PIP Daily Living Activities 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A PIP claimant has a severe skin condition that makes washing painful. They can wash but only with significant difficulty and discomfort. How should this be considered?
- They score 0 because they can complete the task
- Pain and discomfort are irrelevant to PIP assessment
- Completing an activity must be done to an acceptable standard, safely, and without excessive pain (Correct answer)
- They automatically receive enhanced rate Daily Living
Correct answer: Completing an activity must be done to an acceptable standard, safely, and without excessive pain
PIP requires that activities be assessed against four criteria: safe, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and in a reasonable time — significant pain can mean these criteria are not met.
Question 2: Under PIP, which descriptor for 'preparing food' would score the highest number of points?
- Needs an aid or appliance to prepare food
- Needs prompting to prepare food
- Needs assistance to prepare food
- Cannot prepare food and needs another person to do so (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Cannot prepare food and needs another person to do so
The highest descriptor for preparing food — scoring 8 points — is awarded when a claimant cannot prepare food at all and requires another person to cook for them.
Question 3: A claimant with a learning disability can follow a simple route but cannot plan a new journey or handle unexpected disruptions. Which component and activity is most relevant?
- Daily Living: Making budgeting decisions
- Daily Living: Engaging with other people
- Mobility: Planning and following journeys (Correct answer)
- Mobility: Moving around
Correct answer: Mobility: Planning and following journeys
Planning and following journeys is a Mobility component activity that assesses the ability to plan a route, follow it, and cope with unexpected changes — relevant for cognitive disabilities.
Question 4: What must be true for a claimant's need for an aid or appliance to be counted in a PIP Daily Living assessment?
- The aid must be prescribed by a doctor
- The aid must cost more than £50
- The claimant must actually use or reasonably be expected to use the aid to complete the activity (Correct answer)
- The aid must be provided by the NHS
Correct answer: The claimant must actually use or reasonably be expected to use the aid to complete the activity
PIP counts an aid if the claimant uses it or would reasonably be expected to use it — it does not need to be prescribed or provided by the NHS.
Question 5: A claimant can dress themselves but needs another person to select appropriate clothing because a mental health condition impairs their judgment. Which descriptor applies under 'dressing and undressing'?
- Can dress and undress unaided
- Needs prompting to dress and undress (Correct answer)
- Needs assistance to dress or undress
- Cannot dress or undress at all
Correct answer: Needs prompting to dress and undress
Needing prompting — such as being told what clothes to choose by another person — qualifies for the prompting descriptor under dressing and undressing.
Question 6: Which statement about the PIP Daily Living assessment is CORRECT?
- Claimants must fail all ten activities to qualify
- Points from different Daily Living activities are added together (Correct answer)
- A claimant can only score points in one activity at a time
- Daily Living activities are only assessed if the claimant has a physical disability
Correct answer: Points from different Daily Living activities are added together
Points scored across all applicable Daily Living activities are cumulative — the total is what determines whether a claimant qualifies for the standard or enhanced rate.
Question 7: A claimant needs 45 minutes to wash and bathe due to fatigue from a chronic illness, whereas a non-disabled person would take 10 minutes. Under PIP, how is this relevant?
- Time taken is irrelevant to PIP Daily Living scoring
- Taking more than twice as long as a non-disabled person means they may not meet the 'reasonable time' criterion (Correct answer)
- They score 0 because they can still complete the task
- The extra time is only relevant for the Mobility component
Correct answer: Taking more than twice as long as a non-disabled person means they may not meet the 'reasonable time' criterion
PIP's 'reasonable time' criterion means that if a claimant takes more than twice as long as a non-disabled person, they may not be considered able to complete the activity for assessment purposes.
PIP Daily Living Activities 5
A PIP claimant has a severe skin condition that makes washing painful.
They can wash but only with significant difficulty and discomfort.
How should this be considered?