One of the most visited threads on the Benefits and Work forum is a six year old one about claiming PIP for adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
We suspect that many of these visitors are parents looking for information as their child makes the transition from DLA to PIP.
But others may be adults who have had a diagnosis later in life and are trying to discover if there is financial help available in relation to a condition that may have had a profound effect on every aspect of their life.
So, we’ve put together some statistics and other information which we hope will at least demonstrate that there really is a good chance of getting an award of PIP for ADD/ADHD.
And, in fact, if you do get an award, there’s a very good chance it will be at an enhanced rate for at least one component.
PIP claimants with ADD/ADHD
In total, there are 37,784 PIP claimants with ADD/ADHD listed as their main disabling condition according to the DWP’s own statistics.
For comparison, there are 127,399 awards for Autistic Spectrum Disorders and 7,968 for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
In reality, there are probably a great many more claimants for whom ADD/ADHD is a very important factor. But often a co-existing condition such as depression or anxiety will be selected as their main disabling condition by health professionals who have little experience of ADD/ADHD.
Success rate
The average success rate for all assessed claims for PIP is 53%.
For ADD/ADHD the success rate is 43%.
So, a little bit lower than average.
Award rates
Almost everyone who gets PIP for ADD/ADHD gets an award of the daily living component and two thirds get an award of the mobility component.
34% get the enhanced rates of both components.
- Enhanced daily living 26,699 (71%)
- Standard daily living 10,200 (27%)
- Enhanced mobility 14,030 (37%)
- Standard mobility 11,502 (31%)
Age
Awards are very heavily skewed towards younger claimants, with almost 70% being under 25 years old.
Fewer than 2% are aged 50 or over.
Again, this probably reflects the fact that diagnosis is much more likely in children and that the condition is more likely to be identified now than it was even a few decades ago.
Reasons for awards
There are no statistics which show which activities and descriptors PIP claimants with ADD/ADHD scored points for.
But, because PIP is awarded not because of your condition, but because of the way it affects your daily living and mobility then every claim will be different in any case.
The best way to establish whether you might be eligible for PIP on the basis of ADD/ADHD is to look through this list of PIP activities and think about the ways that your condition affects your ability to carry them out.
- Preparing food
- Taking nutrition
- Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition
- Washing and bathing
- Managing toilet needs or incontinence
- Dressing and undressing
- Communicating verbally
- Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words
- Engaging with other people face-to-face
- Making budgeting decisions
- Planning and following journeys
- Moving around
Remember that you need to be able to complete the activities
- to a reasonable standard,
- safely,
- repeatedly
- no more than twice as long as it would take a person without a health condition.
Below are some examples of the issues that you might have.
Being easily distracted, a tendency to procrastinate and difficulties with organizing tasks may cause problems in relation to preparing food, washing and bathing and dressing and undressing. Tasks may not get started, you may start but not complete them or they may take you more than twice as long as people without a health condition.
A tendency to hyperfocus may affect activities like taking nutrition, if you become so engrossed in things that you forget to eat.
Forgetfulness and disorganization may cause problems with managing medication or therapy.
Being impulsive may make budgeting a real problem.
Engaging with other people may be a challenge because of difficulties with turn taking, maintaining concentration and keeping to a topic during conversations.
Planning and following journeys may be challenging because of impulsivity, poor concentration and anxiety.
Legal decisions
There has been very little case law so far in relation to ADD/ADHD and PIP.
But in DP v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (PIP): [2017] UKUT 156 (AAC) an upper tribunal judge held that a claimant with ADHD who selected previously worn clothes rather than clean ones and failed to change their underwear from one day to the next might score points for dressing and undressing.
The judge also held that even if the claimant was able to plan their finances effectively they could score points for making budgeting decisions if they then, due to impulsiveness caused by ADHD, spent their money on something else entirely.
Next steps
Claiming PIP for ADHD, or any other condition, isn't easy.
But there are things you can do to greatly increase your chances of getting the right result.
One of them is to use our 140 page guide to PIP claims and reviews, which will support you through every stage of the system.
Because filling in the 37 page PIP2 ‘How your disability affects you’ form in as much detail as possible is vital. It not only means you are giving accurate and consistent evidence from the outset, it also improves your chances of overturning an unfair decision if you have to go to appeal. Our guide takes you through the PIP2 form, box-by-box, explaining the kind of information you need to put in each one.
Being fully prepared for an assessment is vital too. Knowing what questions you are likely to be asked and what unspoken assumptions may be made based on your answers, unless you deal with them, can make all the difference. Our guide will ensure you are as ready as you possibly can be.
And if you don’t get the right decision, understanding the mandatory reconsideration and appeal process is crucial. We have guides that will take you through the entire system and make sure you get the best from it, without unwelcome surprises.
Benefits and Work’s downloadable, step-by-step guides to claims, assessments, reviews, mandatory reconsiderations and appeals have helped many thousands of claimants to get the correct award of PIP.
And because we’ve been supporting claimants for 20 years and have a community of thousands of members who keep us updated with their experiences, we can make sure you are prepared for any unfair tactics the DWP might employ.
So, whether you are just thinking about making a PIP claim or you are trying to decide whether to challenge an unfair decision, join Benefits and Work to give yourself the best possible chance of success.
Subscribe now and you can use the following 20% discount code to reduce the cost of an annual subscription from £19.95 to just £15.95.
Coupon code: ADD1122
You’ll get instant access to all our guides, the forum and other resources. And, for your peace of mind, there’s a 7 day, no quibble money-back guarantee.
