Family member awarded enhanced pip - AIBU?

And it is a degrading process my dw has many difficulties and she wants to work but she just doesn't have 35 hrs in her due to real physical pain and 16 hrs is the maximum she can do.during the assessment she had to bare her soul to answer questions and we had to go in-depth with answers and we had to explain that when my wife was at school there was no provision for children with needs they were packed off to special schools and written off and left without basic literacy,numeracy skills which coupled with physical disabilities makes life doubley hard.so in a nutshell it's not a breeze to get through.

Motability is a charity, all repairs are paid for by them. If a disabled person had to purchase their own second hand car they would be responsible for all the upkeep of said car which can cost a fortune.

You said adapted cars only for people like amputees etc. Not everyone with a disability that affects their mobility needs an adapted car, they simply need a car that is either driven by themselves or someone else.

You want people who don’t use wheelchairs and aren’t amputees to have no independence because of the actions of a few who may pull the wool?

Where did I say that?

Except when a specially adapted car is needed, physically disabled people don't need a special, brand new, motability car. They can go spend their PIP on a 'normal' car, either new or second hand, like anyone can.

Yes, I think the motability scheme needs scrapping. Personally I suspect it will be the first thing to go as part of a wider PIP review and not a second too soon.

Not every physically disabled person who needs a car is a wheelchair user or needs an adapted car. They just can’t walk far, and having a car gives them more life and independence, myself being one example. You want people who don’t use wheelchairs and aren’t amputees to have no independence because of the actions of a few who may pull the wool? Who put you in charge of deciding who’s worthy and who isn’t? There are countless physical impairments out there that would benefit from a car, not all of them would meet your criteria.

They do ask about driving and often seem to turn people down due to it.

The PIP system is completely broken, and people know it. It's amusing that non-disabled people will argue that it isn't

Agree.

I have a family member whose enhanced PIP award is due to her severe depression and agoraphobia. Being unable to function normally, no memory, confusion, difficulty understanding written things due to mental fog, needing prompting to do absolute basics, no support at home at all. The mobility component points were based entirely on her being almost totally unable to leave home unaccompanied, due to overwhelming mental distress etc.

She received enhanced PIP, popped down to her local garage that partakes in the scheme and exchanged her mobility component for a brand new motability car. Which she is the sole insured party on.

Apparently it's totally normal and accepted for someone to simultaneously have such poor MH they can't read basic street signs or leave home alone AND to have a motability car that only they are allowed to drive that is currently racking up about 8000 miles a year.

No one (or system) has thought to question this. It's mind boggling. A total farce.

Far better controls are needed and IMO the system that is the motability car scheme needs totally scrapping and replacing with a limited scheme which provides specially adapted cars ONLY (for wheelchair users/amputees etc).

@Didshejustsaythatoutloud

I have Fibromyalgia its diagnosed by a Rheumatologist. I also have Parkinson's. So I'm work shy am I?

Fibromyalgia has recently been PROVEN to be a neurological disorder.

You disgust me.
Reported

@20yearrenovation A benefit bank account?!?! WTF? I have a normal bank account with a visa debit card like every other normal adult! Why the flippity FUCK should I have to have a special bank account because I'm disabled?!?!?!?!?! That's BEYOND discrimination and beyond the most shockingly Tory thing I've ever read on the internet. Wow

Excuse me?! PIP is cash to help with the added costs of being disabled. One of those for me is paying a cleaner to clean what I can’t reach, someone to mow the lawn, fuel in my Motability car, etc.
re: UC - I still have bills to pay! I have a child who needs supporting ffs! Why should genuinely disabled people be treated like second class citizens and be handed little vouchers?!?

Thankfully Starmer has already ruled out moving to a voucher/non-cash system anyway but fuck me! Some of you benefit badgers love to class all us disabled people as scammers, don't you?!? I can’t help being a widowed parent who was later diagnosed with Parkinson's and therefore now FORCED to be reliant on the state

It is a ridiculous assessment process. Very subjective from both the applicant and assessors point of view.
For exampl, stroke victims find it really difficult to obtain because the assessors don’t really know how to assess a stroke victim. I think many see it as a temporary condition.
when DS had a stroke we waited for 12mnths before applying to see just how much recovery he had. His problems are cognitive and, due to a severely arthritic knee that predated the stroke, physical. He also has COPD and chronic fatigue, he could give Rip Van Winkle a run for his money. He sleeps for 70% of the day, which we are told can be normal. His knee renders him almost housebound because it dislocates continuously but he is reluctant to have a knee replacement due to the high risk of surgery and the potential for it to end up worse than it is now.
The assessor scored him zero point, blatantly lied about the answers he gave, when asked if he could prepare a meal he said he could help himself to crisps and use a microwave to heat a prepared meal but the loss of fine motor skills in his right hand meant he couldn’t butter toast or peel veg. She recorded that he could prepare a meal. He also needs prompting to eat, take a shower, in fact left to his own devices he probably wouldn’t last long.
Prior to the stroke he was a SAHP who did all the housework and cooking. He was also super fastidious about his appearance and cleanliness. Now he could easily go a week without a shower. The damage to his brain has wiped out his ability to assess what needs doing.
But because he can wipe his own arse and lift his arms above his head he doesn’t qualify. And yes the assessor asked him to raise his hands above his head. This was despite all the references to his non functioning knee.
I get lists of comments about motivating him to do more but his brain is just missing that part. I do think he is depressed, it would help if he had a blue badge because he would be more enthusiastic about going out if he knew he didn’t have to walk long distances. He refuses to use a scooter because as an ex athlete he sees that as defeat.
He can’t work and is entitled to nothing because he worked for 40yrs and made sure he built up a small pension. Also my income excludes him from benefits.
We are lucky to be financially comfortable but what was the point of paying NI if there is no benefit. It would have been better for us to pay it into a pension to have some benefit.

@Kitkat1523 Source?

Report her then. If you feel she’s lied, report her. I don’t see what posts like this achieve,

To get enhanced daily living you need to be unable to toilet yourself, wash or dress yourself and feed yourself. You need to be entirely dependant upon others. How on earth has she faked this? Was it a telephone assessment?
This is the problem with these assessments which aren't in person, anything can be said

There are some incredibly naive people on this thread.

There are private Facebook groups dedicated to what to say on PIP forms to ensure a successful claim. Not for disabled people. For people who want PIP as a top-up, and ask for help with providing conditions that they cannot prove.

I'm a disabled wheelchair user. When I applied for PIP, I had zero medical evidence. I suffer with medical trauma and PTSD and avoided healthcare at all costs. I was still awarded PIP, higher rate for both elements.

I'm not sure why people think PIP is hard to get. It used to be slightly harder, but now most assessments are done over the phone, it's even easier to lie, should you so wish to.

A colleague of mine frequently laughs about how she made up depression and back pain and now she has a free car. She finds it hilarious. She keeps a wheelchair in her house in case anyone comes to check (she also claims wheelchair user council tax discount). She does extreme sports, mountain climbing, marathons, etc. People like this exist, and they truly believe that it's OK, because the government is "screwing over" everyone, so they may as well get what they can.

The PIP system is completely broken, and people know it. It's amusing that non-disabled people will argue that it isn't.

£809 + £732 pm is a pretty good income.

It would be very easy to prove they are exaggerating or lying about pain etc
Fraud investigators follow people, if you walk miles when you aren't supposed to be able to and you do it more often than you should or you go to bingo etc alone it's very obvious it's fraud

Not relevant whether they can work or not. Plenty of working people are awarded PIP. Most disabled people or people with chronic health conditions will need extra money. They are likely to be at home more so will use more heating, they are likely to spend longer in the shower so another extra cost. They will probably have to pay for their shopping to be delivered as may not be able to get round the shops. They will probably have to pay for taxis or use part of their PIP on a Motability vehicle (Enhanced Mobility award only). They will need to pay someone to do the household chores they can't manage. The list goes on.

I think sometimes people just see the good days
They would see me as working full time, able to play netball, use my peloton, cook nice meals, keep my house clean etc
On the bad days I work (from home), and go to bed without eating. Or I'll be screaming in pain on the floor

There's no predicting either so I might be fine in the morning and not able to move in the afternoon. I don't get PIP before anyone judges, not entitled

Yes, and you forgot safely. Reliably, repeatedly and safely. If you can't do all of the above, then technically you are deemed not to be able to do that activity at all. Not sure assessors adhere to that though.

I am in receipt of PIP myself…..I DID send medical evidence….I know how the system works…….the most important evidence you send is the PIP document which you self complete. …I know someone who sent no medical evidence at all, because they didn’t have any as such…..so just mood diary…..letter from her mum ( who is her carer) , letter from her neighbour who knows her well, and a copy of an old school ehcp ( this was a historic document) ……the thing that got her an award was an extremely well completed pip document……describing her difficulties and how they impact on her life and giving real life examples, in relation to the descriptors…..now I’m not saying all people will get pip without medical evidence,…of course they won’t…..but it is possible …..and to be fair this lady was likely deserving from what I knew of her …..never went out….lots of anxiety …..but who knows 🤷‍♀️

PiP is nothing at all to do with whether or not you can work. Plenty of working people get it. It's money to help with the extra cost of living due to having a disability or long term health condition.

A few years ago, the government said benefit fraud was estimated to be 0.7% (can't now remember which department this was, maybe the ONS or the OBR?). However, so many people weren't claiming benefits to which they were entitled, that even allowing for the fraud, they were still saving money! Not sure 'saving money' is quite the right term, but you know what I mean.

What in all honesty has it got to do with you? Are you bored? Are you jealous? Are you speculating on what her needs are without actually knowing? Get busy and live your own life!

This. Disabled people who are, one of society's poorest and most vulnerable group, deserve dignity. It's already hard enough being ill or disabled. And from what it sounds like a pretty degrading process to get benefits (which are really a rather pitiful amount of money).

By your argument @20yearrenovation because some people shoplift, every single shopper and employee including managers should be searched every single time they enter and leave every single shop they go into.