What do people actually expect DLA to be spent on??

[Whoknowshey]

This comes off a thread I read recently where a poster was being criticised for spending DLA on a fridge .

Im curious as to what people think DLA / PIP should be spent on ? Due to various circumstances I am aware of what people spend it on and I also have a child in receipt PIP so I know how theirs gets spent . Some differs to how my child’s is spent. Some I agree with , some I don’t but the fact is it’s for the individuals needs and that varies massively. Especially with non physical disabilities it would be hard to spend it on things directly related to their needs but there are many ways in which it affects their lives that it can help with .

Some I have came across;

• theme park passes- the child cannot do what others can , going out with friends etc . The passes give the opportunity to enjoy childhood safely.
• Toys/ things for hyperfocuses - a hyper focus is a form of regulation . To some it may look like an obsession with a character but it’s actually a way for the individual to regulate.
• Towards the family income because parents cannot work.
• Furniture - lots can get destroyed due to the individuals issues.
• Save it towards the child’s future . The child may not ever be able to get a job and adult social care is appalling .

I think all those things are justified . But I have seen comments against that.

My child has PIP as a young adult. They have a part of the money as theirs to do with what they wish ( which can be wasted hence why they do not have it all and I am their appointee - but also they have no way of having extra money as cannot work nor claim any benefits , have to stay in education to hold on to that EHCP and to help with their life skills etc ) A part goes into the house because I care for them financially as though they are a child - yet usually parents do not have to do this with an adult child. They know exactly what they are paying for with this - rent, shopping etc, social groups. It doesn’t really touch what I spend on them as the majority actually goes on a mobility car , because they have to be taken to most places . This way they are paying bills etc as they see it - an itemised of what they pay - because I know if they go in to supported living it will be eaten up by that and I don’t want them to get used to just having all that money, I think the way I do it is justified as it is for their needs ( food aversions so more expensive shop , get through clothes very quickly due to sensory issues , hyper focuses , social groups specific to their needs ) .

A bit fed up of seeing people attacked because someone doesn’t deem what they spend as “ for their needs “ yet those needs are so vast .

Interested on thoughts.

There's another thread on MN somewhere just today where someone says they "failed" their autism assessment and asking others how they can pass it.

Ask yourself why that language is being used?

Other posters helpfully gave the poster examples of where they've said the right things in order to get the diagnosis.

Then ask what the incentives are to get such a diagnosis? This thread here makes it clear what some of the incentives are

Well I hope when you do vote, you’re a lot better informed than you are now.

But there is no right or wrong thing to say when it comes to PIP or DLA assessments. Most people will have either a face to face or telephone assessment and what it comes down to in the end is whether you can evidence what you’ve said on the application form.

I totally understand putting the money into family pot and using for what needs paying i do that’s it child benefit. I don’t like the idea of benefit money being spent on things which can damage such as alcohol/cigarettes/unhealthy food and gaming. Might sound judgy but my brother was given PIP as was alcoholic with mental health issues and spent it drinking himself to death. Would like to see high quality care packages so if you can’t shower yourself PIP pays for good quality carer to help you. Can’t cook get good quality healthy meals delivered etc

Well you mentioned the latest tech, which I took to mean out of the context of disability. If you did not mean it that way, ok. Just being clear.

It’s to be used in whatever way supports the persons’ disability best. And the disabled person is the one best placed to decide that. There are always going to be people who play the system but this thread assumes that everyone does and that it’s the fault of genuinely disabled people. It’s not.

The level of PIP that’s payable at the moment wouldn’t even make a dent in those costs even when paid at the highest rates. Many of the clients I dealt with who had the most severe disabilities were only allocated an hour of care a day via the support services, and the cost was in the region of £200 a week, and if they were claiming PIP/child DLA it was more because that’s taken into account along with attendance allowance paid to pensioners.

You're making it sound like we all use DLA / PIP for theme parks, getting our nails done and savings

We don't

I will sometimes save if I need something that's expensive

DH 'failed his ASD assessment'. He was asked if he enjoyed going to parties as a child and said yes. Afterwards (I wasn't allowed in the assessment), I said 'but you went to one party in your whole childhood??' His reply: 'but I enjoyed it.' The assessment report came through and one of the highlighted reasons for not having ASD was that he was sociable and enjoyed parties as a child.

DH had not understood the question. He had taken it on face value, recalled the one and only party he was allowed to attend, and answered that he liked it. If they had said 'Did you go to many parties as a child?', he would have answered that people had parties but he was only ever invited to one and that he couldn't understand why he wasn't invited because he thought those people were his friend.

Do you see how, sometimes, an assessor might ask a question with one intention, but the assessed individual will miss the point of the question, and nobody will know that it's happened because neither think to clarify?

And when they lose control of their bowels or bladder in these fully accessible spaces they will still have to go home to clean up which will involve extra bathing and laundry, padding and other associated costs. How exactly is this lovely accessible space going to help with that ?

Sorry but using good faith taxpayer cash to prop up your kid’s ISA is outrageous.

Anyone who saves their child's DLA will find that they aren't entitled to benefits as an adult, or that they aren't entitled to social care, because they have too many savings. It's far better to spend the money on things that benefit them now. Sadly, savings are seen as a luxury.

Again, not the fault of the disabled person. And some would say a contribution towards that is no bad thing because it will reduce the cost of supporting that child later on should they be unable to support themselves.

They are a luxury. How many working people do you think have generous savings?

We can repeat this ad nauseam, where people are intent on thinking the worst you’re wasting your time. You can only pity their ignorance and hope that they never find out the hard way exactly what disability means.

Many areas of welfare will need to be reduced. The triple lock isn’t sustainable either.

Not to mention the sheer volume of places that would need to be enrolled in order for us to purchase things. What if the very small amount of places that sell Billy shoes aren't on this list? Then we have to fork out £60 for adaptive shoes just so our kids can wear shoes that fit over orthotics.

It is undeniable that a significant aspect of any changes to DLA and PIP would be cost savings. The current increase in spending isn’t sustainable.

Pat McFadden is widely seen as a bit of a hatchet man and he has been put at the DWP to drive through tough reforms.

In my experience ? Those without disabilities are far more likely to have significant savings than those with disabilities. However much you may not like it and it may not gel with your perceptions, disabled people are some of the poorest in the country. They are denied opportunity based on disability and they are among the poorest paid. For many DLA/PIP represents a lifeline in making ends meet, without which they would struggle. Oddly enough this is also one of the reasons disability benefits are paid, and one of the ways it’s recognised that this disparity can at least be partially addressed. The persistent failure to acknowledge why these benefits are paid, in favour of clinging to an incorrect and outdated view of disability and all it entails is astounding, even for MN.

Fewer people would be eligible as vouchers would be linked to specific items or needs that the DWP would approve.

So those spending their DLA on operas and gigs would no longer be eligible.

You don’t get PIP or DLA for an autism diagnosis .

Maybe if we got rid of the bullshit that they call face to face assessments and actually got decisions right the first time, we'd save some money?

Clearly if 70% of people go to tribunal and win, there needs to be changes in how we assess people

And the focus is on out of work sickness benefits, not PIP or child DLA. A consultation document has recently closed on the complete overhaul of the PIP assessment and award system - something disabled people and their organisations have been calling for, for some time - not least so that the system is made fairer and more transparent and will hopefully save substantial amounts of money for the tax payer when claimants no longer have to go to expensive tribunal to obtain a fair decision. McFadden acknowledged that PIP needed to be reformed, but pledged to do it in a way that has minimal impact on those who need it.

The wider point is that people are sick of seeing the abuse of the system. Notability cars for ADHD and 3 thousand people a week signing onto disability benefits for mental health.

The paying public is sick of it.

No- the focus is on both.