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

No, you fukin preach. These heartless scum need to hear it.

At the moment I am carer for my DH. I do everything that a professional carer would do. We use the PIP money for a motability car, for taxis, for a wheelchair and its maintenance, for home visits from a chiropodist, for all the extra expense that is so often involved in doing normal stuff that non-disabled people take for granted.

For example, if we want to go on holiday (yes this is allowed although lots of you will be aghast) there is a lot of extra expense due to cost of travel insurance for disabled people and having to pay through the nose for wheelchair friendly hotels. We can't just rock up to a cheap air b'n b.

That is what PIP is for. To level the playing field. To meet the extra financial cost of being disabled. How would vouchers be a better way? It will just be an administrative burden for everyone.

See this type of ignorance annoys me. Until you have to deal with things like wheelchairs and medical equipment then you literally know nothing. You will be surprised about what is and what isn't supplied by the NHS. Yes, the NHS will supply you will a wheelchair based on an assessment. An assessment that you have to wait months for.
Then if you are lucky you will get a basic self propelling chair, if that doesn't fit your needs then you will get a voucher (see this is where the Tories got the idea from - the creative lot).

Get this, the voucher may or may not be accepted by wheelchair suppliers so good luck finding one. To actually get the chair to fit your needs you often have to put in extra money - this is where your PIP money comes in.

This is how easy it is to be disabled.

The playing field is never level. A poor person can’t go on holiday (not saying you shouldn’t) - life isn’t fair essentially

Anyone who has ever read about the history of company towns and company shops will know that "scrip", payment in tokens or vouchers that could only be redeemed in certain shops, was means of exploiting the workforce forcing them to pay inflated prices for essentials.

Any scheme based on vouchers is automatically suspect. Who owns and is paid by the companies who will accept the vouchers? How much will prices be inflated by?

This isn't about efficiency or fairness, it's about corruption and profiteering from the most vulnerable in society.

Then if you are lucky you will get a basic self propelling chair, if that doesn't fit your needs

And one which weighs a fucking ton and is too heavy for your 5'3" carer to lug in and out of the car without doing her back in. Which is why we use PIP money to buy one privately.

People have no fucking idea. Some of them will one day, though. I hope they will enjoy spending their vouchers.

The playing field already isn't level under the current scheme. And you propose to increase the slope...

Thank you - ironically my DD is thinking of training in psychology so that she can work with YP like her who really do ‘understand’ (she is so effed off with psyches who say things like, have you thought of writing a journal, or using a tomato timer to do the pomodoro method, or used an app to schedule … ie all NT people who simply cannot compute ND issues because YES of course she’s considered/tried these things… but she’s autistic FFS). Also aware there are simply not enough trained psychologists either, which is also down to lack of resourcing in the NHS. We’ve spent the last month mapping out all the unis who do a BSc in Psych and the doctoral programmes that are within commute distance of home or another family member so that she will have a safety net.

PIP could really help her get her life back on track, boost her confidence, and get her making a valuable contribution to society.

How would this work to pay for their care for those who have a care plan or pay cleaners or gardeners or taxis?

I knew there would be one!

I'm just assuming you don't agree with or understand a welfare state because you are refusing to grasp what disability benefits are.

@MaryMaryVeryContrary will probably say that poor people can't afford gardners or taxis, so why should disabled people be able to.

It wont, the whole idea is ludicrous, and was no doubt thought up by some ignorant bunch, in a desperate attempt to cling on to power, as they know that it will please a lot of the electorate, if they are seen to be getting tough with people who claim PIP. This is where we are, at present, as a Country. Constantly looking to give the more vulnerable members of Society, a hard time, under the guise of there being less money.

Luckily the Tories won't get in, so the vouchers idea is academic. Labour's manifesto mentions nothing about PIP reform, although they will look at ESA.

No doubt there are people who think you can just claim ESA without having to provide any medical evidence, or have regular evaluations.

Vouchers will not reduce costs, they will massively increase them even if they cut the amount given.

What happened to people before the introduction of DLA which preceded PIP ? I'm just interested in knowing if anyone does know ? My mum had really quite severe MH issues for much of her adult life yet claimed nothing. This may have been because she didn't know that disability benefits were available, but really she was never really able to work yet got nothing. I'm talking of a time span from late 1960's until 2010 when she would have retired. She never received a penny in any kind of benefit, my dad just worked extra hard to support the family. Was there anything available for people in this situation?

Yes the admin of it all would be a nightmare. It's a really dire idea.

There was Attendance Allowance and Mobility Allowance (introduced in 1971).

DLA begun in 1992.

I am not ignorant. I am fully aware that wheelchairs are not provided on the NHS always. But my original question was in relation to equipment relating to a CPAP machine which is provided by the NHS, so you would think that the liners or whatever the original poster was on about would also be supplied by the NHS too if that is something that the machine's efficiency is dependent on, the same as lots of medical equipment is provided free of charge like stoma bags, catheters, blood testing strips and needles. I was surprised that if a CPAP machine was being provided then the extra equipment that goes long with it wasn't. No need to be so rude as to call me ignorant thanks.

Thank you. Clearly not something my mum knew about then !

It's our society that is unfair. Look at Nordic countries who heavily invest in their citizens, they tend to be happy, healthily, highly educated and well paid and they do it on a lot less money than we have available. Why can they do it but we can't? It's ideological not unaffordable.

Exactly and then there's the bung to any business who'll accept them taking even more money away from the recipients... As with the assessments it's about being seen to be tough and weeding out the timewasters/scroungers/undeserving poor/fake disabled/not disabled enough/never heard of that so it doesn't exists/just an excuse for bad parenting/laziness/etc. it has bugger all to do with saving money.

Mic drop!