Ok who wants to swap £2500 a month in benefits for my husbands MS and my epilepsy, narcolepsy and fibromyalgia.

[bluebirdblackbird]

Well according to a lot of people on here we are on a good thing.

the 20 seizures I have in a week, chronic pain and night terrors, losing my memory after a seizure, pissing myself, hallucinations. They are all great fun. Not to mention the amount of times I have been accused of being drunk after a seizure.

or there is my husband. Diagnosed with progressive MS. Cronic Pain, shaking, cronic pins and needles, weakness in limbs plus losing mobility. Had to give up his teaching job 4 months ago after gradually reducing hours.

Not to mention the judgement when we use a blue badge because we look ok in that moment. And apparently labour are going to find us both work. Yippee cant wait to meet the employer who is going to take us both on. I am sure pissing my chair on a reg basis won’t matter to them or the losing counciouness at least a couple of times a day.

i am just fed up of yet another they are on benefits and get money and it’s not fair stamp stamp stamp. The bastards have saved up for a holiday- it’s not fair. The bastards have a mobility car but they look fine, OMG- they have got new carpets or a new sofa.

since I am guessing they none of the moaners would actually swap places with us if they could then STFU.

oh and that pip that is easy to get- my husband gets lower rate for both and that is despite providing all the evidence and appealing so we are off to tribunal. He can’t even dress himself most days and he can’t hold a pan safely or manage his medication plus many other things. If he stays on the points he is on he will lose his pip completely under these new labour proposals.

but most people know someone who’s friends, aunts, nephews, stepdaughters, cousin twice removed who lied and got it. I was taking to a lady in a wheelchair who does not get any mobility component of pip at all.

I have answered this earlier but again, should disabled people have holidays? Yes in an ideal world. Should the state pay, I’m not entirely comfortable with that, sorry. I made this point earlier.

taxpayers pay money into the exchequer. It is a very finite resource. No tax payers. No benefits. As such, every penny counts. The number of people claiming benefits is growing but the tax receipts is not growing proportionately.

benefits should assist those in need. Those who are vulnerable. Those who need extra support. A safety net for those in need. Should it ever cover luxuries like holidays.? No sorry. Not because I don’t think disabled people need/deserve/entitled to holidays (i do think that) but there just isn’t the money. The government could borrow more sure, but our children will be the ones paying for it.

so if someone doesn’t need that extra money, it should be passed to someone who does.

May I ask, have you applied for PIP? If not, why not?

@CantStopMoving
I agree completely. In an ideal world everyone should be able to enjoy a holiday and nice things but we don't live in an ideal world. There are lots of people (disabled and able bodied) living without what many would consider to be basic essentials so in this context why would we prioritise allocating a scarce and finite resource (taxpayer money) to someone so they can enjoy a holiday?

I have "extra money" when I really cut back on other things. Are you saying that the money I save should be given back?

That's because disabled people, on average, need about £500 a month more than someone who isn't disabled! They have to pay for extra assistance etc. Surely you understand that?

honestly this is an odd question. Benefits are there to provide you with the necessities to live you life on a practical level. You should therefore be spending it all. There shouldn’t be any ‘cutting back’ surely? If you can manage with cutting back then objectively the amount is too large right? I know that is provocative but we are dealing with a resource that is designed to give support to those that need it. It isn’t an income as such.

I really don't understand "economics". So prices rise, but wages don't. Therefore less is spent on things that are non-essential. Debt increases. Business rates rise, NI is increased. Smaller businesses go to the wall, more people struggle to find work, automation and technology renders whole sectors obsolete, housing is simply treated as assets, fewer people can afford to rent or buy. People are forced into state dependency and temporary accommodation, which costs councils more than it would to pay the rent on original accommodation. Corporations are subsidised by the state, wangle their tax position so they can avoid as much as possible, and CEOs get huge bonuses. The government are in lockstep with the private sector so high ranking officials can have nice little side hustles, and is held to ransom by them. The NHS is so beleaguered that it can't provide early care and intervention, so more people are sick and disabled for longer by conditions that could be treated earlier, but aren't.

But we can chuck 50 million at climate change experiments to dim the sun when we can't address the lack of social housing which would give stability and help people maintain employment without seeing a huge chunk of their state subsidised wages vanish into the pockets of private landlords.

We don't have much in the way of industry any more, town centres and bricks and mortar businesses are going to the wall, and still it's because not enough people are working, even though the number of available jobs is far less than the number of unemployed.

And yet it's all the fault of PIP claimants, a good number of whom work. And of course NMW jobs are often part-time and insecure, because it benefits large scale employers to have it that way, so even those who are working aren't really contributing anything meaningful.

Does any of this make any sense at all, because I'm buggered if I can make head nor tail of it, personally. (Am expecting lots of head patting responses and sneering about Sixth form mentality and how I can't possible understand the intricacies, which is what usually happens 🙄).

I spend every penny of my PIP and half my salary on carers and a cleaner plus private physio because I can't take the piss at work not being available from 9 to 5 so I have to pay for out of hours.
I also had to pay £1600 on 2 private iron infusions that aren't covered by the nhs in order to qualify for my surgery.
Things like a mobility scooter I've had to pay for myself plus other daily aids. The £400 PIP I get doesn't even begin to cover it but it does help.
I'm determined not to have to give up work but it's been a fight.

Have you asked for a reconsideration and then gone to appeal? Please do this as something like 66% of claimants get their decision overturned on appeal.

Who and what says I should be spending it all?
And if that is the "rule", then how is anyone going to cope with stuff like needing new appliances? Or needing to save up to move house?

I get £800 a month. That is all. Sometimes, I can save a little bit (not this month - water bill month). Do you think I am getting too much?

I hear what you are saying, but PIP is about the help you need, rather than the help you actually get. Two people with the same diagnosis could have vastly different needs, depending on how their condition affects them.

I have no idea with regards to your circumstances . I am actually a huge advocate for disability benefits as it happens. I think they are too low for many people and their carers.

no one says every penny has to be spent in the month it comes in. No one’s needs are exact every month. It makes sense to hold a reserve for things like appliances when needed. They are necessities. Everyone needs fridges and cookers etc.

we are talking about a holiday though. It is a luxury for every single person on the planet. I say this as someone who didn’t have a holiday for about 10 years as we needed to budget the money elsewhere. I intrinsically feel uncomfortable that people are slogging away at work to pay for holidays for other people. That’s not what the benefits system is designed for. It is not an income- it has a purpose. That doesn’t mean I am not a massively supporter of making sure those that need support get it.

The irony of this post coming straight after a post from someone admitting they save money from their disability benefits to go on holiday. Disability is clearly not costing everyone an additional £500 a month!

Saving for an appliance or unforeseen expense is just common sense. Blowing your nest egg on a holiday isn't the same thing at all. That is financially irresponsible unless you also have money set aside for other expenses too.

Holidays are a luxury.

And I can choose to use my "appliance" reserve to go on holiday. That is my choice.
The money is in my account and up to me how I spend it.

Still up to me though. I can blow my money how I want, yes?

Please do apply if you are struggling with your symptoms. It's so important.

I have a friend who has had relapsing remitting MS for the last 31 years. She works part-time (about 20 hours a week) and doesn't claim PIP because her symptoms aren't too bad. On the other hand, my friend's adult DD (31) has recently been diagnosed, and her symptoms are quite horrendous, even when she is a remitting phase.

Not sure you are doing the OP any favours with your comments. I am sure they would love to be able to ‘blow their money how they want’

Of course you can right now. Systems can and do change though. That is what is being debated and discussed. Don't be surprised if public opinion doesn't support using tax payers money to pay for holidays for anybody (disabled or able bodied) and stories about benefits being used too fund holidays is a catalyst for change.

OP gets about 3 times what I get in benefits. I don't begrudge her that. I feel sad that she felt the need to start this thread to begin with.
If I can save a bit, I can spend it how I choose? yes? If not, why not?

It's such a nonsense argument. Anyone on benefits can spend their money how they see fit. This is why the old stereotype of people on benefits spending all their money on flat screen TVs and fags began to crop up. Of course most benefits recipients weren't doing this, but some were and this drove a negative sentiment towards the benefit system and those using it. Ultimately it makes the general population more comfortable with cuts because they don't believe that the state should be funding these things anyway. I would put luxury cars and also holidays in this category when it comes to disability benefits. Like it or not, this is where lots of people draw the line in terms of what they see as 'fair' use of taxpayer money and if they see public money being spent this way then support for the system will decrease. In a democracy this will ultimately lead to policy change to reflect the public mood.

My holiday is a UK caravan one, split costs with my mum. Is that allowed?

I don't decide what's allowed and ultimately nobody really cares what I think. I just think it's really important at this precarious time that the importance of public opinion isn't forgotten. Flaunting 'rights' isn't really going to do you any favours when the poll shows that a large minority of the population is concerned about disability benefits.

On a side note, there's an interesting thread running about unsuitable employees in childcare settings.....

I haven't read the post you are referring to, so am unable to comment on that, but why shouldn't a disabled person have a holiday? Aren't they entitled to one?

I clearly said 'on average'. Many claimants do need this extra money, but others need less.

You also have to remember that PIP isn't means-tested, so you can be extremely wealthy and still be entitled.