To Think the Tories Are STILL At War With The Disabled?

[JoffreyBaratheon]

As parent of a disabled child, this is what I'm preoccupied with, during a General Election...

Under Cameron and Osborne, and iDS - it was clear the tories were engaging in an all out war on the disabled. Cuts to benefits, and services and of course, the loathed and disgusting PIP replacing DLA...

But what has strong and stable (well, weak an unstable) Theresa May done to reverse the damage? Nothing, so far as I can see.

My son had DLA for life and by some miracle, managed to get PIP but will now have to re-apply in five years. If the tories have the cure for autism and it is going to be made available in 5 years - fair enough. But something tells me - they haven't. We were put through months of hell for that.

Other disabled people and their carers have far worse stories.

Now I might be stupid but I can't see what May has done to address the callous culture of PIP. She is still attacking the disabled. Or am I missing something and AIBU?

I think this should be enough to lose them the election. The fact they have attacked disabled people to the extent they have. Am I the only one not to be hoodwinked by this 'I'm only a vicar's daughter' BS? What she has done to the disabled is the least 'christian' thing I can think of and I want her held to account for it. Anyone else?

My dd got DLA for about eighteen months when she was younger. In those days it was a lot easier to claim and resulted not just in the DLA money but lots of extra tax credits too. It was actually a problem which with therapy improved quite quickly and it was me who rang up to report my dd's improvement. I do think there should be more regular checks.

Also whilst I appreciate that DLA/ PIP and Attendance allowance are non means tested for a reason as they are meant to pay for the extra costs of being disabled, I do see a lot of over 65's who have literally thousands in the bank and then are getting Attendance allowance on top sometimes £88 a week if on top rate on top of state pensions and occupational pensions. They don't tend to have assessments . Surely there comes a point with old age where everyone is going to be infirm enough to qualify for AA ? How does the country continue to afford this when people live so much longer . Many old people ( obviously not all ) don't need this extra money, they own their own homes,, have occupational pensions, winter fuel allowance, etc

I also agree that the whole issue of elderly people and others living for a long time with severe conditions needs to be addressed. We don't know where to start or how to do that though.

How do we say to an 81 year old that she cannot have any help? Or refuse a mother with a child who might live for forty years needing full time care costing thousands and thousands? At what point do we say Do Not Resuscitate or Sink or Swim?

At what point do we say - no?

It is very stupid simply to say "I won't vote Tory because they are cutting disability benefits" - although of course it is your right to do so. I doubt any party can sort this one.

YANBU. My DS is severely disabled with autism and was on high rate care and low rate mobility DLA indefinitely. We have had to reapply for PIP and thankfully he got it (with an increase from low mobility to enhanced rate) but although we have been given an ongoing award, it will still be reassessed in 10 years.

He will have to claim ESA as well once he leaves school which I'm dreading as he'll need to keep getting sick notes initially (and he hates going to the GP) and then have an assessment. Although it's likely that he'll get put in the support group, we'll still need to get him reassessed every few years for ESA. I'm his appointee and it will be me who has to keep on top of all the documents to send and writing up his forms and dealing with appeals. Plus he will have to deal with Universal Credit when it's switched over as well, which is confusing for anyone to deal with let alone an autistic person.

It was a big enough battle to get his diagnosis in the first place and get his special school place. I really think that it should be enough to send his diagnosis and EHCP to be able to get PIP and it should be awarded for life for conditions like his. I am his full time carer and so much time has been taken away from him when I have had to deal with all these assessments.

Til the snap election was called, I had clung to the fact that my next pip renewal wasn't until after the next GE. Now it's reset back to five years and I'm worrying again.

I wonder if the Daily Mail readers have figured out that many disabled adults are of course, "the taxpayers" themselves..? And so many have lost their Motability cars, which means some can no longer work or pay taxes ass they have lost the thing that made them able to get to work...

I think less and less working people are getting PIP as the assessment tends to give you very few points if you can get yourself to work, do a days work, feed and toilet yourself whilst you are there etc.

Fully agree, and It brings me no pleasure to say this but. We'll wake to the news on Fri 9 June, that. Theyre still in power.
You'd be suprised how many people working class included are behind them.

Just FYI, for those talking about the 'significant' or 'large chunk' of people committing benefit fraud - how about you check out the official figures, not the Daily Mail hyperbole. It's actually less than 1%...

www.cas.org.uk/features/myth-busting-real-figures-benefit-fraud

stockandbloom My DH is 67 and they want to transfer him from DLA to PIP.

He has emphysema ischemic heart disease and arthritis and we live in social housing.

Just FYI, for those talking about the 'significant' or 'large chunk' of people committing benefit fraud - how about you check out the official figures, not the Daily Mail hyperbole. It's actually less than 1%...
But it's just official ESTIMATES not actual hard facts. A former friend of mine was on disability benefit due to mental health problems - fair enough at the start, she needed them. But then she got used to sitting at home with her Sky TV (not joking - she could afford the works), with her rent paid for, not having to think about work. And she learnt to work the system - she told me quite happily that when she saw the consultants or whoever to be assessed for continuing to receive money she'd ramp up her "symptoms" so that the money continued. As far as I'm aware she's still getting her life paid for at the taxpayer's expense. That's what pisses me off - people like her who milk the system while those genuinely in need struggle to get what they really are due. If you take away regular assessments (and I do appreciate what a mental struggle it must be) then you're opening it up to even more people like her. If everyone was honest then there'd be a lot more money to give to those in need and no-one would have a hoop to jump through. But it's not. And while people are prepared to turn a blind eye to benefit fraud (which some on Mumsnet do) then it's always going to be a problem. It's not a Tory issue. They're just trying to balance the books. It's a society problem.

This is a VERY important thing for me. I feel ill, literally by the Conservatives and their actions. I couldn't bring myself to vote for them. Not that I want to vote for Labour, ineffective Corbyn, or any other party really. But Conservatives... their underhand way of NHS and their utter disregard and contempt for Disabled/anyone will any condition, makes me so angry.
I have had diabetes since birth, ds1 has AS, Dh multiple health conditions. This so far hasn't really affected us directly, but the whole process is a disgrace. And their obvious views on health conditions and the disabled is FUCKING DISGRACE. How other voters can not see this, is beyond me.

Obviously YANBU but I'm not sure why you thought Teresa May, a conservative minister, was going to do a complete u-turn on years of tory policy? Did she say she would at some point in the past? The Christian thing is a total red herring- IDS claims to be Christian. It's times like that i wish Hell did exist...

I have no doubt that TM is going to be re-elected and all we can do is work out as many strategies as possible to deal with the cuts and further economic slump. The previous election plus brexit have utterly destroyed any faith I had in the ability of the public at large to really understand the concept of society.

but there is significant abuse and until that is genuinely admitted and dealt with the backlash will get worse

Less than 3% of disability benefit is fraudulent.

But it's just official ESTIMATES not actual hard facts.

Yes, which is how you know the number is actually lower. People in office want the stats to look as bleak as possible. But thanks for the anecdata.

LadyPW id rather pay for the odd person to abuse the system than have a genuinely disabled person lose out.

Yes, which is how you know the number is actually lower. People in office want the stats to look as bleak as possible.
That'll be you guessing then will it?

Just I'd rather hammer out the abuse then the genuinely disabled can have more. If you lighten up then more people take the piss, and more, and more. And by that time there won't be enough money for the genuine cases to even remotely cope on because you can't just increase the benefit pot, and more applicants + same sized pot = less money per person.

Lady I don't have such a dim view of people that I think everyone would take the piss if they could.

It's the same principle as the legal system, better 10 guilty men go free than an innocent punished.

But then she got used to sitting at home with her Sky TV

I bet it was a widescreen 1 at that, and she was sitting there on her smart phone and smoking cigarettes and washing it all down with cheap cider

ODFOD

I bet it was a widescreen 1 at that, and she was sitting there on her smart phone and smoking cigarettes and washing it all down with cheap cider
Definitely bigger than my tv, she does smoke, not sure about the mobile (better than mine but that's not saying much), but alcoholic so didn't drink.
You may not believe me but it is true. So FO yourself and take your with you.

Just I'm not saying everyone would, I'm saying more people would.

Big Tv's can be picked up very cheaply these days ! We have a big one off Ebay and it was about £50.

Today 12:48 SusannahLOf COURSE the Tories aren't at war with the disabled. What they are quite rightly trying to do is weed out all those lazy individuals who claim to have some 'disability' or other, physical or mental ('depression'/'stress' etc) just to claim benefits.Why the hell should the working, tax paying amongst us foot the bill for them?
We have a very generous welfare state in position which caters well for those who are genuinely unable to work

This is awesome, it's rare we find someone who finds navigating the benefit system so easily with a disability. I'm sure there are those on mumsnet right now with your exact disability who would love to know how to access this very generous welfare state you mention. You sound so sure so I'm assuming you have first hand experience?

And all this talk about benefit fraud is of course, smoke and mirrors to distract us from the fact that PIP, with its narrow and badly designed criteria, was cyniclly designed to wipe people off the figures. Although how paying millions of pounds to ATOS, CAPITA and the like actually saves us all money is anyone's guess.

As others say, the % of fraudulent claims was a fraction of 1%. That was used as justification to fool people into thinking PIP was 'a good thing'.