Want to pursue autism diagnosis, but worried about impact on PIP

randomlygenerated
randomlygenerated Online Community Member Posts: 5 Listener
in PIP, DLA, ADP and AA

Weird ask maybe, but in brief:

- I've been getting PIP for nearly a year - multiple conditions
- I receive max rate for both mobility and daily living components
- I get the "indefinite" award as well AKA my first review isn't scheduled for 10 years

I've been thinking about pursuing a possible autism diagnosis. But today I started wondering - if I got one, is that a change I'd have to report? And if I did, would that potentially risk my current award and review schedule by triggering an earlier review?

I feel I got very lucky with my PIP assessor - it felt like I landed someone who actually understood my condition but also communication needs/differences. She had a medical background and I can only assume some kind of prior experience with my conditions.

Unfortunately, I don't feel confident I'd be as lucky twice, nor assessed similarly under the new rules (which I know at least currently don't affect me) as with all the changes and media spins, it feels like they're gunning for people like me - people with variable conditions, mental health, chronic illnesses.

I also don't trust the rules will stay exactly as they are now as things seem to change every few months.

Am I right to be wary?

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Comments

  • rubin16
    rubin16 Scope Member Posts: 961 Championing

    Hi Welcome to the community,

    I understand why you may be wary, however PIP is based on how conditions affect you not on what your diagnosed with. You don't need to inform pip unless your conditions change for better or worse.

    You don't need to tell them about your Autism diagnosis till your next review, unless your conditions get better or worst. (and since your on max award, you should only report if your conditions get better).

    Hope this helps.

  • randomlygenerated
    randomlygenerated Online Community Member Posts: 5 Listener

    Thank you Rubin, that's helpful to know.

  • durhamjaide2001
    durhamjaide2001 Scope Member Posts: 14,899 Championing

    hi I just wanted to come in and say you should definitely think about getting an official autism diagnosis I have one and it's helped me gain access more support and services.

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 11,070 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Hey @randomlygenerated autism assessments can take over 3 years to happen, so I'd not panic too much just yet. As it stands, PIP is not about any diagnosis, but about how your conditions affect you. So even with a formal diagnosis, it wouldn't change anything regarding your PIP. 😊

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