WIBU to take this much from DD’s benefits?

[BlueLines81]

My DD is 19 and has a disability, she is not able to work and won’t be able to for the foreseeable. She receives PIP.

As she’s no longer in education, I was not entitled to claim benefits for her from the end of august this year. My tax credits went down quite considerably, and lost CB too, and all of my housing benefit. All together I am about £190 per week worse off. Which isn’t great as I am a single parent and also have a health condition (I receive low rate mobility PIP), and I had to give my job up in July as I couldn’t manage it anymore, so that’s another £1000ish per month down.

I am self employed and doing bits and pieces where I can, to give you an idea I’ve managed about 12 hours of work this month.

I did an online calculator in august and it looked like I would be better off on UC, and also needed to start a UC claim for DD, so I claimed for us both on the same day. We had an appointment at the jobcentre for DD’s claim a couple of weeks ago, and the advisor suggested that I become her appointee and I could have her UC paid into my account, if we felt DD didn’t have the capacity to manage it herself. I asked DD what she thought and she said she’d rather it was paid into my account. I am getting fit notes for both of us from the doctor and and hopefully we will both be entitled to the LCWRA elements.

The idea of being an adult and having to pay bills terrifies DD, mentally she is more like a 12 year old in a lot of ways. I have spoken to her about it and said the options are that either we work out exactly what her share of rent and bills etc would be and she just gives me the money for those, and she can arrange her own food shopping etc, and pay for herself if she wants to come on holidays etc. Or I keep the amount that I’ve lost in benefits for her, she can have whatever is leftover (which I think will still mean she’s better off than she is now with just her PIP). And then she can carry on essentially being a child for as long as she wants (I don’t mean this negatively, she regularly gets very tearful that she’s not a child anymore). She liked the sound of that option better. She just doesn’t want to have to think about finances at all.

But AIBU to take this much money from her? I don’t know the exact figures of what I’ll have lost until we get our first UC statements in a few days, but will probably be at least £150 per week. I know this a lot more than a lot of people take from adult children, which is why I feel bad, but then maybe they have a partner or are just financially in a better situation than I am. Realistically she’s going to be living at home for many more years to come.

What’s strange is why someone who clearly knows little about how PIP assessments work would try to second guess an assessor who has seen the claimant and has awarded benefit on actual ability. It’s about the perpetuation of the myth that somehow PIP claimants don’t deserve the award because they’re ‘not disabled enough’ even though they’ve been assessed and aren’t doing anything wrong. It’s about par for the course on MN. The ableism on this particular thread is worrying, as is the lack of knowledge about what a PIP assessment actually entails from people actually criticising.

@MySugarBabyLove that sounds very challenging, and how shit that some cabbies won’t take your guide dog, you’d think guide dogs would have been around long enough for people to know that they’re an exception.

Not funny op.
Many WORKING people that pay your bloody benefits can’t afford to heat their homes at all, and use food banks. Your post is pretty disgraceful.

Whether or not a claimant can use public transport isn’t part of the mobility assessment. It’s judged solely on the claimants’ ability to move about outdoors, taking contributing factors like pain, exhaustion and time taken, among other criteria which apply equally to physical and mental health conditions.

But you are wrong.
Ops dd was not assessed at all, not on the phone nor face to face.

That's what confused me. But it was low rate on DLA but changed at PIP.

There's another part which is about planning and following a journey

How is she eligible for a notability car if she only gets low rate mobility?

I think I would use this as a chance to teach her about budgeting. Go through her incomings, how much she needs to pay for things, set up direct debits and then the rest is hers to save or spend. A 12 yo would manage this on a basic level.

You've clearly not heard of the planning and following a journey descriptor then?

@Lastchancechica sorry but it’s either laugh or cry at the dumbass ableism displayed on this thread. I am repeating myself now but I would LOVE to be out there working, instead of battling my own disability whilst doing my best to care for two DDs, both with very different and challenging needs. I am doing everything in my power to try and get better so that I can earn more.

I think from what op has said she used to get lower rate DLA mobility then it was changed to enhanced rate mobility without assesmsent during covid.

I think people don't really understand the PIP forms here. It's been illuminating.

I think the op has confirmed many times that her daughter gets the higher rate of mobility for PIP after getting the lower rate for dla.

Just out of interest @BlueLines81 how long has she been granted PIP for?

Your wrong, there are 2 parts to the assessment ones about physical mobility and the other is about being able to travel alone, there are several questions about navigating public transport alone and visiting new places alone.

PIP has nowt to do with working anyway. Plenty of people who get PIP have jobs.

Thank you. Millions sit in unheated homes.

@Stomacharmeleon it was a 3 year award so due to be reassessed next year.

Actually if you read some of the comments on threads concerning disability and sickness benefits she has a point - and many disabled people can’t afford to maintain and recharge essential equipment since the rise in energy prices. And before we go down the ‘I pay your benefits’ road let’s remember that benefit claimants can be tax payers too - lots of benefits are taxable and many claimants have worked and paid into the system before needing to use it.

Sending you a big hug OP, it’s frustrating isn’t it? People just don’t get it. I do because I am living it. I have filled in many PIP and DLA forms, it’s quite funny that many people don’t realise what the forms ask and how much evidence needs to be provided. I am leaving the thread now because in true mumsnet style people have yet again made those that need PIP feel like the are scrounger sand getting everything handed to them on a plate.

Agree. Op lost me there. Disgraceful.

Whether or not a claimant can use public transport isn’t part of the mobility assessment. It’s judged solely on the claimants’ ability to move about outdoors, taking contributing factors like pain, exhaustion and time taken, among other criteria which apply equally to physical and mental health conditions.

There's two elements to the mobility part of pip. one is planning and following journeys and one is moving around. It's not just based on ability to move around without pain/exhaustion. Being unable to go out alone absolutely does count towards the planning and following journeys part.

They are mot tax payers if they are claiming benefits and don’t work. You don’t ‘pay into the system’ to one day claim. It’s not a pension! You pay tax on earnings. Some on low incomes are awarded benefits as well, but at least they are working and trying.

75% of guide dog owners have experienced taxi refusals.

It is actually a criminal offence to refuse a guide dog, if a driver has allergies they can apply for an allergy exemption certificate which they have to display in their cab. At last survey there were just eleven drivers in London with an allergy exemption certificate, and yet they use alleged allergy all the time. I had one recently who when I explained that he had to carry the dog by law, tell me that he was above the law… 😂.

Mind you I scored a victory recently when an uber driver told me that I would have to call another cab as he would be unable to take my dog today. When I asked why not he didn’t respond, just repeated that he couldn’t take the dog. I pointed out that if he refused, I would report him which would likely result in his having his licence revoked, so he had two choices, he could either carry my dog, or he could lose his job. Funnily enough he opted to carry the dog, and was actually perfectly nice after that.

@Lastchancechica I am well aware, I have a degree in social sciences. I’m also aware that we are ‘fortunate’ in that DD got PIP, and I managed to get LRM which is only just over £100 a month but it helps, because many people who deserve disability benefits have been turned down. Here’s hoping the next election brings better times for everyone.

And thank you to you lovely tax payer paying my benefits £76 a week to care for my severely disabled daughter is just great 🫣. I am very very grateful.