How does PIP/CA work when our son starts college?

[Cooker455]

Hello, at present our son claims Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and my wife gets Carers Allowance (CA) In September 22, age 19, he will start a three year residential college placement for 37 weeks a year. I understand that a phone call will need to be made to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) every time he is coming home so CA is adjusted. Is this the default method? It seems like a very cumbersome method, is there no online procedure?

At present our sons PIP gets paid into our bank account as due to his disability he is incapable of managing his own finances. Will some of his his PIP be given somehow to the college instead as he will be with them? Should we look at applying for financial deputyship now? Is there some sort of online guide to help answer our questions? We recently were unsuccessful in applying for social welfare deputyship and it took about 18 months with Covid for the application and appeal. The reason we were rejected is because ‘we don’t know what sort of challenges he will be faced with in the future’. That is one of the reasons we were applying! I digress, sorry 😞

Thank you for any replies.

[SGGG]

I only know about the PIP part of your question. Your son will keep mobility component of PIP but won’t receive the care component while at college. Inform DWP of the date of starting college AFTER they start and then after 28 days the care component is reduced. The care allowance can be claimed for days at home including travel days. This is done in arrears again (annoying but DWP need to be sure of dates - we recently had a holiday period extended). After phoning the first time you can ask them to send you a form to submit holiday dates in writing - but phoning gets quickest result - additional payment in about 2 weeks.

[BenjiB]

Hi my son is at residential college 38 weeks. There is no quick way of doing it. I phone when he goes back. Pip update on the phone and the money is paid quite quickly. Carers allowance - you phone. They send you a form and sometime in the distant future someone authorises it and it’s paid. I was waiting for a about 4 holidays worth at one point.

I don’t have deputyship for my son. I’m his appointee. He has no other money. His money is paid into my account, I transfer some to the college account when it’s needed. The rest I transfer into a separate account for him. He gets UC which isn’t affected by him being at college. Of course if your son is funded at college by Socisl services most of the money will be taken by them to pay towards his care. If he’s funded by NHS continuing healthcare it’s not affected.

My son will go to a new placement after college. I still intend to be his appointee and transfer money to them.

Top tip. If you phone carers allowance dead on 10am you usually get through straight away. My son has just been home as his college house was shut down for 10 days so I’ve got additional calls to make today 🙄

To add the first time you phone Pip will be suspended while they gather evidence and speak to people then it will backdated.

[TeresaTT in reply to BenjiB]

This is exactly my experience. It's a pain to keep chasing up as I often have delays in getting the PIP care paid and even more delays with the carer's allowance. My son wasn't charged a social care contribution while at college. However, now he's finished college and continuing to live at the care home permanently, he will be charged almost all of his ESA and just left with £24.90 a week plus his PIP mobility.

Some authorities charge the social care contribution for residential college, so I'd check with them. Our authority has a habit of sending out bills for thousands of pounds months later. In fact they were going to send me a bill for £5k for my son's last year at college. This is even though I have it in writing that there would be no charge while attending college and no charge being billed for the first three years. Then at the end of his fourth year they write saying they are going to send a bill out backdated to the start of the academic year. It's now been on hold for 5 months while they investigate. In the meantime, they aren't charging what they should be for his actual permanent residential care. It's a complete mess.

[BenjiB in reply to TeresaTT]

It’s a nightmare isn’t it. My son isn’t funded by the local authority but by NHS continuing healthcare so he doesn’t have to pay any contributions just the care component of the PIP. As he leaves education and moves into residential care though this will be reassessed and he may lose the NHS funding or a proportion of it. I’m dreading that as even when not at home he spends a lot of money on clothes as he destroys them of throws them away/out of windows/over fences etc! I can see us being out of pocket1

[CT76]

I was wondering these questions too. My son also 19 starts residential college in September. BenjiB it is looking likely that my son will be health funded.. does this affect the mobility side of his PIP and can I still claim UC for him whilst there? Thankyou