To let you all know that disabled are having their benefits cut

[AndNowItsSeven]

The DWP has today launched a consultation aimed at cutting the number of people eligible for the daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP) by up to 35%. The cuts will be aimed at claimants who qualify for PIP because of their use of aids and appliances and may include replacing awards with discretionary voucher payments.
The press release and consultation document published today claim that 35% of all daily living allowance awards are based solely on the claimant’s need to use aids and appliances.
This is flawed as
A)often disabled people require assistant, however Atos are only scoring then as needing an aid.
B) even if you disability needs listed in the pip form can be met by aids most people will have many other needs not mentioned on the form.
To suggest the only extra cost of being disabled for those claimants, is the cost of aids is absurd and insulting.
The consultation ends on 29 January 2016, conveniently over the Christmas New year Period.
Please if you can take the time to respond.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/484217/pip-consultation-on-aids-and-appliances.pdft

becca thanks none of that would work for my relative

PIP points criteria there is flexibility as I found from my assessment it's not this rigid

Bacon if you are claiming for a mental condition you will not be affected by this aids consultation.

Can you expand please AndNow?

A lot of people feared they would do exactly this with the introduction of using aids in PIP.

The examples given are ridiculous as well and a lot of people who have only qualified due to having aids likely would have qualified for more points but didn't have the strength, were too scared of losing what they had, or the means e.g. CAB or similar to help them appeal.

Also it's not as simple as aids = no needs. I use aids but they don't remove my needs even on a 'good' day because using them causes me pain and difficulty.

My levels of DLA ive been told repeatedly since I got it were too low for the needs I have but I've been too scared of losing what I have to ever appeal/do a change of circumstances form.

lunch I'm sorry they wouldn't help - I didn't think they would but it was worth mentioning. If I can think of anything that might help I'll pm you when my pms are working again.

Leaf if you get any pints from any other descriptor that isn't solely relying on an aid you won't be affected by the consultation.
Mental health conditions require promoting/ or assistance / social support or supervision.

Points!

wow wheelchair users and walking frames etc will be really affected

That would come under mobility PIP not carers.

I don't fully understand all this as I don't know my way around disability benefits. Did someone upthread say carers allowance isn't going to exist any more?

Any of us could get hit by a mad driver tomorrow and end disabled for life.

Carers allowance will still exist. However if someone is no longer entitled to pip due to this consultation then their carer would lose carers allowance.

I have just remembered something else overnight. Any disabled parents whose partner works will lose 100% of their WTC that pays for childcare. This government is full of evil genius they have managed to cut WTC after all.

This means those families will be unable to work due to no childcare.

bloody hell thats shocking about the WTC

that does not effect me but im shocked for many that are,utterly disgusting

They want to remove the linking from PIP to other benefits, so carers allowance might still exist but will no longer be automatic, so there would be assessments.

WTC cuts for disabled people are, as far as I can tell, still going ahead (that would include WTC for single disabled people as well as families) as well - there was no mention of them not happening anymore in the autumn statement.

For WTC to pay for childcare both parents have to be working unless you receive carers allowance or dla care/pip daily living. So if you are currently disabled and using WTC pay for childcare as you can't care for your dc alone this will be stopped.

To clarify to pay for childcare while your partner works.

Wtc disability criteria is ridiculously strict. Getting pip isn't enough

That's isn't what I am talking about lunch.
I am referring to WTC childcare element is only payable when the non working partner is in receipt of dla/ pip or carers allowance ( or in prison).

Although I received WTC disability non childcare due to dla only. We didn't actually receive any money due to earning being too high. The entitlement was there though.

It's frightening.

My dh gets dla, not changed over to pip yet, he works but can't work alone (we work together), he uses a wheelchair but that doesn't get rid of care needs, because he can't do anything without pain, having a wheelchair doesn't cure him and brings new care needs in many ways. If he had a kettle tipper, it wouldn't mean he could pour a drink without pain or risk of hurting himself (he's injured himself lifting up a carton of milk before).

Being able to do something within a reasonable length of time, without pain, and safely is nothing to do with using aids. The cost isn't straightforward either- paying a carer is one thing, but using a vehicle (cost of extra fuel) because you can't walk that far, higher cost of electricity for a electric wheelchair, or to heat the house when in all day...

It's not that simple. Disability related costs aren't always obvious.

Anyway, how many people really are able to do everything easily, without pain etc, with a perching stool and a kettle tipper and a microwave? It's laughable that it would be that easy (if it wasn't so scary that people actually believe it!)

It's all meaningless, aids don't remove disability, but what will happen is someone will decide a perching stool fixes everything and the most vulnerable people-who can't get help, who have no voice, who can't fight it, will suffer.

Disgusting. Not surprised though.

Exactly Lucy if it were simply the case that an aid was all someone needed to meet their disability needs there would be no problem.
However to be affected by this you would have to need an aid in every single category.
Also there is evidence to show that many claimants stated they needed assistance and the assessor only marked them as needing aids. People have not then ask for reconsiderations as they still received enough points so there was no point rocking the boat.

Buying ready made meals is not counted currently. I can use a microwave to heat ready made meals, so scored zero on that section. But of course it costs much more than making meals from scratch like I used to.

Bumping because this is important.