If you are sick or disabled but have entered a claim for Disability Living Allowance then you should fill in the claim form now.  If you leave it until June it may be too late.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is being abolished for working age people (16-64 years old). The Government began to introduce Personal Independence Payments (PIP) from April 2013, but most areas won’t be affected until June 2013. When the new system is fully in place 600,000 fewer people will be able to get help.

The people most at risk of losing out under PIP plans are people receiving:

• the Low Rate Care component of DLA; and/or
• the High Rate Mobility component of DLA

PIP has no equivalent for low rate care payments. PIP can only support people whose needs equate to current middle and high rate care DLA levels under new PIP ‘standard’ and ‘enhanced’ Daily Living payments. More than 650,000 people currently receive low rate care payments in the age group affected.

DWP documents also show that fewer people will be able to access mobility support under PIP than DLA. Almost 300,000 fewer people will be able to access the ‘enhanced mobility’ support under PIP than high rate mobility under DLA.

If you get in a claim for DLA before the deadline in June then you will be assessed under the old rules. If you are successful then in time you will be re-assessed for PIP, but that won’t be until 2015 or later. In the meantime you will get at least the same amount as you would get under PIP and very possibly more. So if you think you qualify, claim DLA in May.

In some areas of North East and North West England PIP has already been introduced for new claims. In these areas you are not able to claim DLA any more. This will affect you if you live in the following postcode areas: BL, CA, CH (except CH1, CH4, CH5, CH6, CH7, and CH8), CW, DH, DL (except DL6, DH7, DL8, DL9, DL10 and DL11), FY, L, LA (except LA2 7, LA2 8, LA6 2 and LA6 3), M, NE, PR, SR, TS (except TS9), WA and WN.

For further information on how the changes might affect you, see our guide.