To be terrified about PIP?

[BobbyBiscuits]

I've tried to blank all this out for ages, but today it hit me when the government basically are saying I'm going to (they want me to) have my PIP cut off?
My main illnesses are severe depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder and severe anorexia. I've severe PTSD symptoms and also think I may have ADHD but have not been able to get diagnosed due to phobia of MH services since I got sectioned.
I now have physical symptoms also and severe osteperosis which I put on my last forms. But had no assessment for several years.
I'm praying this is BS from the Tories and they can't do it anyway as they'll be kicked out.
Or could labour still continue this assault against disabled people?
It would halve my already tiny income, other half is from ESA, and they could kick me off that too even though I can't do anything!?

What do people think?

This is entirely correct.

They won't go after cutting pip for people with physical long term chronic conditions, they will change the descriptors around mental health most likely (at present you can get a standard award in activity 11 fairly easily for psychological conditions, with fairly limited medical evidence, which is driving high rates of pip claimed for anxiety related conditions).

Ministers know that the main demographic claiming sickness benefits has changed to younger people (compared with older people in the past) and they know that having loads of 30 somethings on benefits is bad.

As much as the debate on here is about how inhumane it is to have any kind of sensible system to adjudicate over who is entitled to benefits, really it's not good for society as a whole to make sickness benefits available for minor conditions, and the money would be better spent on rehab etc.

Yes so would I particularly so given how dire SEND and children services in his constituency are.

MH conditions that qualify for PIP aren’t minor.

https://exeterobserver.org/2023/02/09/devon-county-council-relentless-institutional-failings-childrens-services-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-protest/#:~:text=The%20county%20council's%20children's%20social,Children's%20Commissioner%20for%20England%20followed.

Many of these kids are struggling with untreated MH provision due to inadequacies under CAMHS and adult services, inadequacies under ND services with sky high waiting lists for medication and diagnosis and zero provision in schools for SEND but Mel Stride wants to focus on PIP. 🤔

Maybe if they sorted all the above they wouldn’t have so many young people in dire need of PIP.

I've reported your post. I am registered blind but am able to use a mobile or tablet via (audio) assistive technology. Most blind people have some degree residual vision which we use as much as we can, and sadly we often have to put up with idiots questioning how blind we are.

Sorry quoted wrong post (assiive technology not always that good!)

I'm probably rotten to chuckle, but it kinda proves a point!

But the money saved from just giving people cash could be used to fund therapists so that people with MH problems could get better rather than staying on PIP all their life.

I was listening to LBC in the early morning and this 59 year old rang up saying that he was put on an indefinite DLA award in 1992 for MH issues. With hindsight, he said that it was a mistake to give him cash as he just spent in on drink and cigarettes. He said that he should have been given vouchers for therapy so that he could have got better.

It is hard to just give vouchers.

Food costs for those with food and sensory issues. Clothes cost for ocd or those that have difficulty with toilet. Petrol and taxi costs that an abled person wouldn't need. Costs to get to therapy. Extra utility costs for washing etc.

It isn't often just one clear cost.

If your MH is bad enough to warrant PIP any old therapist won’t do. Many will be under multiple
services and need specialist care .You will need to be assessed by a psychiatrist( who are all massively overstretched)and if tax payers money is going to be spent properly be treated properly by nhs quality professionals and the right treatment. Finding a decent quality private therapists is a nightmare. Many are just councillors, not that well qualified and shit. How do you know what you need? You need a professional to advise and meet with other professionals to discuss your progress .My DD’s PIP wouldn’t go anywhere near covering the MH support she has or her brother had. He had psychodynamic 3x a week. She has specialist Anorexia treatment and psychiatry and needs further specialise care as advised by her team.

What the f*k would she do with a stupid voucher. Nobody at the job centre is going to be qualified enough to say what she needs or whether she can work. She needs high qualified staff for that, type many are waiting to see which is causing them to be on PIP in the first place! The Tories are just collectively all so dim.

But the money saved by stopping PIP for MH issues could be used to train the specialist staff that your daughter needs.

She will still need her PIP and that isn’t the plan. It’s for generic bog standard counsellors you go and find yourself, no mention of psychiatry or specialist therapists .

Vouchers idea has been banded around before.
It's not workable and would be costly to implement.
Nobody would vote for a party that did this either and they need votes.
Don't rise to everything they say.
Just cos they say things dosent mean it will happen.

How do vouchers work? You’re at your hospital appointment and you need a taxi home. It’s rush hour and raining. You can’t get a standard taxi firm, so you use Uber. How is this claimed back?

I have many hospital appointments in London and there’s no parking. I pay ridiculous amounts for taxis as I’m often too unwell after treatment to even attempt part of the way in public transport. I can’t ask someone to collect me - I could be there 3 hours or 6 hours. I try so many taxi firms and Uber and bolt - it’s not always easy to find a ride home. I cannot imagine how vouchers would make a situation like this any less horrendous.

I have money in my account. I can afford my taxis - albeit it’s a stretch. If I had nothing because I was someone too unwell to work and I used
to claim PIP but now it’s changed to vouchers, how would I manage? It’s just one stupid idea and it doesn’t work!

I can see a massive money wasting exercise. Crappy counsellors in private companies owned by Tory mates. PPE anyone?

But why will she need her PIP?

Yep.
Vouchers just scream "you can't be trusted with money".

Because apparently anybody claiming PIP for MH is just a bit bluesy and can just pop off to work to get better.🙄

Since when a disabled person need to pay for the training of specialist staff education?
Also, you do realise her daughter will be old by the time money from her PIP will pay to train specialist staff?
Also her daughter can't wait a few years for help, she needs help now!

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7540/CBP-7540.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjG1pCcpuiFAxVOgf0HHTWSBCIQFnoECA8QBg&usg=AOvVaw2dwh5I63hrDQ7QSEbLPUsM

I was asked to verify the stat about 25-30% of working age population and disability. Sorry i should have been clearer about the stats, i was wrong, its 24%, but rising all the time.

Over 10m adults in the uk from 16-64 report a disability. Its 24% of the working age population.

I know not all those people will be on pip and many will work but doesn't it strike anyone as a bit nuts that we classify 1 in 4 people as "disabled".

Because she has autism and adhd for which there is no cure on top of ptsd and anorexia which she will probably always have to live with as it’s now so entrenched ( thanks CAMHS and thanks Tories for your lack of inpatient facilities).

Oh and 4.35 million disabled people of working age are economically inactive (not working). It's a vast, vast number when you think it includes no older people (over 65s), no kids.

Their point is this.

If you are educated, you obviously are.

If you are capable of doing some sort of basic admin tasks, which you have clearly demonstrated you can do by your perfectly worded post.

Then there is some work you can do. And they want to help you to do that work and come off benefits.

But she isn't getting the help she needs now, so it will not make any difference to her at the moment.

Surely it is better that they train staff so that she can get the help once they are trained?