How likely are PIP vouchers now labour are in?

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Just as the title says really.

It doesn't affect me as I don't claim any benefits and work full time however my son and mother are on PIP and I'm not sure how vouchers would work for them and I'm a little bit worried.

I know there is previous threads on this but I can't see any being mentioned now labour is in.

Is it worth worrying about or is it a wait and see what happens situation?

Thanks all.

This!

Vouchers are to reward donors - not help maintain independence.

It would increase costs to remove current system.

Fix underlying issues!

@whinginglittlefucker well we can all breathe sigh of relief because 1 in 4 disabled people absolutely do not meet the current criteria to receive disability benefits.

The level of ability you refer to - tube feeding, saliva suctioning, turning (assuming bedridden) - is beyond that that PIP is meant to support in the community with the aid of frequently unpaid carers and more like the level of care that would require care in a specialised setting with paid carers.

PIP enables people to remain living as independently as possible in the community. You actually have stricter criteria than PIP assessors in suggesting that the truly disabled are like helpless babies that have to pay for carers to feed them, change them, dress them etc. At least assessors are bound by criteria of assistance, timeliness, reliability etc and don't require complete inability. Let's not forget that paid carers are often not involved but that this level of independence is often only possible due to the financial sacrifice of unpaid carers.

Even without unpaid carers, care in the community is cheaper.

You don't get to throw your hands up in the air and declare 'we can't afford it' without at least proposing an alternative. Changing the criteria of who qualifies won't magic away need. How will that need be met?

If you really want to save money whilst recognising need do not reassess people with lifelong conditions every 3 years as if hoping for a miracle, assess properly with adequately qualified staff in a timely fashion and avoid costly tribunals which is often the first time cases are assessed by adequately qualified staff. So much taxpayers money is wasted trying to block justified claims as a supposed deterrent to unjustified claims that don't exist.

I did that too. It was published long before the general election.

The vouchers are a non starter. Completely unworkable.

If the last government had actually had a genuine interest in getting disabled people into work, as opposed to simply kicking them off benefits, they wouldn’t have had such a push on ending wfh.

Since Covid my DD’s Pt hybrid role in the civil service became full wfh. On the basis of wfh she was offered the chance to work full time instead of part time, which she took, and then she was able to move to a better paid job. She came off all benefits other than PIP.

Now that they’re going back to having to be in the office at least 60% of the time she’ll have to drop back to PT. She’s been told no exemptions will be made, and that’s despite the fact her team leader is open that her stats are consistently high.

JCB - whose owners were considerable donors to the Tories - have all but scrapped wfh across the board. Even in teams with no drop of outcomes.

This countrys not the same as it used to be the cons want jailing the lot of the torie bastards

So anyone think this going to happen

Yes, I volunteered for a couple of years helping people with benefits applications, and I thought this at the time - we were helping the people who could cope with accessing help. The most vulnerable would be unable to, unless they had family or friends to support them. Very sad (and frustrating) situation.

I wouldn't worry. I can't see how it possibly be implemented in any kind of functional way, and I don't think Labour are as prepared to spend huge amounts of money and time on hopeless projects just to get some favourable headlines in the Daily Mail as the Tories.

Labour haven't really said what changes ( if any) they will make to PIP yet but I believe there will be some reform as the current numbers receiving it seem unsustainable. I very much doubt vouchers would be implemented though. I think more likely changes to the PIP descriptors so that less people actually qualify ?

PIP is generally (and I say 'generally' because there are always loopholers) very tricky to get.

3.4 million people get it. Thats 1 in 20 of the population. Its not that tricky to get.

I'm like getting worried I'm not really sleeping coz I'm worried

Agreed. I feel it needs to be just for the most disabled, although of course how you define that is the problem. I think they may make some changes to the mobility component. So many people going past state retirement age with this mobility component and it not being available to people making a new claim for Attendance Allowance is problematic. You can have someone aged 65 getting higher rate mobility saying they can't leave the house alone / having panic attacks etc for MH issues getting enhanced mobility and another person a year older who has a catastrophic stroke and is bedbound being able to get no mobility component and having to actually wait six full months to get any kind of disability benefit. I'm not minimizing the younger persons issues but it is extremely unfair and it would not surprise me if things change.

Why do 70℅ who go to tribunal win? Surely if it was that easy, so many wouldn't have to take it to tribunal in the first place?

It’s very tricky to get, hence the number of people having to go to appeal (most of who win).

That so many people are entitled to a benefit such as PIP opens many questions about the health of the country, and the healthcare of the country. It doesn’t make it easy to get.

I just completed it. Thank you for the link.

Have you ever applied? It is very hard to get, and many people are put off even trying. And then many people do apply, are turned down, then get awarded at appeal.
So, maybe 3.4 million people get DLA/PIP, but even more people are entitled to it.

I've had two successful PIP appeals.

The government needs to look at why the DWP are turning people down yet the ones with experience ie doctors, nurses, medical professionals and judges say we are entitled.

During my last tribunal there was a DWP representative in the room, she was asked if she would like to comment. I was so scared.

She actually said she agreed with everything I said and couldn't understand why it was taken off of me in the first place. That made me cry.

I ring up DWP this morning and she said that the media is trying to scare us and tha she said it will never happen I don't know how ture that is

PIP being replaced with vouchers was something the Conservatives were considering... and they did not win the election.

The person you spoke to at the DWP is right. The media does try to scare us... it is what gets people clicking on their websites and engaging.

So hopefully it won't do it

So why are they saying iff labour dont say anything by 22nd of July the vouchers will be rolled out

No one is saying that at all. There is a consultation going on which the Tory's started and lots of people have given their views on how PIP should be changed / reformed. If the Labour party decide to still consider the views that those who responded to the consultation then there may be changes but it seems unlikley vouchers will be introduced. However there may still be changes to the way PIP is awarded/ assessed or changes to the descriptors. No-one really knows yet, it is a waiting game to see what happens.

Not at all

There's a lot of scaremongering from the media

Nothing has been announced yet

Who is "they"? This is a load of rubbish. A massive change like that would need legislation, for a start. It couldn't just be "rolled out".

How do you no that for sure