Upset by way govmt is managing disability benefits change

[Rosie8880]

The narrative government is sharing about disability benefits changes is upsetting. They speak about the ballooning of claims & how this is unsustainable. Isn’t this connected to the collapse of NHS, waiting times and people awaiting for diagnosis, unable to get treatment. The most vulnerable people in society are being impacted and there are other ways to bring in income // reduce spending (Tax wealth, and by wealth mean multi millionaires/ rather than poorest in society). This is not the way. Like to hear about those that are impacted.

They talk about anxiety and depression being over diagnosed. Of course these conditions are over diagnosed, GPS can't be arsed to actually investigate symptoms, especially if you're a woman. Head could be half off and you'd still get slapped with an anxiety diagnosis.

It is imo connected to all of those things, and it is unsustainable, and there have been a number of changes for the wealthy - benefits and taxes will always need constant reform and adjustment to make sure they are achieving what they are intended to and are fair and proportionate according to the government we elect to balance the books.

There has been a huge rise in claimants, something needs to be done because the current system is not affordable and the process is not fit for purpose for working out who can work and who can’t and who has additional costs and who doesn’t. I want to see those who have substantial disabilities given more money rather than it being paid out to those who dont want to work or need extra support, this group should be given practical support, therapy etc to get them work ready

it is upsetting. Very upsetting. I am one of the people who will be very affected by this. My money will be cut and because I am not on PIP , I will have to look for work.

I worry about the people who currently get maximum awards, which is hard to get. They need this as they are disabled and many areas of ability are affected.

But because of the proposed scoring they not only will get nothing towards the extra costs of their disabilities but they will lose the limited work capability payment and reduced hours.

I think the jump is too big, we are talking significant disabilities with zero support.

I’m hoping the government with grade this cut off with a little more sensitivity and realism.

I feel bad that some people will be losing money they have come to rely on but hopefully the most severely disabled will be ok.
To be honest I think a tightening up of the criteria should have happened long ago because even with these current proposed changes going ahead it's going to be years before any savings are made by which time there will be another million claiming. I see a lot of people trying to claim for ridiculous things, and they are managing to work full time and the work completely contradicts what they are saying they can and can't do. I know PIP is not dependent on whether you can work or not but to be honest a lot are taking the pee and it needs reigning in. It should never have been given out as freely as it is in the first place. We need to get back to face to face assessments asap and people should give a broad idea of what the money is going to be spent on.

Yes do think making PIP a criteria for the new UC health element is bonkers.
PIP is not an out of work benefit. Many people on PIP rely on it to be able to to work.

Yes it seems very harsh that if someone loses their PIP they will also lose LCWRA and if part of an older couple with no kids that would mean losing a work allowance and potentially carers element too unless they are going to allow people to keep the work allowance ?. People could literally lose over £1k + a month overnight if they lose their PIP. Who on earth could cope with that particularly when jobs are going to be hard to find for people with health difficulties. An older couple losing PIP whose partner is a carer and owning their own home could face living on £670 UC a month and both having to start job searching. I don't think they have thought things through properly to be honest. As I said above the rules do need to tighten up but for new claims not taking thousands away overnight from people that have been reliant on this money for years on end .

Yes someone losing PIP will mean their partner (or whoever) will lose their carers allowance and be forced to look for work. The person needing care will have to look for work too if they don't have 4 points on one aspect of daily living for PIP.
It makes no sense.

The problem with over taxing wealthy people is that they will simply move abroad as today they can work from anywhere and the country will be left with only the poorest to pay tax. Then what will happen?
There are 33,000 new awards for PIP each month, which will cost the taxpayer £28 billion a year by 2028. This is unsustainable.

I think they also need to consider what all these current benefits being given out are being spent on. Cleaners, gardeners, taxis , motorbility cars, cafes. Take huge amounts of money away from people and they are going to crash the economy even more than they already are doing.
I help a lot of older people to claim Attendance Allowance and I've no doubt that this (and children's DLA ) will be next for a tightening up of criteria after the winter fuel payment fiasco has died down. Most of these older people are wanting it for a cleaner or gardener, chiropodist, mobile hairdressers etc and it's going to hit certain sectors of the economy hard when it's taken away or restricted.

I will be affected.
I get standard rate for both and LWRCA. 11 points for faily living currently but all 2s and 3s. No 4 points.

Our household will lose :

£290 daily living pip (should be able to keep motability, as 10 points on that and blue badge)
£416 LWRCA
£200 from my DS being a carer
£90 non dependant deduction from housing benefit as DS living with me to care for me

Thats 996.

Thats basically all my money.

I don't know how we will survive :(

You will be made to look for work too.
It is fucking bleak. People not affected by this have no idea.

Instead of cuts, tax to invest, everyone except the poorest. It’s too easy to say just tax the rich but in countries with good health and welfare systems everyone pays more tax.

High-tax countries like Finland, Denmark and Sweden are far from perfect, but if you spend a decent amount of time there and get to know residents it’s impossible to deny they are vastly superior in terms of services.

Well I can't do it so fuck knows what will happen to me.

Maybe I wont be around to find out.

I'm waiting for DLA to be next too.

I feel the same way.

I honestly cannot see how they will be able to take away such a lot of people's income, especially as it will affect so many. many will not be able to pay rent, heat their homes etc.

The richest 1% already pay 30% of the tax take - it would be ridiculous to tax them any more. And the Laffer Curve makes clear that it wouldn't work, either.

I wont even have enough for my bills.

They can't do this to people :(

What annoys me, is if the DWP were doing their jobs properly, a LOT of people would never have been able to claim in the first place. Back in 2013, I was put through the wringer by them in order to claim, and would definitely have killed myself due to the stress they put me under, had it not been for the support of my wonderful DH. I ended up having to get my local MP involved, and to give him his due, he visited me at home, the day before my tribunal, came upstairs to see me while I was in bed, and the minute he walked through the door, he said that it was obvious that a mistake had been made, and I should definitely be getting my benefits. He went back to his office, dictated, and had a letter typed up to the Judges of the tribunal, which he then hand delivered to me on his way up to the House of Commons for a meeting, so that I could take it to Court the next morning. Until that point, I had hit barriers to claiming, in every direction. Even my own doctor was so sick of the DWP and their demands for evidence, that she refused to write any more letters on my behalf, as in her words, she had better things to do, having already written to them previously! I had an assessment by a healthcare 'professional', who told the DWP, that I would be able to go back to work within 2 months, when my own Consultant, had stated in my paperwork, that it was extremely unlikely that I would ever be able to work again! If everyone who claimed was put through these sort of rigorous checks and tests, there wouldn't be nearly such a huge bill for the disabled, as is the case currently.

Unfortunately though, many genuine claimants have stupidly shared the answers they gave when claiming their PIP, on social media, and so people who don't want to work, have just picked up on this information and deliberately lied in order to claim.

As a genuine claimant myself, my stress levels are through the roof right now, as I really don't know what I will do if my money is cut. This only makes my condition worse, so if they think that all these cuts are going to get people like me back to work, then I think they are sadly mistaken.

I feel so sorry for disabled people who are caught up in this uncertainty. Sadly, I feel that all the fraudulent claims and pee taking has forced the government into a corner. Some people have absolutely taken advantage and now the consequences of this are hurting some of society’s most vulnerable people.

Trouble is none of this is addressed by the proposed reforms though.

When is this happening? It’s another couple of years isn’t it?

The problem isn't with over diagnosis it's Dr's not diagnosing correctly I'm fifty I'm menopausal but they keep trying to tell me I'm anxious and depressed and offering me cbt and sertraline I don't NEED that bad back get on a waiting list bad hip waiting list bad knee waiting list if they sorted all the people on waiting lists who used to work and can't because they are waiting for surgery they would clear a lot of people off pip and benefits

But let's just go for the easy targets every time

Also they talk about extra claims they deny most claims first time anyway they are overturned on appeal which costs the taxpayers more money why are they overturned? Why do they deny claims from people with severe difficulties going from full rate to none like there legs grew back or they suddenly don't have down syndrome? There is no consistency