It’s just occurred to me to wonder, what happens if for some reason you’re unable to claim PIP before your 65th birthday and/or you reach pensionable age (the two not necessarily being the same thing any more)? My understanding is that if you’ve got a PIP award by then you keep it, but what if you haven’t? Do the Powers That Be assume that suddenly you have no further need of being Personally Independent? (Is someone going to suddenly wait on you hand and foot?!) Do you get something else instead? Or nothing for things like mobility and help you may need?
I’m wondering this because if my caree loses her PIP appeal she’ll have very little time to start a new one before she hits pension age - and what if that one were to fail too? Am I missing something?
If you make a new claim for PIP from Friday 31 May and your award ends after you turn 65 you’ll be given an ongoing award.
For example, if you’re 62 years old at the time you make the claim, and it’s decided your award should be for 5 years, this means your award will end after you are 65.
Full sp on the AGE UK web site … 28 pages worth in .pdf format :
Eligibility
You can get Attendance Allowance if you’ve reached State Pension age and the following apply:
you have a physical disability (including sensory disability, for example blindness), a mental disability (including learning difficulties), or both
your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or someone to supervise you, for your own or someone else’s safety
you have needed that help for at least 6 months (unless you’re terminally ill)
You must also:
be in Great Britain when you claim - there are some exceptions, such as members and family members of the armed forces
have been in Great Britain for at least 2 of the last 3 years (this does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)
be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
not be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant)
If you make a new claim for PIP from Friday 31 May and your award ends after you turn 65 you’ll be given an ongoing award. For example, if you’re 62 years old at the time you make the claim, and it’s decided your award should be for 5 years, this means your award will end after you are 65. You’ll instead get an ongoing award.
If it’s decided your award will only be for 2 years, you’ll still need to have another assessment as you’ll still be under the pension age.
If your needs change after you get an ongoing award, you’ll still be able to ask for another assessment by contacting the DWP, regardless of how old you are at the time.
If you’re already claiming PIP and are over 65, we’ll keep you updated when the government stops reassessments for you.
We’ll continue to press the government to bring this change for existing claimants, as they promised earlier this year.
If you are already in receipt of PIP before turning 65, you are actually able to continue claiming after you turn 65, however, that is for an existing claim only. Therefore, you can not make a new claim for pip once your 65+ years of age.
I asked elsewhere, and have been told that it’s actually pension age rather than 65 you have to reach before you can’t claim the PIP mobility allowance.
Nikya, that’s VERY interesting, I haven’t seen that written ANYWHERE before.
It’s a grave injustice that older people who are most likely to qualify for Mobility Allowance/Component are barred from claiming. Blatant age discrimination.
I would urge anyone who is having problems with PIP to go all the way to tribunal if necessary, tribunals are not scary by the way, just formal. One room, three people making a decision, one has legal training, one from a disability organisation. I can’t remember the third one’s criteria, but it is a bit early!
