Fancy cars for disabled people

[LemaxObsessive]

Motability.

I am sick to absolute death of seeing people saying on various threads, that Motability vehicles are “given” to us disabled people “for free”.

PIP is awarded in 2 separate elements.

1. Daily Living (day to day care needs etc)
2. Mobility

Each element is paid at different rates depending on how affected by your disability you are (and yes, medical evidence is required). However, to be eligible for Motability, you need to be getting the highest rate of the Mobility element. This is currently £77.05 per week (which works out at £308.20 per 4 weeks or £333.88 per month).

When you join Motability you agree for the DWP to give Motability that £77.05 per week instead of it being paid to your bank. If you also receive the Daily Living element of PIP then you will still receive that directly.

You ALSO, in most cases, have to pay an advance payment (AP) for the vehicle. The better the vehicle, the higher the AP. You do not get the AP back.
The £77.05 per week pays for the lease of the car, insurance, roadside assistance, tyres & windshield cover. Disabled people in receipt of the highest rate of the PIP mobility element are already exempt from road tax.

With regards to the ‘fancy’ cars such as BMW, Audi & Mercedes, as you can imagine all of these have a whopping great AP in the multiple thousands of pounds; Which as I said, you don’t get back.
The taxpayer is not paying a penny towards these vehicles besides the fact that Motability don’t currently pay VAT which I believe is up for discussion.

I think a really important point to make here is that PIP is categorically not means tested (even millionaires can claim it, provided their health meets the criteria) and is not paid to replace a disabled person’s income! In other words, people do not live off PIP instead of working, it is paid to cover the added costs associated with being disabled. Costs non-disabled people likely have never even considered, such as cleaners when we can’t do it, basic gardening when we can’t do it, extra electricity for when medical equipment is used at home, ready meals when we’re bed-bound, delivery charges for every single thing we buy because click & collect isn't possible, taxis to work because the bus always already has a wheelchair user on it, along with lots of other small but mounting costs we have zero choice but to pay because the alternative isn’t an option for us. The lowest rate of PIP is just £29.20 per week so we’re not talking big money!

Millions of PIP claimants work full time but crucially, couldn’t do so without PIP and in many cases, without Motability!

As I said above, even wealthy people are eligible to claim PIP to cover the added costs associated with their disability and they can, if they receive the highest rate of the Mobility Component of PIP choose to use Motability. If they want to spend £7,999 plus £77.05 per week to lease an Audi Q4 for 3 years then they can but not many do because it’s a lot of money to have nothing to show for it after 3 years.

So no, nobody is being ‘given free BMWs, Audis or Mercedes’ regardless of what’s being said by anyone!

It's creating a crazy, binary, two tier system when we all know life isn't like this.

I agree, I know people with disabilities leaving in poverty who clearly don't have enough help and others who don't need help.

Someone in DH's side of the family has Motability. Their youngest has severe autism. He's 18 now and they use the car to regulate his emotions and calm him down. It helps them cope.

I don’t care what cars disabled people drive. They need the car, and it’s helping the motor industry and helping keep people in jobs.

Because they are disabled and that's why they need the car.

Because they are also tax payers, and probably at higher level.

Until fairly recently millionaires could claim child benefit.

Millionaires, disabled or not, shouldn’t be able to claim any kind of state benefit.

It’s absolute insanity.

But lots of disabled people who need cars don't get any help. PIP is a fairly inconsistent system and lots of people don't get any award yet struggle every day.

Agree. And this level of entitlement has leaked into people's mindsets.

I volunteer for a charity and we often get grant requests from people who, when you review their finances, are wealthy by anyone's standards- but they just don't want to spend their own money on things if they can persuade someone else to.

No, adults who were awarded DLA as a child, migrate to PIP by area, when the DWP decides they should!

DD1 is in her 30s and still on DLA, because the DWP has left her on it! I heard from another parent in my town, that their adult DC is also still on DLA.

She is also diagnosed with ADHD, but it has nothing to do with her DLA! She gets the highest rate mobility, because she can’t reliably walk one step, without
falling down unconscious, and possibly suffering injuries.

If you know people you think should have PIP but don't, then complain about that. Complain about the assessments we have to go through. Campaign for the criteria to be widened.

Just make PIP means tested. I don’t think many people object to disabled people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to get around being given support, but if you can afford the extra for a BMW then you can afford to buy your own car. It would be nice to give everyone lots of money but we can’t afford it, and the idea that we’re paying benefits to millionaires while other people are living in substandard housing and can’t afford basics like heating is pretty sickening.

Exactly this.
And also there does need to be a new conversation about who does and doesn't qualify for PIP.
Because I know people who's lives are very limited by disability yet they don't get anything

But we can't afford as a country to widen the criteria and help millionaires by BMWs

Its unaffordable as it is It absolutely cannot be widened. We need to think of a new way that meets people's basic needs, facilitates work but doesn't fund luxuries like fancy cars or holidays. We simply can't afford to do this for anyone, disabled or not.

Nothing wrong exceptThey couldn’t carry passengers, were notoriously unsafe, no room for a wheelchair, hand controls only (so useless for people with hand issues) and completely stigmatising. But sure, they are good enough for us lesser humans.

Yes he will have got under severe mental impairment whilst on DLA and because he can't navigate a journey from A to B independently now he's transferred to PIP
They can also use the car as a family car if they so wish.

Neither disabled millionaires or ordinary disabled people are being helped to buy BMW's or any other vehicle. Lets keep things factual.

The people who are able to put down additional money to upgrade what motability vehicle they are leasing, loose that upgrading money and don't get to keep the vehicle when the contract ends after I believe, three to five years.

That's money that helps the economy turn and the second hand vehicle market strong.

As I understand it, it's a form of tax on having a better (or for some, a more suitable) vehicle on lease.

My sister is law has one because she has MS. She is struggling with her health at age 50 so I think at least one small help is that she has a nice car. I couldn’t say what car it is even though I have seen it as I’m not interested in cars but it’s a new or new ish one that looks quite sturdy as in quite big. All I can see is positives for this as she has a mobility scooter etc so she can’t really drive round in a smart car as she needs some space for her equipment.

People say council houses are free as well when they aren’t. People pay rent. People confuse the fact that some peoples rent is covered by housing benefit. I assume this is the same with the cars.

Do I want to go to work - no.
Would I prefer to go to work and not have MS or whatever other condition would cause a need for a notability vehicle - absolutely yes.

I can drive round in an old car because if it breaks down I can deal with it. My sister in law has low white blood cells due to her MS treatment so can pick up an infection really easily and something as simple as a cold can leave her very unwell. So she can’t really wait by the roadside for hrs if she breaks down due to having a rubbish old car.

Would I like a new car- actually I don’t care about cars but I get that some people would.
Would it be worth it to have the condition that goes with it to meet the criteria for the car- no.

Do you mean lease with there own money. In reality how often do you think this situation happens. The pip process is hell. I attempted suicide during mine that is how bad it is. If I could afford not to go through that there is absolutely no way i would put myself through that.

Can she use a bus independently?
My son has severe autism and learning disabilities, he's gets HRM on DLA ,he can walk and run etc but at 15 has the cognitively ability of a 2/3 year old so he gets under SMI
I don't anticipate this changing when he transfers to PIP as there no way he can travel independently.

I was joking! I wish I hadn't said it now.

For Christs sake having a Disability is not a 'taxable' benefit . It is beyond belief that people are so 'jealous' about someones 'wealth' that that person or child with a qualifying disability does not deserve a limited amount of money to help them. Another thing when we are talking 'wealth' are we talking Elton John or a family living in a 4/5 Bedroom house Here !

Again though. You seem to assume people who don't get PIP are all.able bodied and healthy. That's miles away from the reality

Do people on here believe that if 'all' disabled people had their cars taken off them no PIP for anyone on £50K PA etc that the country would suddenly become solvent !

such stupidity.

Ok the truth about Motabilty and some scams which took place Pre- 2010 under the old DLA system.
The regulations were tightened up by Ian Duncan Smith to prevent such things which were used in certain communities. This being things like the Grandmother getting DLA and the Mercedes being driven and 'owned' by the grandson who would give the amount of DLA or more in cash to the person awarded the DLA.

The system could be abused at the time as i know a 'cousin' of mine ( who is sadly deceased) who looked after my mothers home got a New VW golf around 2009. My cousin did have a 'back injury' however she did not qualify for a Blue Badge yet somehow managed to get become eligible for a Car on the old DLA system. She lost the car about two years later. Ian Duncan Smith and the previous Conservative Government closed a lot of these potential ways to game the system.

Actually you can believe what you wish but I see quite a lot of older people in this situation ! The old DLA mobility seems to have been given out very easily. In my job role I often go to see older people who have been on DLA mobility for years on end ( often with the motorbility car ) and now have more care needs and want to be assessed for the care component side of DLA or try to get the care component increased so I go out to help them fill out the forms. I was particularly shocked by one old guy I went to do a Home visit on. He had forgotten to get his national insurance number ready and said he needed to get it from upstairs. He was up and down those stairs faster than I could have gone ( no stair lift ). And yes motorbility car in the drive. These older people have not been re-assessed for years and never will be now. The criteria for DLA was hugely easier to get than PIP and this group of people never switched to PIP and have just kept the same award for years on end without re-assessment. the whole system needs a shake up.

Well of course that's the case ,but PIP has very specific criteria and if you don't meet them ,you dont meet them also its about how the condition impacts a person.
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