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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Disability Benefits

111 replies

LIVVI1234 · 13/12/2019 09:11

Can someone advise - I keep seeing everywhere, Labour supporters saying Conservatives plan on dropping disability benefits - is this true?

I have never actually seen this anywhere? I understand they didn't have many changes planned to the current benefits we already have, which isn't great but I hadn't heard they were dropping them.

OP posts:
Becca19962014 · 13/12/2019 16:45

I'll lose altogether £170 a week under universal credit with premiums as well. Plus my landlord won't give me a contract they insist on "rolling" which UC doesn't recognise so I won't get the housing element either and my council is expecting those on UC to pay council tax.

I already can't afford to put heating on properly and I've had an OT and out of hours GP both have a go at me for my room being so cold.

People just don't understand. I've severe illness I cannot get treatment for locally, when things get really bad I'll need hundreds of pounds to get to hospital to be seen; assuming by then they'll allow me the extremely high dose of pain meds it would take..

Spitsandspots · 13/12/2019 16:48

how on earth can that happen? Surely if she was on a lifetime award previously, she must be very much in need

DH was awarded DLA for life a few years ago, this year he was told he had to change to Pip and was told he was ineligible.

After a very stressful appeal, with lots of letters of support from the 4 different hospitals he has to attend, for multiple physical problems/conditions and his disability he has been awarded a reduced amount........to be reassessed in 3 years.

So we have to go through the whole stress again. His condition will deteriorate not improve.

LudoFriend · 13/12/2019 16:50

They're being sneaky as hell about PIP. I was booted off and appealed. While waiting to go to court they rang to offer me back my benefits. This goes down as them not having an appeal, despite the fact that I was doing. This will make it seem like they're making the right decision when in fact they're putting disabled people through hell just to save a few quid. It's disgusting.

LakieLady · 13/12/2019 16:51

I have had a new ESA form sent apparently i maybe entitled to more (or less) i am scared to fill the bloody form in just incase it is less.

Is it an ESA3, @Mrsjayy? They're sending these out to people who may be entitled to the severe disability premium, but haven't been getting it. A court case ruled that the DWP should have told people that they might be entitled to it, not just expected them to know.

You could be entitled to quite a bit of extra money. Some people are getting arrears payments that are 5-figure sums when it's been sorted out.

On the first benefits project I worked on, every client that was referred to the commissioning service got a benefit check. We found that a third of single people getting DLA/PIP were entitled to the premium, but weren't getting it. It's great that they're being made to follow this up at last.

LakieLady · 13/12/2019 16:54

Plus my landlord won't give me a contract they insist on "rolling" which UC doesn't recognise so I won't get the housing element either

This is nonsense, @Becca19962014. Some DWP staff may not recognise rolling contracts, but they should. I've successfully challenged 2 such decisions.

LakieLady · 13/12/2019 16:58

My understanding @sinkgirl that even though the disability premiums are lower under UC ,there will be a period of adjustment so that people don't just receive lower amounts?

That's the case if you switch to UC because the DWP move you over as part of the general changeover. If you have to claim UC because of a change in circumstances, eg moving to a different area and needing to claim housing costs from a different council, you won't be eligible for that protection.

TheQueef · 13/12/2019 16:58

Spits it happened to two people I know.
By the time the medical, MR, and Tribunal decision was made and the award back dated they both had their Renewal pack within six months. One the very next day to her back pay. It isn't by accident it's to keep pressure on.
It's like double jeopardy.

BlankTimes · 13/12/2019 17:08

The PIP system is very difficult to navigate, if you are thinking about it then do get advice, the CAB gives help online, Benefits and Work website is great but you have to pay for a years' subscription to access it. Unfortunately, just getting the forms and filling them in yourself honestly without any advice on the particular aspects of your condition that DWP need to know could easily result in a very low points score.

If you have historic and ongoing medical evidence to support your claim, you should be okay through the process, but again, do use the guidelines.

Claimants are advised to provide medical evidence, but this is becoming a bit of a lottery in itself because some doctors only provide the absolute minimum of information.
e.g. someone wants medical evidence to say how their condition affects them and hampers their ability to do daily tasks, but the medic in question, often their GP or consultant will only provide a letter which has to be paid for confirming the patient has the named condition. They will not state how that condition affects that patient, which is understandable really because they don't see the patient in daily living circumstances.

Blue Badges - the criteria which the badges cover have been extended to include more than just physical mobility, but each council has different rules. Ours will not renew a BB unless the recipient is receiving the enhanced rate of PIP mobility. We had a bit of a moment trying to renew my relative's BB for the third or fourth time because although they'd received indefinite DLA, they were changing to PIP and waiting for Tribunal during the time the BB was up for renewal, so couldn't meet the 'you must have enhanced PIP Mobility' criteria. Fortunately, the council decided to carry out their own assessment of relative's mobility, despite relative having had a BB from them for several years, and the Council's Physio assessed them as much less mobile than the ATOS assessor had, so that provided more evidence for Tribunal and the BB was renewed in the meantime.

PIP isn't impossible to get, it's just difficult, the whole process is very intense and demoralising. DWP can be less than helpful, e.g. telling you to reply within a month of the date of their letter, but you look art that date on the day it arrived, you find you've received it after 2 weeks have passed then find there's a bank holiday coming up which makes your theoretical month to reply to them more like just over a week.

LittleDragonGirl there's a separate thread about that rumour.

rwalker · 13/12/2019 17:18

TBH labour supporters are fuming and will make anything up.
The problem is people have take the piss and milked the system .

Resulting in the current UC to sort this out and like everything else the genuine people are treated the same as the ones who took the piss and we all suffer.

BlankTimes · 13/12/2019 17:28

The problem is people have take the piss and milked the system

I can't comment on any other benefit as I've no experience, but the rate of fraud on DLA was 0.05%

I wonder how much has been spent on Capita and Atos so far trying to "save" that amount of money?

The rate for Tribunal success by PIP claimants is over 70% meaning that DWP have a very, very high percentage of wrong decisions. how much does that cost too?

Barnseyboyo · 13/12/2019 17:39

It’s complete scaremongering and labour voters need to stop. My son gets DLA

SinkGirl · 13/12/2019 17:40

ATOS alone have had hundreds of millions of pounds in DWP contracts - and pay no U.K. income tax.

The ridiculously low fraud rate is the government’s own figure. Fraud rates in other benefits are higher, yet it’s always disability benefits that are the focus.

This idea that there were huge numbers gaming the disability benefits system is simply not true.

MaxNormal · 13/12/2019 17:40

rwalker what a spiteful and untrue post, have you read the rest of the thread?

I'm currently having to reapply for PIP. It was a horrible fight to get it in the first place, I was turned down, lost the appeal and was then awarded it at tribunal. Usual story, assessor lied and twisted what I'd said. I nearly gave up as the whole thing was so stressful. And now I have to do it all over again.

Mrsjayy · 13/12/2019 17:41

@LakieLady thank you very much ill take the form out and have another look at it after my PiP hoha i was to stressed and fed up to read it properly i also have somebody who helped me with forms ill contact them after christmas.

LudoFriend · 13/12/2019 17:42

@BlankTimes And that figure is manipulated in the DWPs favour based on my experience. They overturned their decision after they received my statement to the court. I stated each lie that was told by the assessor and backed it up with proof. They knew I'd win so they changed their mind.

Mrsjayy · 13/12/2019 17:44

It’s complete scaremongering and labour voters need to stop. My son gets DLA

Genuinely and without sarcasim good for himi hope he and your family dont get called for reassesment and his benefit is stopped, This shitshow of benefit cuts is not scaremongering.

Pulpfiction1 · 13/12/2019 17:45

I wouldn't be surprised if they start means testing dla/pip and roll out pip for kids.

Ds is on top rate dla and mobility, we are struggling as it is but I'm sure the torys will find away to stop us getting it.

umberellaonesie · 13/12/2019 17:59

@Barnseyboyo have you looked at how you will afford meeting his needs when he does t get awarded PIP at 16. I would if I were you and start saving for his future.
My son is also on DLA for a life limiting degenerative disease he will not get PIP without me making a massive fuss and appealing. He is 14 I am already gathering evidence.

Skyejuly · 13/12/2019 20:13

My son was also on higher rate care and now refused pip. It's a miracle they think he was cured over night.

Skyejuly · 13/12/2019 20:13

My own local Tory mp voted against extended and enhanced pip for terminally I'll people :(

Skyejuly · 13/12/2019 20:15

Your son gets DLA but most of the time you have a fight when you go to PIP.

Orangeblossom78 · 13/12/2019 20:47

They're being sneaky as hell about PIP. I was booted off and appealed. While waiting to go to court they rang to offer me back my benefits. This goes down as them not having an appeal, despite the fact that I was doing

I had exactly the same. Phoned me and apologised, gave it back before appeal.

Orangeblossom78 · 13/12/2019 20:48

If you are on PIP already they need to demonstrate a change not just kick you off. This is why they gave mine back I think. their report was totally, factually wrong.

Livelovebehappy · 13/12/2019 21:05

Jeez, obviously people who didn’t want Boris to get in are going to spout this sort of thing. It’s just scare mongering and you just take it with a pinch of salt.

rwalker · 13/12/2019 21:06

MAXNORMAL
There is plenty of benefit fraud I don't think anyone can deny that .They've tighten it up and as usual decent deserving people suffer as a result of these actions these vile people thats my point .

And for your information I have been on DLA myself and on the receiving end of an appeal process myself.