The Department for Transport has finalised rules that apply to PIP and the disabled parking or ‘Blue Badge’ scheme.
The new rules will give automatic eligibility to those people who score 8 points or more in the ‘Moving Around’ activity of PIP.
About a third of all Blue Badges are currently issued to people who receive the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance. They will affect existing badge holders when a current badge expires and they need to apply for a new one. If an individual does not automatically qualify for a badge by virtue of a PIP award, they will be able to apply directly to their local authority under the 'with further assessment' criteria, the main one of which is for those who are unable to walk or have very serious difficulty in walking. There is a risk that many claimants will no longer qualify when they are reassessed under PIP. Click here for our Personal Independence Payments 2013 course.