PERSONAL INDEPENDENCE PAYMENT (PIP) AND ELIGIBILITY FOR A

BLUE BADGE
FAQ
What is changing?
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is replacing Disability Living
Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16-64 on or after 8 April 2013.
PIP is not being extended to existing DLA claimants below the age of 16 and
those aged 65 or over on 8 April 2013.
More information about PIP, including the implementation timetable, is
available on the DWP website at http://dwp.gov.uk/policy/disability/personal-
independence-payment/
What is the timeline?
New claims to PIP
From April 2013 PIP will be introduced for new claimants (aged between
16-64 on or after 8 April 2013) living in the North West and part of the
North East of England. (DLA will continue in other parts of the country
during this controlled start period)
From J une 2013 PIP will be introduced in the remaining parts of Great
Britain for new claimants aged 16-64.
Existing DLA claimants
Personal Independence Payment is being introduced in stages
From October 2013 the following DLA recipients will be invited to claim
PIP: individuals who report a change that affects their DLA care or mobility
needs; recipients of a fixed term DLA award whose award expires from the
end of February 2014; young people turning age 16 (with the exception of
those awarded DLA under the rules for people who are terminally ill);
From 2015 DWP will start to contact everyone else receiving DLA
(through a random selection process). They will write to individuals in
plenty of time and you do not need to contact DWP now.




















Who will not be affected by the changes?
The changes will not affect:
people aged younger than 16 or 65+on 8 April 2013.
people who are eligible for a badge under other criteria ie. those
registered blind, Armed Forces personnel, people who have a disability
in both arms, children under 3 with specific medical conditions.
How will the changes affect eligibility for Blue Badges?
Around a third of all Blue Badges are currently issued to people who receive
the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA. As DLA will no longer exist
for people aged 16-64, the DfT has decided that people in this age group
should be automatically eligible for a Blue Badge if they score 8 points or
more in the Moving Around activity of PIP. This activity assesses a persons
physical ability to get around and a score of 8 points or more will be awarded
to people who are either unable to walk or who cannot walk further than 50
metres. This means that future eligibility for a Blue Badge will be as similar to
the current eligibility criteria for the scheme as possible.
If I dont qualify for PIP, can I still get a Blue Badge?
If an individual does not automatically qualify for a badge by virtue of a PIP
award, they will be able to apply directly to their local authority to see whether
they qualify under any of the other criteria.
If I used to qualify for the higher rate mobility component of DLA but
dont qualify for PIP, will I lose my Blue Badge?
We believe that the majority of those people who are currently automatically
eligible for a badge via DLA will continue to be eligible under PIP.
However, if you dont qualify for PIP following reassessment you will be able
to continue using your Blue Badge until it expires. If at that point you still do
not automatically qualify for a badge via PIP, you will be able to apply directly
to their local authority to see if you qualify under any of the other criteria.
Can I appeal if I dont qualify for PIP and dont qualify for a Blue Badge?
DWP will retain the overall decision making responsibilities for PIP awards.
Claimants who disagree with the award decisions will be able to request
reconsideration by DWP.
If you do not qualify for PIP you can still apply to your local authority for a Blue
Badge. However if your local authority assesses that you do not meet the









eligibility criteria there is no formal right of appeal against the decision.
However if you feel that they have not taken proper account of your
circumstances in their assessment of your application, you may ask them to
reconsider your case. If you remain dissatisfied you may wish to take your
complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman.