How likely are PIP vouchers now labour are in?

The thing is that ND people and children differ vastly in their presentation. They can have very different strengths and weaknesses. It’s very difficult trying to find the right path (ime)
PIP certainly helps though.

The consultation is continuing as planned under the conservatives. Labour aren't planning to halt it.
The decision will be made once the consultation is complete.
The bill for PIP has been rising so Labour will need to do something to either reduce it or raise more funds through tax. They have said they are committed to get people back into work so assume they will do something to target those claiming that are out of work. (PIP is an in-work benefit so many of those claiming will be in employment)

I don't think life as a disabled person will be drastically better under labour unfortunately.

Then we look at ways of reducing the amount wasted by people having to appeal. Why does hardly anyone mention that? It's always "there's too many people claiming" - 1 in 4 are disabled.

Again there simply isn’t the level of wealth needed to provide this level of support to everyone who needs it. There just isn’t. We can’t mitigate absolutely everything for everyone. Literally no country does this, it’s not even possible.

Their comment is also ignoring the fact that DLA and PIP are based on needs, too, not diagnosis.

I think I've gone hoarse through telling people this recently.

Nobody is really ‘entitled’ to anything, we as a country put money into a pot and the government carve it up and hand it back out (or they should do). If we are putting in less money, it’s not surprising there is less being given back. Absolutely there was corruption and waste under the tories, but even if we recouped it it wouldn’t make much of a dent.

Also PIP is not an out of work benefit anyway.

The main issue with benefits as they are now is that they accidentally discourage any personal progress, where that is possible.

For example if my adult son spends all his time in his bedroom, desperately depressed and distressed, he gets high level pip (which he can't spend on anything as he can't get out)
If he then begins to walk to the corner shop on his own, gets more confident, and gets the bus to the local shops successfully - then he gets less money, loses his entitlement to a mobility car etc. Even though he can now spend a little of the money himself.

If he tries working in any paid role, and it doesn't work, he has to reapply for LCWRA which takes months and a gruelling interview to get.

Mind you, we are now having UC cut as my son has been too disabled to spend his money as he relies entirely on us. So he now has "savings" above the limits.

An ND diagnosis is not necessarily a barrier to work though, nor does it mean you cannot function (for a big majority of later diagnosed young people/older people)

What it means is that you need support and help to learn how to do it, something that is sadly lacking. There is very little out there once that ASD /ADHD diagnosis comes through (and i say that as a 57 year old AuDHD parent to 2 AuDHD kids, one with other physical health conditions) especially as a child.

There are no services there helping you to function in the modern world, helping you to understand your neurodiversity and steps you can take to help yourself, nothing to assist with executive functioning. No extra help generally in schools to help with the increasingly overwhelming environment. No money for the tech that could make a massive difference, or the mentoring support that could help you to learn life skills, and feel better about yourself.

IF you can struggle through and make it to University, then the DSA shows you exactly what COULD be available - my daughter now has so much software and 1-2-1 support that its actually heartbreaking to think that this COULD be available for kids in school and what they could achieve if they had it - and if you are employed then Access to Work should provide the same level of support but Im not sure that many people know about it (Ive applied as self employed but its kind of in limbo at the moment)

It does kind of highlight what help could be there to help you, especially with tech advances - that can help you to progress in life, but too many people are simply left to rot, which starts a whole cycle of anxiety/depression/lack of self care on top of the ND diagnosis.

Exactly. I think a lot of people have got better at standing up for their rights. (Good). They use the internet to equip themselves with knowledge of how to fight for what they are rightly entitled to. Whereas the government used to hope that people would simply give up.

We could afford a hell of a lot more if we didn’t have to pay for unnecessary appeals!

Please post what tax breaks and vanity projects you’re referring to and the cost of them.

Really? I think ‘we’ can afford it. If governments spend money wisely on public services instead of giving massive tax breaks to the rich and funding vanity projects. We are not a developing country. Honestly, this nonsense is like the emporer’s new clothes.

Under the first four years of the 2010 coalition, the richest in society quadrupled their wealth. That should not be at the expense of disabled people.

So, it’s a financial rather than moral issue. We can’t afford to pay millions and millions of people out of work or disability benefits. Surely you understand the concept of money?!

Disabled people are massively at risk of even further inequality and poverty if they just wait and see what happens.

Wes Streeting is very open about wanting more privatisation of the NHS, Labour have plans for extending PFIs, and they have repeatedly used the exact same rhetoric as Conservatives (i.e. needing to encourage disabled people into work, reduce the welfare bill, improve access to healthcare instead of cash handouts etc etc).

This is all very worrying - "improving access to healthcare" AS AN ALTERNATIVE to cash handouts shows a) that there is money they could spend on healthcare that they will only spend if they can cut it from disabled people and b) that they see no problem with a situation in which you may need to be on PIP to get the quickest access to treatment for your long term health condition.

Continuing the rhetoric of encouraging disabled people back into work is allowing the stigmatisation of people who overwhelmingly say they'd love to be able to work and that the reason they can't is usually because there are no jobs that suit their abilities, because the demands of working make them sicker or because employers do not allow any flexibility or actively discriminate against them. Imagine competing with healthy applicants with excellent health records if you've had 10 days absence in the last year, have hospital appointments a couple of times per month and need reasonable adjustments in your new role.

I would urge anyone who is disabled, knows anyone disabled or who cares about disabled people to fill out the consultation survey before it runs out on 22 July and to remember that vouchers/catalogues will place severe limits on what disabled people can actually buy, which will benefit nobody but the companies chosen to supply those catalogues/accept those vouchers. It's also very expensive to administer those schemes, so the only way it would save money is if they also massively reduce the number of people eligible for PIP in the first place.

There is more to be said about how research on benefits of work for sick/disabled people talks about how work is only beneficial for disabled people if it is the right type of work, safe, accommodating, and within a disabled person's capabilities, none of which is ever taken into account when these kinds of changes are made.

Hopefully the link will work (see below). If not, search for "Modernising Support for Independent Living The Health and Disability Green Paper" and then go to the "How to Respond" section for the link.

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/modernising-support-for-independent-living-the-health-and-disability-green-paper/modernising-support-for-independent-living-the-health-and-disability-green-paper#how-to-respond

Also this is the third time in 10 years my DD has had to go to appeal. Shes won every time on her original evidence. And her condition is lifelong and unchanging. So it’s a phenomenal waste of money in situation like hers

In part yes but also because there has been an explosion in diagnoses of mental health or neurodivergence diagnoses which have lead to more claims. Particularly in young adults

So what? They are not faking their disabilities FFS

The firzt reform PIP needs is an overhaul of the overuse the appeal system because of basic failings by the DWP

So many people who are entitled to it are declined despite then going on to win at appeal (without needing to submit any further evidence).

My daughter’s claim had evidence from two consultants, an OT and a specialist nurse. All are well versed in PIP so their details were about the impact on her life and the limitations. The DWP declined her application based on the assessment of an OT she saw through them who literally googled her condition in front of us as she’d never heard of it! Unsurprisingly she was granted it on appeal.

in the centre we went to for the appeal there was something like 15 rooms. All had a lawyer and doctor on the panel. Many also had a disability rights advisor. All independent and no doubt very expensive. They are so busy her appeal took 11 months. The vast majority of people who appeal win. The cost of that must absolutely astronomical!!

Sorting that out would be a very simple way to save the country a lot of money!

I've participated in a PIP reform consultation focus group via RNIB and the overwhelming response is that any reform should look at making more PIP fit for purpose than it is now.
This includes

• reducing the need for mandatory reconsideration and tribunals (which are costly and majority end in PIP being awarded)
• bringing in light touch reassessments for progressive or lifelong conditions or reinstatement of lifetime awards (avoiding cost of pointless reassessment)
• binning off vouchers idea as cost to administer would outweigh any savings plus unworkable as such diversity of increased costs due to disability

If means testing for winter fuel payments would be too costly how on earth would any government manage a voucher scheme or reimbursement scheme?

In part yes but also because there has been an explosion in diagnoses of mental health or neurodivergence diagnoses which have lead to more claims. Particularly in young adults

Highly unlikely I'd say. They won't want the headlines about distressed disabled people taking the shine off.

Yep. There was massive uproar and Osborne had to row back.

Those figures can be as scary as anything, unfortunately as a parent of at least one child who will rely on benefits and social care for the rest of their lives the fact is some people do need it. And the government won’t invest in social care, so familial carers like me need to also rely on benefits to live. It’s a knock on effect and people like us are stuck whichever way we look.

I think though this should make you appreciate the scale of the dependency on benefits in this country, rather than simply assuming any party who doesn’t want to extend them are ableist. Labour are inherently a party of the welfare state, if they’re rowing back on it then you know there is a major issue. I don’t get why posters can’t see this? The figures are frankly scary.

But, AGAIN. PIP is very hard to get, so why are there so many genuine claimants? Answer - because the Tories stopped funding the NHS.