Labour PIP benefit cuts

[Stickytoffeepudding6]

Can someone help me please?

I'm absolutely spiraling. I've just read up about the Labour conference and everything about PIP reforms.

I'm absolutely panicking. I feel like giving up. I'm on PIP with mental health.

I do work. Part time.

PIP consists of;
Standard Daily Living Component £72.65 pw
Enhanced Daily Living Component £108.55 pw
Standard Mobility Component £28.70 pw
Enhanced Mobility Component £75.75 pw

That's PIP rates. There are no other components of PIP. £737.20 once every 28 days if you are awarded enhanced rates in both components. It is EXTREMELY difficult to qualify for both at enhanced level. Most get £100ish a week or less.

So, I'm calling utter bollocks on £1600 for one person.

There may be other benefits but that's not PIP and OP is talking about PIP.

Also, I find it despicable that an able bodied person thinks they have the right to judge how much someone in a wheelchair, who is both physically and mentally disabled, needs to get by. All the extra shit being disabled costs never reveals itself until it's you. Just the sheer amount of price gouging that goes on in the disabled "personal care" sector astounding. It can be worse than that in the pharmaceutical industry. I bought my wheelchair off ebay, new, for £350. Other "care" places were selling it, exact model, for anything up to £1200.

OP. I too am scared of what they might do to PIP. Terrified actually. I'd been seriously ill and unable to work for eleven years before I even dared apply. We were struggling to get by on DH's wage alone. Both of us petrified he'd get sick or I'd get even worse. I got worse, much much worse. As in, nearly dying several times worse. Funancial stress played a big role. It's all very well living on the edge but when something extra bad happens, you're screwed. We both caught covid. Had it really bad. Two weeks off work. I had to sell/scrap thirty years of sentimental jewellery anniversary/birthday gifts and both our wedding rings to pay the bills and it still wasn't enough. Then six months on, heart attack with bonus organ failures...8 days off work...couldn’t catch up...massive rent arrears as he is the only person I've got to look after me. Now, I have to sit here alone all day while he goes to work, to make ends meet, even with PIP. I'm at risk for sudden heart death. I can't even go for a piss, 8 feet away, without ending up in pieces physically. I use the PIP for medicines/appliances/supplies/travel. NHS help causes a need for some of it but they cannot/won't supply the extra stuff required (as in meds that cause incontinence, rashes and various other things). I've had to buy a ton of stuff the rules say I should get for free because the assessment waiting times are too long or are not available at all locally due to lack of funds. I go without whatever I can so I can save some of that PIP up for when the next utter disaster hits. What non disabled people would refer to as a minor inconvenience can be devastating if you're already on the edge. It's not all about needing that exact amount of PIP THAT month. One whole month's worth of PIP is not enough to cover a bad two weeks with no wages. In fact it covers one...just about...being careful.

Applying for PIP was very stressful. Even the PIP assessor showed sympathy for my situation and they've got a reputation as hard-nosed. I don’t think I can deal with any more stress without it killing me.

Very well said.

Giving therapy or equipment would cost the government much more in the long run.

And both would be of no use to my dd who needs specialised therapy. Also if they’re under the CMHT and on endless wait lists how are they going to whip out therapy elsewhere. There is a shortage of professionals doing it.

Maybe they'll just let it slide that the waiting lists aren't fit for purpose, bit like the poor old nhs.

Wow I'm so sorry you're going through this.

The lady would still need benefits though as her voluntary job doesn’t earn her a living. The man who sort harms with interaction sounds like he absolutely needs the benefit as you describe very maladaptive behaviour and clear indicators of poor mental health. Why wouldn’t he need the benefit? Apologies, I don’t really understand your point at all.

And I can see the contracts for these services being handed out to private companies (mates rates) as with so many NHS services. Who go on to make millions but provide inadequate and very poor care.

I recently found out that patient transport in our area is now dealt with by DHL. Trying to arrange it with them is a complete nightmare. Patients are suffering and if they do not have someone to speak up for them they get forgotten. So when the NHS says people are not turning up for appointments one of the reasons may be that their transport was not arranged. NHS staff are also frustrated.

I think they will just further tighten the criteria for getting PIP. It will be for the very worst affected people like the poster above with the heart issues. I doubt it will affect people already on it but going forward I think we will see changes.

Well they won't cut it for the genuinely ill or disabled so as long as you're not swinging the lead, you'll be fine.

His glasses frames are too small and the colour is wrong. I know a good independent opticians not too far from Kentish Town who’d advise him. But he’d have to pay as it’s been a long time since people got frames for free on the government…

I don’t think it’s disability benefits like pip. Generally if people can work then they should rather than claiming off the state. I do feel a bit hypocritical though. I claim UC on top of working full time. I used to claim a bit less UC last tax year but I was working an extra job that was quite physical. Then I was ill and whilst the NHS is treating the symptoms the underlying cause is still there and I couldn’t physically be on my feet for a whole day, my ft job is sitting down based and I can wfh, rest if necessary, make up the hours later. If my ft job was physical I’d be signed off sick and waiting on NHS.

I don’t think there are simple answers. Timely NHS treatment, preventative health care, flexible employers, part time job availability/ flexitime or fixed shifts rather than zero hours. Accessible training schemes for relevant skills/ confidence building. A few things that need to work to get people back to work. I think with conservative it was all stick and no carrots. I’d like to see rounded approach. I think we need a more cohesive society in general. There’s been a lot of divisive finger pointing and ugly rhetoric which has set up an us and them mentality.

This. As a country we cannot afford this. We sat in a cafe yesterday. A woman and her daughter were talking loudly about the long term sick going back to work. None of the family ( mum,the daughter,her father or brother worked). She said " Well dad'll have to get a job". Mum replied" Well there's never been anything wrong with him has there", and laughed. There are people who genuinely need help. There are people who are gaming the system. It is to everyone's benefit if those people get back to work.

Utter nonsense 🙄

@Stickytoffeepudding6 try not to worry. Nothing has been announced yet about PIP. The narrative (from politicians of all flavours) is about reducing the number of people who are not working and on sickness benefits, and PIP is not an out of work benefit. Many sections of the media (and on Mumsnet) are desperate to bash Labour on any grounds, usually completely made up. We can expect a White paper on PIP reform in October (probably, but these things are never certain) and we'll know some actual facts then. Until then - try not to meet trouble more than halfway, as the saying goes.

Well DLA seemed to work perfectly well, but alas the Conservatives had other ideas.

The maximum PIP is just over £700 a month so impossible for them to be receiving the amounts you quote. They were likely eligible for other benefits eg universal credit & housing benefit.

I said that when I saw that pic, for £2,500 they're not great

Op no idea on PIP apart from getting long term sick back to work. Not sure how that will happen

Rachel Reeves is in Hansard in 2014 stating that she planned to remove the winter fuel allowance. She has also repeatedly said since then that she will crack down on benefits and sickness payments. So she's doing it.

Before the election posters were saying despite all the evidence to the contrary that Labour will care so more about poor and vulnerable people than the Tories and they'll all be properly looked after finally. Now Labour have launched a systemic attack on them and many of the same people are saying it's all fine and tying themselves in knots to justify what they'd (rightly) shred the Tories for doing half of. What has happened? It's times like these I'm so glad mumsnet doesn't reflect general opinion very well.

@EasternStandard PIP isn't an out-of-work benefit so not linked to getting people back into work. My guess would be that ESA and UC will have changes put in place in relation to those claiming as an out of work benefit on the grounds of ill health. For PIP, maybe tighter eligibility criteria (though they are already tight).

@Alltheprettyseahorses but WFA will still be paid to those who are most poor and vulnerable. The issue is those just above the cut off for pension credit, and I think that provision should have been made to include more people in the eligible group. However it is a fact that WFA was being paid to many who clearly didn't need it. FWIW if I were Rachel Reeves I would not have launched my stay in office with the WFA changes, but there you go.

All this

And this

Totally this, I've been off work sick for six months (hoping to go back soon). If I'd been receiving the right care fron the NHS in the first place I may never had needed to go off sick.

I'm sure there are people who try to swing it, but I want to be at work. Not ill, if I could only actually access the treatment I need to keep me there.

This is a standard political policy, you drip it in to get the population used to the idea, to prepare them,

the issue is we are coming out of the issues associated with the Ukrainian war and energy prices, global interest rates rises, paying for covid, the economy was just getting back on track, but sadly labour has given into the unions immediately and promised billions more, that we don’t have, so they will take from everyone to pay for it. They also need to pay for all the promises they made, like British energy which will cost a fortune to set up, renationalising different entities, all the new school teachers and breakfast clubs, it’s so so much money,

there will be pip changes, without a doubt, when it comes to any renewals there will be new criteria, it’s really just about when. They will then argue that it was a hard decision but they are supporting people to get back into work.