Disability Living Allowance replaced by Personal Independence Payment

The government is replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for people of working age.

This will involve the introduction of objective assessments to decide eligibility. The stated intention is to target support on those most in need through this new benefit. The government is hoping for a 20% reduction in expenditure by 2017 by bringing in this process.

The plans for PIP have been criticised by many disability groups as a money saving exercise because DLA is currently one of the most effectively targeted benefits and has an officially estimated fraud rate of just 0.5%.

Disability and carer organisations are protesting strongly about this change. For example, Carers UK states that at the moment more than a million people receive carer’s allowance, and for about 270,000 of them, this entitlement is dependent on the eligibility for the disability living allowance (DLA) of someone of working age for whom they care.

When DLA is replaced by the personal independence payment (PIP), there will be new rules and assessments to judge who can claim assistance and if fewer disabled people can claim PIP than are currently receiving DLA, this would have a knock-on effect for their carers.

The DWP says about 76,000 disabled people with carers will be reassessed for PIP. It believes 25,000 of these people will no longer be entitled to DLA as a result, and their carer will also lose their allowance.

From 6 April 2013, the first stage of PIP will start with people claiming for the first time who live in the north-east and north-west of England. This is the area covered by Bootle Disability Benefits Centre.

If you do not live in one of these areas you will still be able to claim DLA until June 2013 (see chapter 3).