AIBU to think that those with disabilities are being hit particularly hard by the cuts ?p

[BigChocFrenzy]

Just 3 of many grim reports:

Because her care package was slashed, Rachel has to sleep some nights in her wheelchair, in pain, cannot get enough to eat and was diagnosed as malnourished.
Is the aim to kill her off, to save money ?

Luke who had schizophrenia and was unable to perform many simple daily tasks, committed suicide after his incapacity benefit was removed and his housing benefit cut.
Well that worked. He's dead now. No more costs.

Nick who has advanced MS cannot walk, feed himself or talk. The DWP said he would lose his benefits if he did not attend an interview.
Since he can only communicate by blinking, he was saved by having a partner who could phone on his behalf.
Curses, the Master Plan was foiled there.
Never mind, the DWP will try again later. He's too expensive to live.

How did we come to this ?
All in our name ?

I've just had my PIP assessment on Wednesday this week. I am, hopefully, transferring over from DLA. If you think PIP is easier to defraud than DLA then you are very naive.

I took over a week to fill in the PIP form despite it being half the size of a DLA one. I sent in 50 pieces of medical evidence. I sent in 4 statements of non-medical evidence from people who are very close to me and know how my disability affects me and I wrote an extensive summary of when my disability occurred, how it changed, the treatments and operations I have had and all the other therapies I have tried. I even sent photocopies of scans and X-rays.

If you just send the form in you've got no chance. They don't always send you for an assessment, they can turn you down or award it just going on the forms.

They sent an assessor to my home because I couldn't access the building they hold the assessments in. She was absolutely lovely, very thorough. It wasn't just a tick box program on her computer, she was typing loads. She didn't make me do anything I couldn't do, and she allowed my husband to be present. She asked me if I could do something and I said yes, my husband said he felt I couldn't and she asked why. He explained and she took it on board. I am completely unnerved by the assessment because the assessor was so nice and I am convinced I will get nothing.

But going back to the original point, yes the disabled are being unfairly hit by the cuts.

Yup. I run part of a large food bank here and we are just getting busier. I get a little more heartbroken and a lot more angry every day.

YANBU

I'm dreading when my DLA runs out and I have to apply for PIP. I have aspergers, fairly independent. I suspect I'll get a big fat NOTHING.

I'm signed onto JSA and I get no real support at all. I'm really struggling to find work, my mental health is being affected from the stress but the job centre don't give a shit.

I am glad you had a good experience with your assessor thefairycaravan. But we are constantly fighting assessors that routinely give no points when people should have been awarded enhanced and are then awarded it on appeal and Assessors refusing point blank to come out to people's homes.
Also I don't think I am native having made the change from DLA to PIP myself and supported countless others to do this. I also co- wrote an impact assessment on the change from DLA to PIP that was presented to the government.

The assessment process is that inconsistent that we are seeing people who should get no points ending up with a mobility car and those who should have and have had a mobility car having to fight and to appeal and keep it. So yes i do believe on the evidence we have seen it is easier to defraud PIP then DLA obviously because some of the assessors are awful. If you know the patter you can say the right things.
Someone also said it was not unreasonable to suggest disabled people can work and yes I agree with them but until employers are willing to employ them and make adjustments then a lot of disabled people won't be able to get into work.

Make sure you get someone to help you fill it in soggybiscuit. If you don't know your nearest disability centre then ask the citizens advice buro where you can get help.

If anyone wants to PM me for advice feel free

So even if you get it, it's then only for a limited time? So that means the stress of this is hanging over him forever, when under the old system, they at least eventually accepted the reality that SamCam wasn't about to find a Universal Panacea in her handbag - and he got it for 'life'...

That is horrendous. So basically, even with an unchanging, lifelong disability - even if you do manage to gain it, you have t hanging over you that next time you might not be so lucky in the lottery of bad assessors, etc... Jesus.

No you can get it awarded for life. The assessment I am talking about are when everyone is being reassessed from DLA onto PIP. People had a mobility car on DLA but ended up getting no points for the PIP (until appeal) and no lifelong award.
(The people I am thinking of got it on appeal though). Some people will not have the support to appeal though and that is worrying.

I currently feel like I am undergoing a slow painful death by assessment - and I'm not even disabled. My adult DD has severe disabilities and I care for her at home. A large part of my day is taken up in meetings, phone calls, chasing e-mails. She has just undergone an interim re-assessment for Continuing Healthcare (yes her disabilities are that severe). One of her HCPs had a questionnaire to fill in about DD and even she was tempted to just write "She is NOT cured" on it and send it back. My DD was born disabled, she is never going to get any better - in fact she is deteriorating as she gets older. We haven't had anything cut yet but we have to fight for everything we do get and nothing happens quickly. I htink they are trying to wear the carers into the ground as well as killing off disabled people.

And workwise the employment and support allowance assessments applicants are going through the same thing

I know journalists and researchers for talk shows look though mumsnet posts on a regular basis. Wonder if any of them will have the guts to do an article and talk about this issue. Not holding my breath

TheFairyCaravan thank you so much for your post.
you have made me feel there is hope. I do hope it all goes well for you.
reading your post has made me so glad I went through a thorough assessment with Scope(dd uses their day care in holidays) so if she has left college I know they can help.

I am so disheartened that someone who had a son with disabilities shows such a lack of compassion
In my naivety I thought he would use his power to increase the quality of people's lives not cause more grief
Money is his God and may he remember this when he needs help

Can someone explain why a physically fit person with aspergers who is more than capable of working get PIP am I missing something there?

I have physical disabilities, work, and claim pip. I found the whole process easy and got awarded a 2 year claim, it makes sense to review it even though I have lifelong conditions. Would you pay out money on a monthly basis and not review it every once in a while? It's not the government attacking the disabled it's about having better control of their funds.

I have a now ex friend I tried to support with a pip claim. She wanted to cite ME as her illness and reason to not work, fair enough, it's nasty and life affecting. However she disappears off on jaunts round the UK for days at a time doing activities that are very energy consuming - far more than working is - and then got arsey when the assessors didn't grant her claim. Turns out they'd checked her Facebook page...

Genuine claimants will be able to get PIP easily.

PIP is not means tested and you can work and receive PIP.

Oops sorry i see you are aware of that. Lots of people aren't.

I'm not sure why you think it's OK to claim PIP because your disability is physical but someone with a neurological disability shouldn't be allowed to though

Yeah okay dramatic pause. I have no doubt that all the details in your post are entirely accurate...

Checked her facebook page...

My very first one!

We have just had our respite removed and instead 'referred to a surestart centre' for support.

Except that that has also closed down, so we have nothing.

thank you to those that answered my ??

you see this is what i dont get,went onto sickness/disability benefit 2yrs ago and i think i was very fortunate to be put in the support group for ESA and although it took 9 months enhanced care for pip for 5 yrs

all the form filling for both was done by me and i didnt provide any extra evidence apart from contact details from my GP and mental health team.they were both paper decisions,no medical for either

i have no idea if they were contacted them,i was claiming for my Bipolar mostly but some other additional needs also

since my claim i am having severe problems with my joints and walking and have been advised to apply for mobility but i wont in case they lower my care part and and just starting on the road to find out why im having trouble with my joints/hands etc

i was shocked initially when PIP gave me that award as i had heard terrible stories about peoples claims especially when they very much need extra help and support

so basically my claim was straight forward and there seem no consistent approach in there assessment it seems to others

good luck to those applying and hope it may give some a little hope

Well that's what she told me they had done and is why they turned her claim down. I wouldn't be suprised if what actually happened was someone got fed up with her claiming to be ill and reported her (wasn't me BTW)

I didn't say they shouldn't claim for a neurological or mental health issue Im just saying I don't understand aspergers enough to see why they should be able to claim.

sad there is always an expert who comes on to talk about someone they know.
it shuts things down. and is not even fact

Disability benefits are designed to pay for outlays you incur from being disabled (for me it's regular physio that the NHS should really provide but they don't manage chronic conditions in my area), parking charges for my hospital appointments (of which there are many), a gardener (because I can't do this) and I will be getting a cleaner in (because I can't work and do the housework, I have nothing in the tank).

or you could focus on the fact I've been through the process myself and found it easy samcro but hey let's not let that stand in the way of people having a whinge.