Disability allowance and high waged parents.

[Countbinface]

Hi I am not new but name changed.
Who is being unreasonable

My friend thinks that high earning parents ( well off as In earn 100k plus ) of disabled children shouldn’t be able to claim DLA as they have the means to cover this them self.

I disagree and think it should stay open to any disabled child.
We earn well and have A disabled daughter and she claims high rate care and mobility.
AIBU to claim this ?

DLA is for the child I thought? Your child is getting that money to support their needs, not you as an income.

If you are in the position not to need it currently then invest it to pay for their needs in the future. Don't feel guilty

The money we receive on DLA for our DS is a drop in the ocean compared to the additional cost, in money terms, that his disabilities bring. There are many direct and indirect costs that people would have no idea about unless they live your life.

@LaurieFairyCake

Of course you should claim this

Either society pays for your kids needs or.... eugenics

I know which one I'd choose

Surely the other option is YOU pay for what your child needs?! Bit dramatic to say eugenics is the only other option!

I think in a perfect world DLA would be means tested. But as it is, reading about the stuff people get turned down for and the absolutely woeful contribution of ‘carer’s allowance’ I’d say we’re a long way from means testing to be good for anyone other than government officials trying to save a buck or two.

[quote PastMyBestBeforeDate]@flashylamp that's not true. I'm disabled and was turned down with no assessment for a BB. I don't claim PIP because we don't need it but this may be the thing that makes me do so.[/quote]

You being turned down doesn't make it untrue.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/blue-badge-can-i-get-one/can-i-get-a-blue-badge

It tells you right here, there is an automatic entitlement with PIP but you can apply to your local council otherwise.

@flashylamp
You said The council can and will do their own
assessment if you are not claiming PIP. They didn't.

It shouldn't be means tested and neither should PIP etc. Disability is a financial disadvantage, these benefits make the gap a little smaller.

Although we may be at cross purposes on the word 'assessment'...

They say they can do an assessment of your physical abilities but I guess you could say they assessed my application. Which, because of covid and DH being my social care wasn't good enough.

[quote PastMyBestBeforeDate]@flashylamp
You said The council can and will do their own
assessment if you are not claiming PIP. They didn't.[/quote]
Jesus stop being ridiculous. They CAN and they DO. I didn't say they always do. Just that they can and they do. So if they decided not to assess you then that would be based on the information they had.

It's in black and white on the link I provided to the GOV website.

Your one experience doesn't mean no one gets assessed.

My ds gets PIP, we could manage without it but it's all the other things that go with it, his disabled person's bus pass which means he doesn't have to pay on any bus, tram or train within the county, it also means that he can have a taxi if he is too tired to wait for the bus after school, we can claim a grant from the family fund for either household goods, items such as laptops, tablets or games consoles, sensory equipment. He walks badly & wears out footwear much quicker than an able bodied person would, he is unable to tie shoelaces so on top of replacing shoes I have to buy hickies for each set of shoes. I can honestly say that every penny of his PIP is spent on things he needs to enable him to live the best life he can, I would give anything for him to not need it but he does, if he gets in university after his A levels the fact that he receives PIP will mean that he qualifies for bursaries to buy equipment & money to go towards his living expenses & will receive extra support during his time at university, being disabled will mean he will find it harder to get a job afterwards as well & PIP means he will get help when looking for a job.

Apologies for sounding so harsh. I took offence be sue I ousted the comment about applying through the local council to try and be helpful and I felt like I was being called a liar. I realise now I could have responded better to that.

DLA and PIP are non means tested benefits (but still notoriously tricky to claim). They're an acknowledgement of the additional costs of living as a disabled person. Do they meet all needs? No. They're often inadequate and notoriously hard to claim.

If you're well off, and could afford these adjustments out of your own pocket, I believe you should still receive support from the state, but that the state might also claim more from you in tax than a less well off person, so these services can be provided for all.

It's not about whether uou're poor, but whether you're able to contribute to the pot that helps everyone access the system equally.

Thanks flashy. I held fire on responding again because I hoped you'd read my further response.
I'm sore because I was turned down flat despite not being able to walk anywhere independently safely. I hadn't seen a medical professional for 18 months due to Covid and had no 'evidence' nor am I in their social care database because we wouldn't meet their threshold.
I'd love them to assess me. But they Just turned me down.

Some councils are right twats when it comes to Blue badges.

I got one without having PIP. One letter from my neurologist. No assessment (probably Covid related) on the other hand my DM had to go for an assessment for hers (pre covid).

I regularly see older people claiming Attendance Allowance with 200k in the bank, but they claim it because they can.

Does she have kids? Do they get child benefit? Could they afford not to but she still takes it?

Does she have her own pension that will give her a good pension when she finishes work? If so is she still going to claim the state pension?

They are both benefits as well,

Taxes pay for the elderly, the ill, nhs A&e, children and those with a disability. Seems fair enough. It means everyone can receive the same standard of care and irons out inequalities to some extent. Some education or health placements cost more then 100k per year. It’s very likely there would be inequalities in care/treatment if parents had to pay. Some parents could but wouldn’t pay. Or dad might refuse to pay leaving mum sleep deprived but needing to care 24 hours a day for their child who needs round the clock care. Also can be hard work and complicated having a disabled child, it can push people to breaking point.

its a slippery slope if you start means testing disability benefits. what is the difference between that and everyone including non disabled people being means tested for say their NHS care as some could in theory afford to pay themselves

I am a higher earner and have no qualms about claiming DLA for my son at all. When I last counted we spent circa £20k a year on therapy, wheelchairs, trikes, petrol to get to activities, shoes (£100 a pair because of disability) re soling said shoes etc. etc. etc. We claim just over £5k. We are lucky, we can afford the extra £15k a year. The money is for him, not me and I don't spend that much on myself.