How is PIP made up?

There are two parts to PIP – a daily living component and a mobility component.  Each component has two rates – standard rate and enhanced rate.  You can get either or both component at either rate.

To qualify for the:

• standard rate of the daily living component you will have to score 8 points on the daily living part of the assessment
• enhanced rate of the daily living component you will have to score 12 points on the daily living part of the assessment
• standard rate of the mobility component you will have to score 8 points on the mobility part of the assessment
• enhanced rate of the mobility component you will have to score 12 points on the mobility part of the assessment.

What is the assessment like?

You will have to fill in a form to explain how your disability affects you.  As soon as you receive this form, contact Sense for advice on how to complete it successfully.  This form has not yet been published.

You should also include additional evidence with the form.  This could include letters from doctors or social care assessment reports.  We will have more idea about what evidence will be most useful once the guidance for assessors and decision-makers has been published.

You may then be asked to attend a face-to-face assessment.  If you are asked to go to a face-to-face assessment, you can take someone with you.

What are the criteria?

The criteria for PIP are based on how people carry out a range of activities and the equipment or support people need to do so.  These activities are meant to be indicators of the level of need people have.

There are ten activities in the daily living component and two in the mobility component.  You will get different numbers of points for each activity depending on how you do the activity and how much support you need to do it.  A full list of the criteria is given at the end of this document.

The daily living activities include two related to communication – communicating verbally and reading and understanding signs, symbols and words.  These are where deafblind people are most likely to get points but are not the only ones.

For the communicating verbally activity
If you use a hearing aid or other communication device, you should score 2 points
If you need communication support for complex verbal information you should score 4 points
If you need communication support for basic verbal information you should score 8 points.

For the reading and understanding signs, symbols and words activity

• If you need large print, but would be able to read standard print with an aid, such as a magnifier you should score 2 points.

If you can understand written information, but only if someone reads it to you or it is in braille, then you should be treated as not being able to understand it at all.  This will score 8 points

The mobility component includes an activity about planning and following a journey.  This is where people with sensory impairments may get points.
If you need a guide, a guide dog or an orientation aid (such as a long cane) to follow and unfamiliar journey you should score 10 points.
If you need a guide, a guide dog or an orientation aid (such as a long cane) to follow familiar journeys, you should score 12 points.

Unfamiliar journeys include using public transport.  If you cannot use public transport, you should be considered unable to follow an unfamiliar journey.

If you can follow a familiar journey, but would be unable to cope with likely changes, such as roadworks, you should be considered unable to do it.

What if I can see or hear more sometimes than other times?

If you are unable to do an activity at any time during a day, you should be counted as being unable to do it.  So, for example, if you can follow a journey alone and without an orientation aid during daylight but would need a guide, guide dog or orientation aid after dark, you should score points for needing that.

What if I can do something but not safely?

If it is unsafe for you to do something, you should be counted as being unable to do it.

The assessment criteria

Below are the assessment criteria and scores. 

Please remember that, at this stage, nobody can be sure how the criteria will be applied and so you cannot be sure how many points you will score.  Please be cautious of making assumptions when you read these criteria.  You could be assessed higher or lower than you think.

Daily living activities

Activity 1 – Preparing food

Activity 2 – Taking nutrition

Activity 3 – Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition

Activity 4 – Washing and bathing

Activity 5 – Managing toilet needs or incontinence

Activity 6 – Dressing and undressing

Activity 7 – Communicating verbally

Activity 8 – Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words

Activity 9 – Engaging with other people face to face

Activity 10 – Making budgeting decisions

Mobility Activities

Activity 11 – Planning and following journeys

Activity 12 – Moving around