PIP - Personal Independence Payment
What changed?
From 8 April 2013, a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for disabled people aged 16 to 64.
What is PIP?
Personal Independence Payment is to help towards some of the extra costs caused by ill-health or disability. It is based on how a person's condition affects them, not the condition they have.
Disability Living Allowance will end for everyone of working age even if they have an indefinite period award. By working age we mean everyone who is aged 16 to 64 on the day Personal Independence Payment is introduced.
There are no current plans to replace Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 and people aged 65 and over who are already receiving Disability Living Allowance. If your child is under age 16 you can continue to make a claim to DLA as usual. Children getting DLA may remain on this benefit until they reach age 16 provided that they continue to satisfy the eligibility criteria. They will then need to make a claim for Personal Independence Payment.
Personal Independence Payment is based on an assessment of individual need. The new assessment will focus on an individual’s ability to carry out a range of key activities necessary to everyday life. Information will be gathered from the individual, as well as healthcare and other professionals who work with and support them. Most people will have a face to face consultation with a trained independent assessor as part of the claim process.
Do I need to do anything?
You don’t need to contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about this. If you were aged 16 to 64 on 8 April 2013 and you get DLA, they will write to you to let you know when you can make a claim to Personal Independence Payment and how to do that.
DWP will also contact you if you get DLA and reach age 16 from April 2013 onwards.
They'll let you know:
- how to apply for Personal Independence Payment
- when you need to claim by
- what will happen to your DLA
You can check how PIP will affect you on the gov.uk website
More in-depth information on PIP can be found on the DWP website.