My son, who'd been getting DLA for 5 years, has scored 0 on PIP. Is it worth appealing?

hanna_83

I’m so annoyed, my son who has autism and had been getting DLA for 5 years, scored 0 on the pip, I don’t know if it worth appealing for, can anyone advise me please. 

poppy123456

Hi,

PIP and DLA are 2 completely different benefits, with totally different criteria. Those that were claiming DLA doesn't automatically entitlement them to PIP. Some people that were claiming DLA could be entitled to a higher award for PIP, as well as a lower award. There are also some people that won't qualify for PIP. I'm not saying your son doesn't qualify though so please don't think that.

PIP isn't awarded based on any diagnosis, it's how those conditions affect your ability to carry out daily activity based on the PIP descriptors.

It's not possible to tell you whether he would qualify because no one here knows exactly how his conditions affect him. Though i have a great understanding of Autism, people are affected so differently by it.

If you decide to challenge the decision your next step is to request the Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) which you should put in writing. Clearly stating where and why you think he should have scored those points. Adding a couple of real world examples of what happened the last time he attempted that activity for each descriptor that applies to him. Include information such as where he was, what exactly happened, did anyone see it and what the consequences were.

You can also get some expert advice from an agency near you to check that he qualifies. Start here. https://advicelocal.uk/

I'd also advise you to have a read of this. https://pipinfo.net/

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @hanna_83 Thanks for joining, and for posting about your experience with DLA and PIP.

Just to let you know, I've moved your post into our PIP, DLA, and AA category. I've also tweaked the title so that other members will be able to find your post more easily. 

I'm sorry to hear that your son didn't get the PIP award you both might have been hoping for. I hope that poppy123456's comment has helped you to understand what your next steps could be, in terms of checking over the descriptors and submitting a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR). Do you feel comfortable looking into these? Please do let us know if you have any further questions.