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 ?

Becca that's awful

It's happening elsewhere as well - I've been trying to find the thread, but I think it was deleted, where others had said about their appeals being held in a court as well.

Despite knowing you're right the nature of being in that position makes you feel like a criminal.

Becca - that's awful. . I have heard of one woman whose appeal went to court and when it was won, she burst into tears and the judge told her to stop crying. .

I think it is disgraceful the way disabled people are/have been treated. Why couldn't the government have just left them alone?

THINEND thats is amazingg , so happy for you . To look at me ud think i was ok , thats the problem . Mines all inside my spine , arthuritis , nerve damage and now a tumour in my spinal canal . Ppl look at me and judge me for example i eas with my wife at a local shopping company wfen an old man had a go at ys as we were parked in i disabled area , to the public i look fine . Some days im on my scooter , some on my crutches , some with jyst my stick but then then there are some days when i cant even leave the house . How i prove this i dont know . Im worried , really worried . Just want to know when pip is ckmi g fof me now as i just need to get it over snd done with as my dipresdion and anxiety is going through the roof x

U2 DAG is disabled action group x

Sad thing too is many GP surgeries are now refusing to write supporting letters for people's disability claims. It's yet more dread when the ESA/PIP letters drop.

Thanks guys . Much appreciated . I do have plenty of letters from doctors and my sergeon , i have plenty of proof on paper luckily up to now they have been quite supporting of me especially my doctor . A friend of mine lost to pip due to looking clean and smart at his intervue apparently proving he can look after himself even tho it was his wife that got him ready .. they dont care what goes on behind closd doors , its all down to what they see of you on the day . How dare you go to a very important interview clean and smart lol x

My health board charges for all letters now. Support from GP means a private appointment - £100 plus £40 per page for a report and they will only offer after you are turned down and at appeal.

Hospital charge is about £130 per page and you must have been seen within six months by consultant about your condition.

I only see my GP as I cannot get to hospital appointments. I've already lost ESA because I couldn't get to doctors and afford letters - paid in cash only and at main hospital (which isn't anywhere near where I live).

I've no chance and can't manage without it

Becca thats rediculous . Doc letters at ours are £20 per letter ànd hosp i think same but i go to hull royal and they do my lettets no charge x

3 "grim reports" from the Guardian.

Funny how people are quick to jump on a DMail link people post as inaccurate and clearly with an agenda to push, and stuff from the Guardian is accepted as the gospel truth.

It's so expensive because it is private work not NHS. The only letters covered on NHS in my health board are sick/fit notes. Every April the charge goes up.

My specialist letters cost even more.

Thats still rediculously expensive tho hun . No wonder so many ppl lpse their money if they have to do the same as you x

I totally agree.

The number of claimants sanctioned here is very high. The number claiming benefits has massively dropped in five years, the loss of CAB and other advice centres is the main reason. The funding just isn't there for subsidised medical letters here. I suspect as time goes on it'll be the same elsewhere.

On a slightly different note, the cap for Motobility has recently been slashed. Not only are fewer people now entitled to a Motobility vehicle, the choice available to people is now quite limited. I think the Government are terrified of the Daily Mail stirring up hatred about people with disabilities driving around in expensive cars. I really wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Motobility vehicles.

Well i hope not COWGIRL or im knackered . The thing is we pay a lot of mo ey for these wxpensive cars ao i dont see thw problem but i do tbink big mercs n bmw are uneccessery especially to younger ppl on mobility . A mobility car is to help you get about and try keep your independence , not to look good x

BECCA im not sure how many claiments here or if it has gone down at all butwe still have a CAB and a DAB amongst other groups so we have plenty of help here if needed . I dont even know if the indefinates have been hit in my area or not yet , i havent got my letter but im sure it wont be long x

There was a bit about the motability cars on Inside Out yesterday - they estimate 800 cars a week are being returned.

What I don't understand is why more people are not up in arms about this. As previous posters have stated, the level of fraud is very low. The amount of people who are successful in appeal must be costing the government a fortune - ie the cost of the tribunals/appeals etc must at some point outweigh any saving in benefits stopped?

I read somewhere that it has cost more in payments to ATOS/Capita etc then has been saved, therefore so far this whole exercise has COST the government money and has ruined the lives of many genuinely disabled people - the only winners being ATOS and Capita and whatever other companies are raking it in for comducting the assessments. Smacks of criminally moving funds from the government to private companies.

It's all down to the media war on claimants and the propoganda they use.

I've recently had my appeal granted by the appeal Tribunal. DWP gave me 6 pts from the WCA decision maker. Judge agreed it should have been 18. That's a hell of a discrepancy.

Ironically, PIP was no trouble at all, it's been ESA that's caused all my troubles. The WCA is not fit for purpose.

When I wrote to my MP about the issue he sent me the most ignorant irrelevant and plain incorrect load of cobblers I've ever read. I complained, was ignored, and then found out he is still sending out the exact same cobblers to everyone who writes to him about disability benefits, word for word.

Advice to anyone in the thick of it... educate yourself about the exact statements for points qualifiers. Educate the medical people writing in support of your claim about the statements so that they can be very specific and use the required distances and turns of phrase. Record your assessment meetings. Know what points you should get and if you don't get them, go to mandatory appeal and then tribunal.

The tribunal process is very focussed and it takes a while to happen, but a at least you're being heard by real people, not DWPbots on a mission to fuck you over. There is no direct financial cost to appeal and be heard at tribunal. The more evidence from the tribunal court that the assessments are not following the law the sooner the DWP will be forced to revise them.

PIP changed a lot of things, there were court cases about the change to the distance covered to qualify for high mobility and it's no longer walking, it's mobilising and how far with equipment (including in a wheelchair) so a huge amount of people are losing high mobility so must return their car.

It was in theory about saving money but everyone knew it wouldn't. The 'bedroom tax' is the same.

super my MP does the same!!

I sgree MISSING . Theres not one bit of media you hear about the affects of pip , no one kicking off . Its all bloody back hsnders i think beyween the media and everyone else involved . It is costing this country a lit more by doing this absolutly rediculous cull of disabled ppl . Over the years the old system has bn so abused , no one having assessments for dla and i was 1 of them but im genuine , my paperwork was enough but just makes you think how many fakes have got through . The elderly have seriously bn punished coz they dont want to fuss over not getti g the right reault , they r too old to go to court snd scared of the process and thats exactly what our government r banking on . Im crapping myself because i k ow how hard my life is now so if i lose it , well il have no idea what to do . It will totally finish us financially but most of all lose my car x