To be concerned about what Liz Kendall is up to with disability benefits?

[Locutus2000]

The Times reporting just how enthusiastic Labour are about targeting the disabled.

I can only hope they are getting the worst ideas out there first, if not I dread to think what is coming in the upcoming review.

I was confident Labour would at worst be no worse than the Tories.

I was wrong.

Free archive link here.

I wonder if we have a breakdown of stats telling us what the conditions are in these cases. Apologies if that has been covered.

I can understand why they would say that what we get in disability payments may be used for support to get us into the workforce.
however that puts everyone in a difficult situation as a lot of disability payments are used for other costs associated with disability. What happens when we can’t use that money for our day to day costs anymore? People will deteriorate. I don’t know what the answer is but I don’t think it’s removing benefits

An enormous number will be autism and ADHD. This was a mistake in my opinion for all but the most severely affected.

Yeah according to posts I’ve read on here and online most cases are autism or depression and anxiety. I don’t have a link to hand.

I think that’s the thing you do have to be severely affected to claim. An idea would be to improve the areas of life that cause people to deteriorate and have the need to claim. Like education or gatekeeping services

Never thought I’d see the day that I’m waiting for the next election to vote Tory 😳

You don't get DLA for a diagnosis. Most kids with ASD will not qualify. DLA is based on need and you will need to have severe needs to qualify. so much ignorance on these threads.

I was going to suggest that's the reason.

And you have a swathe who aren't diagnosed. And if diagnosed, that's only going to add to this. I wonder what the grand total is again compared to other losses that the Government are not going after.

The issue also goes back again to investment in services that support the group that can work into work on adulthood. It starts with;

Investment in SEN provision in schools so mum's can work and not be forced home or spending every day dealing with this ( they are ATM). There are vast numbers that are academic yet not in education because of the limited rigid education available ( mainstream school).

Investment in services that support these young people ( assessment, medication access for ADHD for example) that makes life easier for some.

I believe a proportion are claiming DLA to make up the shortfall of being unable to work because they're caring for kids all day who aren't in school due to anxiety based refusal. They're also spending hours fighting the awful systems and can't hold down jobs they'd probably like to because of this.

Again, if people were paid a decent wage they wouldn't be pulling on all resources available. Why aren't they going for this. I accept the investment in services is going to take alot.

DLA is not for the costs of getting to appointments. Lots of people have health conditions that means frequent hospital and Drs appointments, but they do not get benefits.
Lots of 3 year olds are still in nappies and have sleep disturbances.
I am sure it is tough though.

One in 16 kids gets DLA. The needs do not have to be particularly severe. The criteria is less than for PIP.

Always been a labour voter but if they are going to appease the right wing media by making disabled people the scapegoats so they can balance the books, I won’t bother voting. If that lets people such as reform in then so be it. What difference does it make if Labour are going to act like this.

I accept that. So what about the other costs of her disability then? She has cerebral palsy, she isn't going to get worse, but she certainly isn't going to get better.

@JoyousGreyOrca you miss the point that the example @ChishiyaBat gives demonstrates a loss of earning potential for a start for the mum who will be attending appointments above and beyond for the long-standing condition of her child. There will be other losses associated with the condition.
The problem is that the benefit system is such that people are penalised and unable to work to the same degree as others when caring for a disabled child. So people will pull on this ( DLA) if they can in order to make up for that. Although it may not be the design of the benefit, it makes sense why some have no choice.

It's the same as PIP. People pull on this to make up the shortfall and to cover their rent for example - even though this isn't the original intent of the benefit.

It's for the extra care compared to the average child of their own age. You don't get it just because you have disability costs

DLA can help with additional costs including hospital appointments. If people can’t get to hospital appointments and have worse health, it will cost the country more as their health is affected.

I can’t believe this country has sunk so low as to attack kids on benefits.

It's difficult isn't it. As you say PIP is meant to be for the extra costs of having a disability but most of the time people just use it to make up shortfall in earnings etc, usually because earnings replacement benefits like ESA or UC are so low. Not sure how they can reduce them without an uproar even though the money isn't actually being spent as intended.

Her point though is that her daughter is going to be severely disadvantaged financially because of associated and unforeseen costs. The impact can be huge even if the child doesn't need a full time care assistant. There are some in the system who need help who can't access it. Yet others who can get by financially and receive DLA still.

I'm not sure how to solve this problem if means testing is too costly. One asked, where would it end? I can think of a system that calculates a reasonable income limit before allocating particular benefits. I'm more concerned with the Government abusing this than the public though tbh.

I'm also more concerned with losses incurred by other groups than sick and disabled; the easiest by far to punish in society.

Try living with some with ADHD . See how it affects every aspect of their life. It can be devastating

@Tittat50 I am not missing the point. Disability benefits are not for loss of earnings or hospital appointments. Lots of people work who have regular physio, hospital and Drs appointments, but they do not get PIP.
DLA and PIP are for significant extra disability costs like a hired carer.

No one is saying it does not affect peoples life. ADHD is common. But most people still look after themselves and work.

Being able to access professional supports, to actually access an assessment in the first place and then to trial medication for ADHD. How many lives might that improve - and of course contribute to productivity which most upset on these threads and the Government seem so upset about.

But how will this ever happen when most people cannot access the above unless you have thousands stashed away.

This shitty forum is full of political shills trying to whip up hate against neurodiverse kids, and people with invisible disabilities. They are the next target for a hate campaign. This is evident from all the posts flooding this forum. The amount of propaganda everywhere, in our newspapers, online, and on the telly trying to make disabled people out to be shirkers who are draining the system is vile.

Where is all this hatred going to end? Workhouses? Gas chambers? I am not being dramatic. Horrors such as these usually start by dehumanising groups of people, usually vulnerable or minority groups. How low is this country going to go?

@HRT I have no hate at all towards people with neurodiversity. But I do not know how anyone can think it is sustainable for 1 in 16 children to get disability benefits.

Well you don't know how it is for all these people.

You know your situation and maybe this is pertinent to you. But what about all those swathes of undiagnosed people suffering significantly that don't fall into the ' I can look after myself and work' group. I'd imagine this population is vast considering the association between ADHD and Autism and other conditions co morbid with this.

We can't quantify it because the system is adept at gaslighting people before they can even get a diagnosis right now.

Of the three occasions I've disclosed my MH condition to employers, I've been given the sack twice. The first sacking was in 2008, when I disclosed a history of depression during my occupational health assessment. I can't remember if it was a zero hours thing or not but they simply told me not to come back. The second sacking was in 2017 when I had to take a week off sick. I made the mistake of thinking my employer was a nice person, so was honest about why I was taking the time off. The following Monday when I returned, she accused me of stealing and said she was dismissing me for gross misconduct. I've never stolen anything in my life.

On the other occasion, I had no choice because I had a panic attack in the office. I'd been struggling with anxiety for some time but it had got worse and worse to the point I had become agoraphobic and was having several full-blown, on-my-knees-and-hyperventilating attacks a day. I was very fortunate that my employer was understanding and made small adjustments for me, and because of those adjustments I was able to carry on working there. As it turned out, the anxiety and panic attacks were a side effect of a medication I was taking for another health condition, rather than me being a snowflake which is a term I often see bandied about when it comes to psychiatric problems.

Anyway, ONS says: 'The estimated number of vacancies was 818,000 in the UK in September to November 2024; this is a decrease of 31,000, or 3.7%, from June to August 2024'.

So the number of long-term sick vastly outnumbers the vacancies available, and I'm going to hazard a guess that a sizeable proportion won't be suitable or achievable for somebody with a disability. There's a gov website dedicated to WFH jobs, but the last time I looked the majority weren't WFH at all. It was flooded with mystery shopper and foot canvassing vacancies, plus a load of foreign language tutoring jobs.

Surely they know all this, so what are they planning to do? Bring back the workhouses?