Thanks for your help

[Bizzie]

Thanks everyone for your advice following my question about PIP or Attendance Allowance.

After a 45 minute wait I got through to the PIP dept and was told that once you reach pension age you cannot apply for an increase to your PIP award whether care or mobility. It seems very unfair as when I applied in 2017 I didn’t need the higher rate mobility. It doesn’t make sense to me that I could have applied for mobility a year ago, before I got my pension, but I can’t now! My pension has nothing to do with my health so why does it affect my PIP award?

Obviously another government scheme to save money. 😡

[Paula-C]

I read somewhere that once you reach the age that you get your state pension they expect people to have mobility problems.

[Kags1068 in reply to Paula-C]

Yes, unfortunately that is true. I used to work for a Welfare Rights Service helping people claim and representing at tribunal's etc, and that is what we were told. The "assumption" is that people over 65 may be more likely to have mobility problems due to age and it would cost government's too much to pay that many people the mobility component. Therefore, the decision was made to prioritise those who were considered younger and therefore not expected to have mainly age-related mobility conditions. That's partly why the benefit changes to Attendance Allowance post 65 as that focuses purely on personal care needs. Government logic, eh?! 🤯

[Bizzie in reply to Kags1068]

Yes that just what I suspected. Not only robbed us of our pension for many years but also the support we need due to disability.

[Kags1068 in reply to Bizzie]

Quite right!👍

[Paula-C]

In my opinion the cut off age of 65 is wrong now because you are expected to work until your 66. But on saying that there's got to be a cut off point somewhere for the mobility element of PIP. Lots of elderly people have mobility problems and the country just cannot afford to extend the age or have no upper age limit to be able to get mobility.