Mobility scooter and PIP Assessment

it could affect route planning etc

Hi charmed,

What benefits do you get or are you applying for? PIP (personal independence payment) looks at how far you can move by standing and then moving - if you use a scooter, you don't stand and then move, so it sounds as if you would get points.

If, without the scooter, you can only walk with falling and stumbling then this would not be walking 'safely' or 'to an acceptable standard' and you should get points for not being able to move very far at all without this risk. It may be worth thinking about how far you could move without that happening, if at all, as this relates to the questions on the form. To get the mobility component of PIP you need 8 points, and to get it at the enhanced rate, 12 points.

ESA (employment and support allowance) looks at moving as well, but any moving you can only do with an electric scooter shouldn't be taken into account. If you can't move safely on level ground without it, then you should get points. To get ESA, you need 15 points.

So no, I don't think the scooter would go against you, but if you have more specific questions and can tell us which benefit you are worried about, we can give you more advice.

Will

Thanks charmed,

Ok, so you're having a face to face assessment at home. The things to emphasize for the PIP mobility assessment are exactly what you have said above, that you are not safe to walk any distance at all, and that if you do walk about 15 metres (the maximum bus length), it's painful & leaves you breathless. Explain that you wouldn't be able to do it again, as 'repeatedly' is a factor. 

From what you have said, you are unable to walk 20 metres, and certainly can't do so 'reliably' (repeatedly, to an acceptable standard, safely and within a reasonable time period). If that's correct, you would meet the conditions to get 12 points in the mobility activities, which would lead to the enhanced rate of the mobility component.

The thing to concentrate on is explaining why you use the scooter, what risks there are, how you can't walk very far at all without it, and that this would cause you breathless and pain. As you've also been getting some DLA care component, make sure you take the same approach to other questions the assessor may ask, about your daily life - if you can do some things but only very slowly, say so, explain any risks you may face at home whilst carrying out everyday tasks such as washing and dressing, and tell them about any aids or appliances you use to help you at home.

Good luck,

Will

Hi charmed

As my colleague Will says it is not just whether you can do something it is whether you can do it 'reliably' (repeatedly, to an acceptable standard, safely and within a reasonable time period). You should bear this in mind for all of the activity areas which you can find in this comprehensive guide by Disability Rights UK here.

David