Changes to PIP

[Orangesandlemons77]

It looks like to qualify for PIP people will need 4 points in one area, see here from the Times
"In future, ministers will require applicants to score at least four points on at least one activity to qualify"
Not sure if this means in each section (care, mobility)

This would exclude quite a few people I think

Yabu. No one is forcing you to apply for it.

There is truth in this. Many people either were denied PIP, or given a lower award, then they should have been, because they had no idea how to fill in the form, which was designed exactly for that purpose. The Conservatives knew exactly what they were doing when they changed people over to PIP. I believe they were also responsible for widening the criteria to include MH conditions too.

I’m resigned my lower rate PIP going and haven’t bothered to claim for DS who is severely depressed, unable to function in anything near a normal way and we have spent a many thousands on trying to help him but sadly the psychiatrist we have been paying now feels he can’t help him as just doesn’t respond to meds.

I’m too unwell to work with a chronic autoimmune illness so DH is keeping us a float but he has T1 diabetes and after having it for over 45 years it is taking a toll on his health and I can’t see him managing to work until retirement in 12 years.

I imagine we are fucked in a couple of years but such is life I guess.

It was on news this morning that people would be allowed to try a job without losing their benefits. Don't know how that would work?

I don’t know how it would work but it’s a good idea, at the moment people trying to get back into work are disadvantaged because if they try to work they loose their benefit entitle and have to go through the whole lengthy process again if the job doesn’t work out, which is real possibility if you have a disability. Often a job that looks manageable on paper turns out not to be so manageable because of work practices that in reality create barriers. If someone could try a job knowing they had some financial stability it might give them a chance to see if there was room for negotiation rather than writing off an opportunity that just wasn’t worth the risk.

You did used to be able to do permitted work on ESA and previously incapacity benefit. You could earn a certain amount without your benefits being affected

I noticed these on the BBC new today related to this as well

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7ejvr3y0zo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2gpl4528go

You can on UC LCWRA, in fact it is less restrictive.

I think this is still the case.

It wouldn't just be mental health problems, this would severely affect any claimants with autism or ADHD etc.

It largely goes towards therapy, which costs me £180 per week, which the NHS cannot/will not provide. It doesn’t fully cover it but it helps. 12 hours of therapy does not touch the sides of years of CSA, suicide attempts and chronic self harm. I have a lifelong mental disorder which needs long term therapeutic input - as outlined in the NICE guidelines for my disorder, but is simply not available on the NHS due to cost and staffing resources. So I have to pay privately. If I could get the treatment on the NHS I would give up PIP tomorrow. I expect to finish therapy within the next 12 months, at which point I will stop claiming PIP, as that’s largely what I depend on it for.

It also covers smaller stuff such as having groceries delivered (because supermarkets rarely go well for me for a number of different reasons), replacing or increased washing of clothing when I have toilet accidents due to trauma, keeping my car on the road because I am not safe using public transport (risks around trains etc) and am safer being able to travel door to door with limited time walking outside. Also it pays for my prescriptions (they are not free just because I have PIP).

Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy
teropdsonS0l87592mm1u1f7428mul5iagm5m65mu8ham4372c1mi48hm90u ·

@BBC Breakfast this morning at 8.01 was extolling the virtues of Warrington NHS's One Stop Shop hysteroscopy 'See & Treat' clinic. BBC Breakfast is tweeting how this 'Super Unit' will help get disabled people off 'benefits' and back to work.
Please do let the BBC have your comments. They don't seem to have heard BBC Wales & BBC Scotland's breakfast features on no-choice, painful Trial by Outpatient Hysteroscopy. Thanks!

You seriously can't imagine why the risk of most vulnerable people in society being forced into absolute poverty would cause a commotion?

I think it might be clearer if your were to say that PIP is a benefit that takes no account of your employment status, you can be in and out of employment and receive PIP.

You seriously can’t believe that everyone claiming PIP is vulnerable. All 4 million of them. Thats naive.

Many are claiming it whilst holding down high flying jobs.

I didn't say that though did I.

But given that PIP is a notoriously difficult benefit to get then yes those in receipt of it are clearly more vulnerable than people who are unencumbered by such disabilities/health issues.

They may be using the access to work scheme, paying a lot for private therapies and treatments they can’t access as the nhs lists are too long, for all you know they could be working then getting home exhausted and in pain.

It's not an out of work benefit.

Yeah, so difficult to get that 4 million people are on it.

If you don't think it's difficult to get then you clearly know very little about it.

It's 3.6 million so it's best not to overestimate for effect.

Also given Government figures say that approximately 16 million have a disability then the claims would appear to be relatively low.

The numbers speak for themselves. Nearly 4 million are on a benefit at you claim is hard to get. The myth that it’s difficult to get just doesn’t stack up.

Nothing is easy to get these days but pip is one of the hardest benefits to claim.

You are not nice.

Well it is as clearly more of 16 million would receive it otherwise. Hundreds of thousands are rejected each year.

Less than half of PIP claims are turned down though. Figures show that the majority are successful. I do think that there’s a problem when you’ve got around 10% of the working age population on PIP. It should be means tested and/or tightened up so that only the most severely physically disabled have access to it

What about the severely mentally ill and those with learning disabilities?