Misuse of Motability vehicles.

[fifitot]

Just sounding as just this week 2 of my friends got brand new cars under this scheme. If you don't know, someone getting a high rate of disability allowance can get this paid direct to a car dealer and get a brand new car which includes free insurance and servicing costs. No problem with that at all. Even if the person cannot drive themselves they can have a named driver but the issue is that the car must be primarily for the use of the disabled person, even if it is as a passenger, or for doing errands for them etc. It s a good scheme that assists disabled people.

It is not for relatives to scam the system and get a brand new car which is parked miles away in another town, never to be used by the disabled person themselves or in connection with that person. 2 people I know have recently got cars by conspiring with their parents/brother. These cars are parked outside their own homes, they never use them in connection with their relatives and are quite open about how they have 'played the system'. It really bloody annoys me.

And don't even get me started on the misuse of the blue badges!

My father was a paraplegic (deceased now) and the car was a godsend. My mother did use it because she lives in a village and often had to pick up medical supplies etc. So there were times when he was not in the car. Times when he was just too ill. But yes, I have seen people milking it. But also I don't think that it was out of order for her to use it even if she was not going on an errand for him. She was a full-time carer for an incontinent (and sometimes difficult) man - saving the government a lot of money as they love to tell carers. Her life was hell. Being able to get away, when he well enough to be left or if one of us was with him, probably saved her sanity.

What is equally bad is that when the person dies, the carer gets a letter straight away to take away the car. It is very brutal and insensitive. A carer has to adjust and is often grieving. Yet they do not police the scheme properly and as you say - are quick to give to people scamming the system.

But beware - we have a relative who works for the DHSS and there are now people checking up on people using the scheme - especially if they are heard boasting about it. It is considered serious if they are caught.

Having a paraplegic father made me very aware of other people ripping off the system but I stopped being angry about it some time ago. Everyone has to live by their own morality, answer to their own conscience.

You still pay most of the cost of a motability car yourself though don't you? It's not free.

www.motabilitycarscheme.co.uk/main.cfm?Type=CHSW

So report them. They are breaking the law and you are assisting them to do so by knowing about it and not doing anything about it.

I am so fucking fed up with 'my friend is lying about her benefits, should I report them?'

Yes you should fucking report them. Now. Today. This instant.

Punkatheart - i had a very good experience with motability when my DH died. I rang them and let them know that he'd died and they went above and beyond - they arranged for me to have the car for a further five weeks, and when it did go back they gave me cashback because it was in good condition. I can't fault them.

Rita - you only pay for fuel. Your higher rate mobility component of DLA pays for tax, insurance and all servicing/MOT.

But then the disable person and/or their carer loses the DLA cash - whihc presumably needs making up somehow?

Also, these cars, are, afaik, leased, so they can't sell them on.

As far as I can see it is the diabled person who is the victim, as they lose the DLA cash - unless the relatives using the car ake that up in terms of money and care?

These cars are a god send to some people so report them. If you absolutely know for sure they are defrauding the system, report them

I am glad to hear that you had a good experience, deemented. Sorry to hear about your DH - it is never easy being a carer. My mother unfortunately did not have a great experience - so perhaps there have been changes?

then report it. the way the scheme works is that the disabled person gets a car instead of the mobility element of their DLA. so either this person is down over £50 a week or the relative is giving them the £50 a week and having the car because £50 a week for a car is amazing value.

However, there are mileage restrictions on a motability car and it's 5p per mile over that.

Although I gave back my (legitimate!) motability car last year and it was over the mileage and they've never asked me for it

Blu - you can lease or you can HP. the difference tends to be the amount of deposit etc.

Rita - you give over your mobility element of DLA. you get a car, insurance, road tax, repairs, service - everything! the only thing you do is put fuel in it. Everything else is done in exchange for your mobiliy element of dla - not even ALL your DLA, just the mobility element.

It's a bloody godsend. It was for me. They put my hand controls in and everything! It does make me mad when people take the piss.

Also, the person who should have the car - have they done this willingly or is there an element of abuse of them? That's an important factor. Taking someone's mobility car is a financial abuse of a vulnerable person.

report them
it is people like that that make it bloody hard for the genuine.
Live without my dd's mobility WAV would be horrendous so I get annoyed and angry with people who misuse them

hecate, good point about taking a advantage of a vulnerable person.

Report them as not only are they defrauding the benefits system they may be driving without insurance. I have a car under the sachem we couldn't afford a second car any other way. I need the car to get about with my two dc as I can't walk far without being in pain and getting to tired. My husband can only drive it when it is a trip them is for my. I interpret that only to be picking up dc from a group, shopping, filling the car etc. When his car was off the road for a few week last year we really worried as we couldn't afford it if he had damaged it. We got round this by if he when out to see see his friends, (he would normally use his car he) he would get some milk so he would take 3hrs to get a bottle of milk. Maybe I am to careful but the car is to important to me to risk having it taken away.

she doesn't have to pay for the car, altinkum. The only payment for the car comes from the disabled person's DLA.

Your sister in law is paying?

That's not right. (I'm not saying it's not true!) motability cars are given to the disabled person in exchange for their mobility element of DLA.

You can nominate 2 other drivers, and they are covered on the insurance. If you want a third, then you have to pay some more. The other drivers are not asked to pay anything.

I had a motability car for several years. My husband was a driver on it and then when I passed my test, so was I. My brother in law was also at one point. He didn't have to pay a penny.

I strongly suspect something else is going on there. ie she gets to use the car NOT for the benefit of the disabled person and is slipping that person the money - £200 a month is about what your mobility element is! (4 weeks not calender month)

Hand on heart does she only drive that car when doing errands for the disabled person? I bet not.

Then she's breaking the rules.

Well more fool them if they want to lose their allowance for something they'll never see the benefit of.

altinkum yes from my experience at dealer level some years ago, if you want a more expensive model you can pay the extra yourself.

Yes as far as I understand you can get a better car if you pay more.

YABU its not your business and you probably dont know the full details!

Stop being jealous.

FIL has a motability car. He pays a small amount (few hundred quid) to get a better equipped model, but that is all he pays. And he sacrifices his motability component of his DLA to get it. It gets changed every 3 years which is normal for a motability car and he gets fined if there is any damage or more than the expected wear and tear.
MIL at one point surrender her motibility to get a second car (even though she doesn't drive) for DH's DB to use when he was still at home as he used to runf her around when FIL couldn't. But he was using it for his own use as well and still had it when he moved out.
DH was pretty pissed off about it as they were essentially committing fraud and BIL weren't paying for the car, however they did stop it when the lease on the car BIL had after he moved out ran out.
So it is certainly possible for someone who is entitled to a motability car to then nominate someone else to drive it but it is supposed to be for the convenience of the disabled person.
It is a fantastic scheme buts sadly open to abuse and this abuse should be reported.