchase of disability aids, extra heating/water costs etc  that having a disability brings to the table. It is not paid to cover the normal day to day living costs that each and every one of us has.

Why should te1 be aware? There's no law in what you have to spend the PIP money on and DWP don't check what you spend it on either. Very often people use it for everyday living costs because they have no option but if they do chose to spend it this way that entirely up to them.

I think that you will find in one of Ilovecats postings, the assessor would expect that where aids could be seen to be needed but weren't purchased and the claimant in their next review continued to claim for the same impact again then the assessor would question as to why the money was not spent on what it was given for. Maybe the assessor would point this out to the DWP.

twonker

cristobal said:

poppy123456 said:

twonker said:

I agree with @poppy123456 ...not sure who started the myth about PIP being for extra expenses.

If PIP is for "extra costs" then the DWP would almost certainly want receipts for the money paid. 

See Overview  https://www.gov.uk/pip

See under Personal independence Payment  https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/

First sentence  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Independence_Payment

The DWP are not going to ask for invoices they instead hold in the trust of the claimant that the money is used for the reasons that it is paid. Otherwise what is the point in making a financial claim because of a disability if it is not being used to help the claimant cope with that disability better.

poppy123456

@twonker and you say you're not a previous poster? yeah, ok. I've now added you to my ignore list...

poppy123456

ilovecats said:

I think this with almost every post I see 

I'm glad i'm not the only one that thinks this..

te1

I would like to add that also if you are in receipt of pip due to a disability and have to spend the majority of your time at home, as stated in a previous post surely the extra money is to help with the burden of higher electricity/gas and water I believe it was twonker who stated this 

poppy123456

te1 said:

I would like to add that also if you are in receipt of pip due to a disability and have to spend the majority of your time at home, as stated in a previous post surely the extra money is to help with the burden of higher electricity/gas and water I believe it was twonker who stated this 

What you spend the money on is entirely up to you and they never question what you spend it on.

twonker

te1 said:

I would like to add that also if you are in receipt of pip due to a disability and have to spend the majority of your time at home, as stated in a previous post surely the extra money is to help with the burden of higher electricity/gas and water I believe it was twonker who stated this 

That is right. Of course there will be extra costs relating to utilities and quite rightly this is what PIP is paid for.
It certainly isn't paid to cover every day bills and expenses that everybody has to account for. 
If the government/DWP get wind of that happening they would have every right to look at PIP again.to ensure that the money is used in a way it was intended. It would be most frustrating for those who are struggling on ESA/JSA/UC to hear that some disabled individuals are using PIP to increase their personal standard of living improperly.

cristobal

@twonker - I'm struggling to understand why you have a problem with claimants using PIP to pay "everyday bill and expenses"

I've just checked my award notice and there is no mention of what I'm supposed to spend it on. The DWP website says,

"Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help you with some of the extra costs if you have a long term ill-health or disability."

Doesn't seem to be as prescriptive as you imagine...

twonker

cristobal said:

"Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help you with some of the extra costs if you have a long term ill-health or disability."

Thanks you have clearly pointed out in your post exactly what I have been saying.
The money is there to help with some of the extra costs IF you have long term ill health or disability.
No where does it say that it is there to help towards the normal living costs that everyone has to pay for - ill health, disabled or otherwise.
As I have said, if the government/DWP come to realise that the money is not being used as was intended they may well seek to change the way they do business which would hurt only those that are entitled to PIP. You could say that the claimants that use the money in ways that were not intended may well be shooting themselves in their foot.

cristobal

@twanker - I think we are both interpreting "can help you with some of the extra costs" differently. I don't read this as prescriptive i.e. "this is what you must spend the money on" whereas you obviously do.

I prefer my interpretation, coupled with the fact that none of the letters from DWP say what I should use PIP for.

Others, like you, make take a different view but there's no element of "shooting myself in the foot." 

poppy123456

There's no where in the guide where is says you can't spend the money on everyday living costs. Some people really should stop trying to scare other people by saying it shouldn't be spent on the exactly what we want to spend it on. My daughter spends some of hers on going out with her support worker. The support she receives from this is paid for by direct payments.. she's entitled to those payments, the same way she's entitled to every penny she receives from PIP because she has a disability that greatly affects her everyday life. Last time i looked she hadn't "shot herself in her foot either"

cristobal

@poppy123456 - I agree as you might imagine from my previous post.

Hopefully people shouldn't be worried - they can read all of the posts and make their own mind up.

poppy123456

cristobal said:

@poppy123456 - I agree as you might imagine from my previous post.

Hopefully people shouldn't be worried - they can read all of the posts and make their own mind up.

Thanks. This is the problem here, people will read some of the comments on this thread and worry because that's what some people do. It's wrong that members give information like this and worry the most vulnerable people. People will be too scared to spend their money on everyday cost of living and it's wrong.

bigglesworth

Maybe if the benefits system actually worked then disabled people getting PIP would not need to use their PIP money to buy day to day things. For a disabled person who is out of work or unable to work I would assume:

housing benefit -> rent
ESA -> day to day costs
PIP -> disability costs

If any of these are missing then someones living expenses doesn't fall accordingly, the other benefits need to make up the shortfall.

You also get a lot of disabled adults that live at home and still need to pay rent, but they are ineligible for housing benefit so the rent money has to come out of their ESA/PIP unless they live with a wealthy relative who does not mind supporting their living costs.

What about things like property damage caused by using some aids over time? Surely the PIP money should cover things like repairs needed due to the use of aids too. I can't imagine the DWP or an assessor would even consider stuff like this.

wildlife

This discussion is ridiculous IMHO. Every day costs include food which costs a lot more if you're Gluten free as I am. I also can't tolerate dairy products and have soya milk and other substitutes which cost a lot more. I need more heating than a fit healthy person, another everyday cost. i use more water for baths just to ease leg pain. Otherwise I could just have a quick shower. Another every day cost. Is it really anything to do with anybody else what I use my PIP for so long as I'm not going on holiday, eating out in posh restaurants or upgrading my TV although that again would be acceptable if it's one of the only few things you can still do. Everyone's every day costs differ according to their lifestyle so the phrase is meaningless and should not be used in a discussion about what PIP/ESA should be used for.  

poppy123456

@wildlife well said and i couldn't agree more.

cristobal

@wildlife and @poppy123456 - that's it then....spend PIP on whatever you want.....

Time to move on now that's agreed?

CockneyRebel

Everyone is different as we know, the effect of a condition on one person will be different to that of someome else with a similar condition. As with living expenses and extra costs, what one person considers to be normal living expenses could easily include the extra costs as we become used to having to live in a certain way.

Special diets, for example, are normal living expenses for some people but they are also extra costs over and above that which someone without that condition would need to pay.

Everyone has to pay utility bills which is a normal living expense but some conditions require extra heat or water. Over time, these extra costs become normal living expenses to the person that needs them.

I don't think that it is possible to separate normal living expenses from the extra costs incurred by some people. You need what you need to live the best life you can, as is the right of everyone