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

Whilst some people do have hormonal imbalances that can contribute to obesity they are not in themselves the cause.
The hormonal imbalances are not new and yet the high rate of obesity and overweight people around the world is.
Obesity is a result of eating too much unhealthy food and not exercising enough.

Over 50% of benefits paid are to pensioners. So how do you propose to reduce that spending? The Tory government has already increased the age at which pension can be drawn.

https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-63129705

@MaryMaryVeryContrary

The Tory government has also tackled child benefit. You should be pleased with them. Since they are doing what you think is necessary

"The government is expected to spend £12.6bn on child benefit this year.
Since 2013, claimants earning more than £50,000 gradually have the benefit reduced the more they earn.
At £60,000 and above, child benefit is fully withdrawn.
And that figure has not been adjusted to reflect rising prices since then, meaning it now affects many more people.
In August 2022, seven million families were receiving child benefit."

@MaryMaryVeryContrary

Again you will be pleased to know we pay less benefits than many countries so cutting more as you suggested means we'd really be low on the list. Could save lots of money for the rich to get even richer then. Award themselves even more contracts to earn even more.

How does UK benefit spending compare with other countries?
The UK spends 12.9% of gross domestic product (GDP) - the total value of goods and services produced in the country - on social benefits, according to the latest data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

That puts it in fifth place on the G7 list of big economies.

"I see a LOT of people on PIP for self inflicted conditions which they could remedy but have zero desire to do so. And yes I begrudge that."

I see that you write a LOT of I'll informed goady posts.

What self inflicted conditions? Not sure who has suggested that.

That obesity is on the rise globally would indicate that it's not a matter of individuals making poor choices, but of external factors that affect all of us. Microplastics and hormones in the food chain, the effect of the internet on mental health, pollution, and high processing of basic foods like bread (look up the Chorleywood Process) affect all of us and are not choices. Yes, even the internet is not a choice. You can use it less but you cannot opt out of its existence and the impact that it has on everyone's behaviour.

This is true, yes, but there are ways to circumvent these harmful foods that are so readily available, which are harmful to us. But to do so requires first of all the knowledge to know what to avoid, such as UPFs, etc, the money to be able to buy proper food, i.e. from farm shops, organic food shops, etc. The ability to cook these foods etc. I looked to buy a breadmaker, and was surprised at the cost of them. Eating well, takes time, effort, and money.

Eating well, takes time, effort, and money.

So something that poor people, people working two jobs to make ends meet, and many disabled people don't have then?

I'm autistic. Most of the time, I live on Huel because I don't have the mental resources to deal with the error-prone messy process that is cooking. I also have binge eating disorder (EDs are over-represented in autistic people) and am off work sick with stress, so you can imagine what eating looks like for me at the moment. Clue: 🍕

Now think carefully: Is framing my overweightness as "my choice" more or less likely to exacerbate my BED? By framing it as "the cards are stacked against me and I can only do what I can“, I've done what I feel I can do and have gone from obese to merely overweight. Framing obesity as a choice is not only untrue, it's counterproductive.

It's impossible to buy microplastic-free anything because it's in groundwater now. Likewise artificial-hormone-free anything.

My point is that there are barriers to people being able to eat as well as they should. That fact cannot be ignored. There are steps that people who are able to, can take to eat healthier. The microplastics, and hormones in the food, are what we have to contend with.

Ah, we are in agreement. My mistake.

But we know what the tories will do.

Yes, I was agreeing with you.😊

I mentioned earlier in this thread about my DP and PIP (thank you to the lovely folk who replied - apologies for not responding, it all got a bit overwhelming).

So what I didn't mention is that I'm also autistic/ADHD, and I have two autistic DC. My DS will never live independently. My DD might be able to eventually but will need lots of support. Both have enormous struggles and require care both during the day and at night.

I have in front of me right now their DLA application forms. Literally, as I type this I'm looking at them. Do you know how long I've had these forms for? Over 10 years. My DC are 14 years old now (twins) and I really need to get my arse in gear to fill in these bastard forms.

Our life is so, so different from most people. I find it almost impossible to capture the differences. I don't think I even truly know how different our lives are and the accommodations we make every day to support our children's needs.

I am not a stupid woman. I have my own business and have been successfully self-employed for over 14 years. And yet, somehow filling in these stupid forms defeats me.

I should also point out that we could have REALLY used the money over the years. DS is still in nappies at age 14 and that alone costs a small fortune. LOL at the idea that the NHS provides what we need. We have been on our arse financially - and still I have struggled with these forms. Mainly because I feel the need to capture the answers accurately and it's really hard to do.

If a voucher scheme was introduced and you asked me to break down our additional costs, I don't think I could do it. I only know what our life is like, I can't really comprehend all the ways it's different to most other people. And I certainly couldn't begin to comprehend the many diverse and wide-ranging extra costs we have.

If we were told we had to claim vouchers and that we had to identify and claim our additional costs, I don't know what I would do. It's just too big a subject. There's just too much to be able to break it all down accurately.

Conversely, my DM has cerebral palsy and my dear departed dad had Huntington's Disease, I was his carer. I was able to fill in their various DLA forms etc without the same problems because their disabilities were much more objective and tangible (can't walk more than X steps, for example). The form was still bloody long and a big task but it was easier for me. It is simpler to list physical, visible requirements but that still doesn't encompass everything because of course there are still the invisible elements too. With a voucher scheme these would be inevitably overlooked.

But then I guess that achieves the goal for the Conservatives doesn't it? Lower costs, less to pay out - and who cares about the disabled person on the receiving end? That's not really their priority.

Seek help with the forms from autism charities.

But yes, writing sucks for a lot of autistic people.

Have you tried soda bread. Quick, very easy. No need to prove the dough.
Absolutely delicious !
Or make up normal dough leave to prove in a bowl then
fry
or steam ( delicious rolls from this )
Also quick and easy.
Dough can be left in the fridge overnight to prove and used the next day, it’s how I make my pizza bases and rolls.

I mean, I understand this was a response to a particular poster.
But I think your definition of "quick and easy" might be different from a lot of disabled people's definition of "quick and easy"! I used to make bread by hand etc etc, now I rely on heating meals up in the microwave. If I didn't have helpful family members to make the meals and the odd loaf of bread, I'd be living off ready meals

You're not alone in being overweight. It's the new normal.

UPFs are aggressively marketed at poor families who are already disproportionately vulnerable, in poor health, and unable to access timely medical and dental preventative care.

UPFs are cheaper, calorie for calorie, than non-UPFs. And they're addictive. Horrible, isn't it? I'm disabled and it's a real struggle to shop, get deliveries, and cook & eat 'from scratch'. Sometimes the arthritis in my hands is so flared up I can't even use the special kitchen aids for opening jars, tins, etc.

Yesterday I was on my own in the house and I ate a slice of cheese. That's it. For all sorts of complicated reasons. I've got a delivery of medication later and my son is coming home early from work to accept it, missing some wages. I'll compensate him for that by asking him to include some of his things in an Asda delivery for tomorrow (which he'll also have to be home to accept) that I'll pay for.

I don't see how any 'voucher' system could assist the garbled, unhappy minutiae of my life.

My aunt made soda bread with severe arthritis. Her fingers were so bad her hands were in a permanent fist.
So just suggesting a very easy bread here.

My aunt made soda bread with severe arthritis. Her fingers were so bad her hands were in a permanent fist.

Rolled my eyes so hard they did a 360 in my head at this.

If someone says they cannot do something because of a disability, what part of that information makes you think 'my aunt managed and she was much worse' is ok?

Just respect the poster and keep your aunts ability to yourself

As my post stated. I suggested the soda bread because my aunt was able to make it despite her disability.
Its a suggestion for anyone interested. None of my posts have been based on individuals disabilities, just a simple suggestion.

So please respect my right to offer kind advice in a kindly way….which was its purpose.

I should also say it’s common sense that some people will not be able to do a wide variety of things and some people will so it’s not really worth mentioning.

Good for your aunt....
I do actually know how to make soda bread. I know it's an "easy" bread. I also know it goes stale very quickly and it's in no way feasible for me to make bread every other day! It might be physically possible, if I wasn't in too much pain and fatigue from also trying to hold down a job etc. But really it just proves the point that eating non-UPF bread and so on isn't going to work for so many disabled (and non-disabled!) people, whether or not one person once managed it with arthritic hands.
Which makes us more likely to gain weight, which means people will look at us and assume our lack of mobility is due to our weight, and not the other way around.

Some on this thread better hope that fortune always smiles upon them.
It doesn't take much for life to change drastically.
Old age, redundancy,ill health,and having to deal with the benefits system and you will find out it's not a bed of rose's or a lifestyle choice.

This.

Disabled people are all different. So your aunt managed it isn't the 'well therefore the other person with disability should too' clever point at all. Strange when people do that as a gotcha 🤔 odd

For someone who is not a sheep the answer is anti disability sheep like.