My child has vision impairment, can I claim PIP for them?
This information is for families in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Families in Scotland should be given information on transferring between Child Disability Payment (CDP) and Adult Disability Payment (ADP).
When a child turns 16, parents or guardians will may be able to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) with them.When a decision is made about PIP the child’s Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will stop. If PIP is awarded, this will start when the DLA stops.
When the child is:
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15 years and 7 months, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will send a detailed letter to the child’s parent or guardian explaining that the child will have to claim PIP at age 16 instead of DLA and that they will continue to receive DLA until a decision has been made on their PIP claim.
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15 years and 10 months, the DWP will send the parent or guardian a reminder letter that they will shortly invite the child to claim PIP.
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16 years old, the DWP will send the child or parent or guardian as the “appointee” a letter inviting a PIP application. The letter should contain more detailed instructions about how and when to claim, and what happens if your child does not apply for PIP by the given deadline.
Further information and help on applying for PIP for a child when they reach 16 can be found in RNIB's PIP Toolkit: RNIB's Personal Independence Payment toolkit | RNIB
For information on DLA for children under 16 see Can I claim DLA for my child with a vision impairment?
RNIB Specialist Advice Service Advisors can give further information on this topic
