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Blue Badge Renewals & PIP

DWRS
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Durham County Council Welfare Rights

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This is a topic related to but not the same as an ongoing discussion on here.

Blue Badge renewal criteria requires 8 points or more from the ‘Move’ category of PIP - and that there be evidence of the award within the last 12 months.

With DLA the renewal was easy - the amount paid equated to High Rate Mobility or it didn’t. However with the PIP uprating letters, only the financial award is detailed and those points could come from the cognitive side of the claim or the physical.

In other words the annual award letter can no longer be used to re-new the Blue Badge.

One answer might be to write to the DWP asking them to confirm the award - but that might allow the Department to trigger a review [cynics that we are here] or alternately they may just send a copy of the original award which, if it is more than 12 months old, would not be acceptable for the renewal. For similar reasons a copy of the original award, or the Tribunal decision would also not be acceptable.

Has anyone else found a solution to this apparent impasse?

 

paulmoorhouse
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Central and South Sussex CAB

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I would have thought that the original award letter (which should show the length of the award)  and evidence of continuing payment within the last twelve months should suffice?

ClairemHodgson
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paulmoorhouse - 15 June 2017 02:41 PM

I would have thought that the original award letter (which should show the length of the award)  and evidence of continuing payment within the last twelve months should suffice?

but not, surely, if OP is right in saying

With DLA the renewal was easy - the amount paid equated to High Rate Mobility or it didn’t. However with the PIP uprating letters, only the financial award is detailed and those points could come from the cognitive side of the claim or the physical.

surely she’s saying that the PIP award doesn’t set out the detail required for the blue badge scheme?

Daphne
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The initial award letter sets out the points in detail but the annual uprating letter doesn’t - I think that’s where the issue lies - so you need both.

DWRS
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The production of both documents is a possible answer - though our Blue Badge assessment manager here in Durham thinks he will have a hard time getting that past the auditors as the requirement is for evidence of the actual award no more than 12 months old. There is, at least hypothetically, a possibility that a claimant may have an original award giving 8 points for walking under 50m and then a renewal where the 8 points are made of a combination of planning and moving descriptors. Someone might [and yes I know it’s a long shot] be able to use the original letter and annual uprate whilst ignoring a renewal as they are of course habitually carried out 12 months prior to the termination date of the existing award.

The manager I referred to has sent the issue to the Department of Transport for their comment or guidance.

As ever, thank you for the replies.

Duncan

Elliot Kent
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When you get a PIP award, you get a decision notice and then a “statement of entitlement”. I had always assumed the “statement of entitlement” was for purposes like this. It breaks down the current award and individual descriptors found to apply without going into detail about the reasons.

I wonder if it is possible to ask the PIP call centre simply to issue a new “statement of entitlement” as at the current date?

No idea if this would work but my assumption would be that because the “statement of entitlement” isn’t itself a decision, there would be no issue with administrative staff issuing newer ones.

I can’t see how an innocuous request simply saying “please can I have an up to date statement of entitlement” could provoke a review; although you can never be sure.

[ Edited: 22 Jun 2017 at 08:25 pm by Elliot Kent ]
Mike Hughes
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What Elliot has suggested is what I have tried a couple of times. Two problems:

1) It triggered a review in both cases. Didn’t fall right on top of it but was too close to be coincidence as clients should have otherwise been left alone for at least another couple of years.

2) DWP sent a copy letter but it was a copy with the original date and so deemed to be irrelevant. It became a long and tedious battle.

Stuart
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Review of blue badge scheme is underway which may address some of the evidence issues - from a written Commons answer yesterday -

‘The government is currently examining how the Blue Badge scheme works in practice for people with non-physical disabilities in order to ensure the rules and guidance are clear for both local authorities and citizens and to improve the way the scheme is administered across the country.’

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-09-07/9306/