sister and motability car

[Oblahdeeoblahdoe]

Would love your thoughts on this. The background is there are 4 siblings including me and our 84 year old DM. Generally we all do our bit to help her albeit I do the most with hospital/ doctors /opticians appointments as I'm retired. I found out today that my sister has had a brand new car on Motability and is paying DM what she would otherwise receive in disability payments. She's done this with no consultation with the rest of us. Indeed one of my DBs suggested he could the very same thing a few years ago but same sister strongly objected. DM has early signs of vascular dementia although seems to understand this situation. I feel quite cross as I think my sister has a brand new car to swan about it but won't be doing all the running around that I do. In fact I'm thinking of stepping back and not doing it anymore. I don't want DM to suffer but she saw fit to hide it from me and my DBs so now will have to ask sister to do it all from now on. It's the sneakiness that's got to me more than anything.

As you say your sister having the car is wrong. Going forward if your asked to take DM to an appointment simply say no , DS has the car that should be used to make your DM life easier, therefore anything that requires transport falls to your sister.

Oh, another thread about how so many people claim disability benefits and are abusing the system / frauds. How unusual. It must be a weekend.

FWIIW, which is probably not a lot since pretty much nobody on these threads are interested in the facts because they are only here to bash people with disabilities...

• Using a car for the benefit of a person with disabilities does not mean that every single journey must be undertaken with, or for that person. "Benefit" is much more widely interpreted than that. A spouse, for example, going to work to earn money that supports the household would be perfectly permissible because it is a benefit to the disabiled person to not live in poverty.
• Some cars may be fitted with trackers if abuse is considered a risk - it's in the terms
• Neither DLA not PIP are awarded forever - they are reviewed at least every ten years, and people over pension age certainly may have their award removed (usually changed to attendance allowances) if appropriate - and I personally know people to whom this has happened

If people have genuine evidence of fraud of this type, the place to report it is DWP / motability scheme not Mumsnet. The only purpose of these threads is create more and more disminformation and stir up hatred against people in reciept of disability benefits. There's at least one or two every single weekend. Anyone who is so jealous of my motability car or PIP are welcome to them if they also take my disability.

Bollocks

@Quveas I agree.

I'd be happy for either of my brothers to have mums motability car & for them to be the ones who get called away from work, have a very understanding employer so they can take time off to go to her numerous doctors/hospital appointments, get up & start work at 5am so they can take 3 hours out of their day to take her to a friends funeral (because it's on the busiest work day & tasks are time sensitive), they could go to hers every day before & after work to do her housework, get her up & dressed, make her breakfast, make dinner, prepare a lunch, help her with showering & getting her to bed. They could then give up their weekends to ensure she gets out of the house, get her shopping, take her to the cemetery, visit friends/relatives, do her Christmas/birthday shopping, deliver the Christmas/birthday gifts to the multiple grandchildren & great grandchildren she hasn't seen all year.

And while I would still be doing all of those things without the motability car having it makes those things a lot easier for both me & mum.

So yeah if I take the car to meet a friend for coffee on a Saturday morning before heading to mums I don't feel guilty that she's not in the car or that I'm doing something for me - it's still for her benefit because if I didn't get that little bit of respite I'd probably have a breakdown.

And motability obviously don't care as when they check the tracker they can clearly see my Saturday has been:

Costa
Mums
Marks & Soencers
Asda
Mums
Cemetery
Auntie M's
Mums
Home

OP if you genuinely think your sister is using the car fraudulently then contact Motability & report it.

@SchoolTripDrama

Also, adults are no longer in receipt of DLA!

This is complete nonsense. Adults cannot make new claims for DLA but there are still adults who have not been migrated to PIP.

You maybe right but if anyone wants my ‘easy life’ they’re welcome to it. A son with disabilities 37 lives at home with us and everything we do is about him. Anyone is welcome to the money he gets if he can be ‘normal’.

@MamaDollyorJesus

nokidshere Most of your post is a load of bollocks. It's really not.

My mums motability car has a tracker fitted because I'm the only named driver & the car is kept at my house - all above board & permitted by motability. They do check the tracker periodically to ensure it's noted as being at my mums address enough & if she's going to be staying with me for any length of time I need to inform them so that they are aware when they check the tracker. I didn't know this but on checking they can, if they think the car is at risk of misuse, speak with the claimant about being tracked. It is not something they do for most cars.

You can now have 3 drivers on the motability insurance - my dad has 3 on his. Him, my sister & my brother in law. One day he had an accident when we were out & he had to add me to allow me to drive him home so he removed my BIL for 24 hours to allow me to be added. Two drivers only on application and others can be added later if, as I said, there are multiple carers involved.

The age of the driver depends on the car - some (like my mums) don't allow under 25's at all not even the claimant but that's because it's a big car with a big engine if it was a small car with a 1.2 engine under 25's could drive it. Also untrue. My car is only a 1.1 and still needs to be over 25 to drive it.

There's nothing up look up, this is outright fraud.

Two drivers only on application and others can be added later if, as I said, there are multiple carers involved.

Everyone can have 3 drivers. You don’t need to have multiple carers involved. We have me, DH and DS1. Me and DH went on at application, DS1 went on a couple of days later. It’s been like that on mine for the past decade, or so, but it’s only recently that the third driver has been free of charge.

The age of the driver depends on the car - some (like my mums) don't allow under 25's at all not even the claimant but that's because it's a big car with a big engine if it was a small car with a 1.2 engine under 25's could drive it.Also untrue. My car is only a 1.1 and still needs to be over 25 to drive it.

Maybe your car can’t be driven by someone under the age of 25 but there are many cars that can be. 16yos in receipt of full mobility allowance on PIP or DLA can do their driving tests and apply for Motability cars. Motability even give grants for driving lessons, so it would be ridiculous if they never had any cars available for young drivers, which is what your first post said, wouldn’t it?

Why didn't your sister just lease a car it makes no sense, your poor mum probably couldn't say no and thought she was being nice! Just give your Sister your mum's appointments and errand lists and let her crack on.

Motability even give grants for driving lessons, so it would be ridiculous if they never had any cars available for young drivers, which is what your first post said, wouldn’t it?

No, it said "unless they are the claimant".

I've known a few folk do this. You aren't allowed to, it's supposed to be only for use with the disabled person to ferry around. They get a £20k+ car, free insurance, free servicing, tyres etc and pay the relative the £250 or whatever the payment would be.

My dh's friend got the car taken away as his mum let slip at one of her assessments that he takes it home and uses it all the time.

A friend of mine did this with her dads disability car too but she's decided to give it back and let him take the payment instead. Another relative she knew that did the same had to return the car within a week when the disabled relative died.

You aren't allowed to, it's supposed to be only for use with the disabled person to ferry around. They get a £20k+ car, free insurance, free servicing, tyres etc and pay the relative the £250 or whatever the payment would be.

Please try reading the actual terms. It is not to be only used for "ferrying the disabled person around". They have been stated often enough on this thread. The terms are that the car must be used by the person with disabilities or if driven by someone else, for their benefit. The definition of benefit is flexible and does not need to involve driving them personally or doing an errand for them.

If people are taking a relatives car for personal gain, that is wrong and should be reported. But driving a motability car is not as restricted as people seem to believe. And I had this confirmed by motability themselves only 4 weeks ago.

It's a wonder that anyone here still has anything to do with their friends and relatives given that so many of them are liars, cheats and frauds. I must be really weird - I don't have any friends or relatives who are benefit thieves.

Bloody hell. My mother has a motability car that I'm also a named driver on, so I can drive her to appointments etc. When her car was at mine for a couple of weeks (I'd taken her to and from the airport and it was safer here while she was away) we had to let Motability know. What your sister is doing is very, very wrong and makes it worse for others - it's the reason the cars are being fitted with tracking devices, for instance. Additionally, the onboard computer is checked during services, which have to be done at the Motability garages.

You are right to step back and make your sister step up - but if she is caught and prosecuted for fraud, and says that you knew and did nothing, then you might also face legal problems.

It's not illegal. Every case is different and to be discussed and insured as such with motability. A child's motability car can be used as the family car to do everyday things while the child is in school. Motability will approve this - they don't expect 2 cars to sit on the drive needlessly.

I think the point is when a notability car is being used as a family car for someone living in the home, or for a relative being taken on days out, to appointments, shopping etc it's absolutely fine. When a relative has the car at theirs permanently, does not take the disabled person out at all and basically uses the car just as their own personal car with no benefit what so ever for the person it's intended to be used for is when it's taking the absolute piss and is fraudulent.

@nokidshere I'm sorry but you're wrong! The car if driven by someone other than the disabled person then it MUST be for the disabled person's benefit and they must be named on the insurance. THIS IS WHAT IT SAYS IN MY MOTABILITY LEASE DOCUMENT FFS! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

This is not true it just has to be for the mum's benefit!

nokidshere I'm sorry but you're wrong! The car if driven by someone other than the disabled person then it MUST be for the disabled person's benefit and they must be named on the insurance. THIS IS WHAT IT SAYS IN MY MOTABILITY LEASE DOCUMENT FFS! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

That's what I said?

@thebestbirtheraccordingtoDD I'm afraid it's not bollocks! I've known it to happen a few times! My late DH's brother had this happen to him!

Please try reading my full post before attempting to correct me! 🤦🏼‍♀️

Does your mum get dla just for being old and having dementia ?
My mum is in this position , I didn't know you could get dla ! 🤔

So as a tax payer I’m paying for your sister to have a new car? Nice.

No, it really isn't!

@nokidshere Please stop attacking everyone!