So they want to replace PIP/DLA money with vouchers?

[moneyinthebinthatsmrtim]

I don't understand it. It is really worrying me.

This payment helps pay for so many things. I doubt these vouchers would cover that, or give the freedom to shop or buy from where you want or need to.

I included DLA because it's really just the child's version of PIP. Eventually, my profoundly disabled child will be an adult and will have to be on PIP

Is there really any truth in this? I can't see any articles directly quoting Labour or Conservative. I might just be in such a worry that I have missed that bit

Apologies if there is another thread on this too. I am happy to get this one taken off if that's the case

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/pip-disability-benefits-plan-rishi-government-critics-b2537209.html

It can't be that difficult to get. My aunt claims PIP due to arthritis yet she functions perfectly well and could most definitely work.

She told me she saves her PIP and uses it to go on holidays abroad. So yes, the system clearly needs reforming. And before you come at me I am most definitely not and never have been a tory voter.

I am going to assume that your Aunt goes somewhere warm. The warm weather is known to help ease the pain of arthritis. I would class that as a sensible use of her money. And no, PIP is by no means, easy to get.

Hollow laughter.
Most wheelchairs aren't even supplied on the NHS

PIP isn’t about of work benefit.
You can get PIP and work full time.

The most obvious situation is if you have mobility issues and need a wheelchair to move around. You’ll qualify for the mobility aspect even though you can still work.
But many other situations will apply too.

Also it’s not income related.
So yes your aunt is putting it as ‘I keep it to go away on hols’ because she has enough OTHER income to do so.
In reality, what’s happening is that she has additional cost from her disability, it’s covered by her PIP and she has money left over to put in savings fur a hols then. Money she wouldn’t have if she wasn’t getting help to cover those additional cost linked to being ill.

Lastly, many disabled people fake being well.
When you see them, they aren’t going to tell you about how awful they feel. You won’t see the I la t of them being out and about when they are back at home. You dint know if they dint need to increase the meds/painkillers etc…
Dont assess how disabled or ill someone is from the few times you see them.

I get that. But this is a woman who at the age of 56 has never had a job. And I know it sounds like I dislike her and I really really don't, she's a lovely woman. But trust me when I say I KNOW she is taking the piss.

My mum also has arthritis and some days can barely walk. She can't use stairs, or even hold a pen.

I would support something like that especially for those that are alcohol and drug dependent, the money only feeds their habit more.

@NothingToday1 then maybe your mum should claimed PIP if it’s affecting her so much!
But whether someone works or not isn’t part of the assessment criteria. It’s nothing to do with it.

@SpidersAreShitheads from your description, I’d say your dh is entitled to PIP and will criteria.
Bit to fill those dreaded firms is also about acknowledging abd facing head on your own limitations. And it’s very hard.

eg if your dh can’t turn his head, bend etc… can he safely have a shower or does he need to sit to avoid collapsing?
Us he really safe holding a kettle if he collapses from moving his head up, down or sideways.

On that pov, those forms are gruelling and heart breaking.
And i personally found that writing down all those things, acknowledging how limited I am was very hard.
Thats why getting support in filling the form is essential - to be able to convey what is REALLY going on, that you might be able to accept yourself (yet)

And if they are, they are either not fit for purpose or will take up to 2 years to arrive. My DS needs a bespoke wheelchair to stop his joints from dislocating - fortunately we have the money to just buy one. They're about £4k for a manual chair.

I was talking to a guy in a train. His bespoke wheelchair was over £10k. The price of car….
Mine is ‘only’ £2.5k….

Exactly.
See also medical aids like compression socks. I was told to wear them by my cardiologist, but they aren't provided on the NHS. And they're £10-15 per pair.

People on the outside looking in, really have no idea how expensive living with a disability/ disabilities, can be, unless they themselves are affected, or know the ins, and out, of somebody else, who is.

Sadly I think that in many cases, as evidenced on this thread, it's a case of they don't want to know. Because then their comfy little world where disabled people are just lazy addicts and scroungers comes crashing down.

You make a good point@pointythings , no pun intended😁. It is just astonishing that some people would believe that disability is just for other people. Anyone could become disabled, it does not discriminate. That support that is so vital, if dismantled could affect them one day.

Also 20% of the population has a disability.

Most of the time, that disability is invisible.
But it really should make people aware that it’s not uncommon and can happen to anyone. Yes even them or their partner, child etc….

Also, healthier meals tend to require preparation for, which not everyone who is disabled can do.

I'm overweight, but I can never stick to a diet and I can't exercise due to my disability. I'm unable to prepare or cook food, so I rely on ready made meals or takeaway. I started gaining weight as my disability got worse, and the only time I was able to lose weight was when I skipped several meals for several days in a row.

This recent Observer article is very interesting. PIP is clearly NOT easy to get for huge numbers of our most vulnerable and disabled.

'The government is rejecting more than 40% of applications for disability benefit from people with multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy and arthritis – and one in four applications from amputees, the Observer can reveal.'

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/12/claims-conditions-personal-independence-payments-disability-benefits-cancer-arthritis-amputees#:~:text=Across%20all%20applications%20for%20Pip,are%20receiving%20the%20right%20support.

Well if he is in danger of collapse then a lot of the PIP descriptors would apply. He would score points if he is not able to do things safely etc. And if he can't go out alone then he would score points under that mobility descriptor ?

The money to make up for some of the extra costs associated with being disabled. How she chooses to spend it is her business.

He can walk, he can make a cup of tea, he can go to the toilet without help so he won’t get enough points.

Consistently and safely? I doubt it...

What's the probability of him slipping and falling? Falling off the loo? Dropping the kettle?

It's half the time too. I have what sounds like a similar but less severe type. I'm "lucky" it seems to only affect me whilst laying down. Therefore, (I applied before I had this issue) it doesn't look like I'd qualify but it looks like @SpidersAreShitheads DH should get something.

You have to think of everything and it's in a safely timely manner.

What problems do the medication cause? When I applied, mine really affected my already rubbish memory and then there was the hearing loss.

Maybe the Citizens Advice could help with the form@SpidersAreShitheads . Your Husband sounds like his condition is having a big impact on his life, and limiting his ability to do things.

@SpidersAreShitheads please do go and see CA as I’m sure your DH is able to get stuff. My ASD/DHD daughter is physically and intellectually capable of most of those things, but her MH is such that she cannot do many of them - either because she just wouldn’t bother (ASD means doesn’t always register hunger, OCD means she hates the mess, ASD/Anxiety/ADHD means she would never shop or order on line to have food in the house - ie she would starve if not prompted/overseen); same with public transport: she can do familiar routes to see friends, but is liable to melt down/panic if the effing trains get cancelled (every fricking time, it seems) so she can only go out independently on one or two routes, where there will be someone the other end, and if she has an on-call adult to jump in the car and collect her.

eg I had to drive to London at 330 am on NY’s days because the trip with friends to see fireworks and stay overnight in a Travelodge was far too much for her and she had a meltdown, became hysterical and her drunk friends left her to it. I anticipated it, so remained sober, but still, it took a week of her hiding in her room and me bringing meals to try and persuade her to eat, before she began to reset.

When you fill in the forms you state this: yes, is physically and intellectually capable of making tea, but due to risk of collapse must always have a third party present to ensure his safety; physically capable of toileting/showering, but must always have a carer/adult within sight/hearing/reach to come to aid should he stumble/fall etc. You state that this is a permanent, every day risk, ie everyday has to be treated as a ‘bad day’ in terms of the alert levels and the risk of harm.

The forms/questions are not as black and white as ‘can he stand/sit/toilet’ independently as every question has an additional information box. My DD will not get the full amount as she is not physically disabled, but I’ve been told by the assessor that they would be surprised if she didn’t get approx £671 pcm.

So please get help - also, he should be entitled to other benefits. Have found out via these threads that despite DD being 19, she may be entitled to UC etc, so am off to CAS tomorrow myself to find out more. You may also qualify for a carers allowance (I don’t because I’m a FT post grad student, but may apply next year when it’s finished).

I doubt I'm the only one reading this thread and thinking the wrong people are getting PIP at times.

Were you at their assessment? And how much do you really know about their health? Highly unlikely you know everything.

The wrong people! What you are reading is a snapshot of what people may wish to post. Unless you are there, living, or seeing these people from morning to night, on a regular basis, then you will have no real idea of what their lives may be like. I do not share my everyday struggles here. No doubt some posters would accuse me of talking up my difficulties, or some other such dismissal.