PIP "Vouchers to replace money"

[QueenAnn]

Just read the latest crazy idea from Rishi in his quest to persecute the mentally ill and disabled and am horrified to learn he wants to replace PIP money with vouchers for therapy or home improvements. This idea hasn't been given the go ahead yet but is going to be discussed in July apparently. My dh has severe mental health issues, psychosis, GAD, depression etc and he's under the care of the local CMHT. He's also been assessed by the council Social Care Assessment team as needing assistance and respite care, however I've been told there isn't the funding locally to cover everything he's been assessed as needing. It's a good thing he has me as his full time carer but I wonder how carers are going to be affected if this voucher scheme goes ahead as I, and many others, rely on carers allowance to compensate for the hours we can't work due to caring for someone. It honestly feels as if there is some terrible news for the disabled and vulnerable coming from Rishi every day now.

Let the DWP worry about their costs. This is what they are asking for. I submit claims for work every month, lots of people do. The people claiming PIP who have significant needs will be claiming for ESA or IS too and presumably will get support with this too. The government are asking for a reason, let them get on with it

Many people with mental illness, developmental conditions, neurological conditions etc will find submitting expenses impossible. Many of them have a complete lack of support (or their support is shit) and managing to claim PIP in the first place is a massive struggle.

We all know the reason the government are asking and it’s not because they’re being kind to the disabled.

I’ve got significant needs but I get nothing other than PIP because my husband earns too much and when I did work I couldn’t work enough hours, because I was too sick, so I didn’t pay enough NI.

The point is you're penalising disabled people and the fact it's 'easy' for you, 1)minimises and trivialises the fact it's not 'easy' for others and 2) doesn't negate how utterly fucked a large chunk of pip receivers would be as its not easy for them at all

Why would you assume people with significant needs who get PIP will also get ESA or IS? They are completely different types of benefits. You can work full time and be eligible for PIP.

@ThatBrightBiscuit not everyone on pip claims esa or is. I can't claim it as I've never worked, never got a chance to as my chronic illness got worse while I was at uni. My only income is pip

Let the DWP worry about their costs. This is what they are asking for. I submit claims for work every month, lots of people do. The people claiming PIP who have significant needs will be claiming for ESA or IS too and presumably will get support with this too. The government are asking for a reason, let them get on with it.

Who is this "they" who you think is "asking for" receipts?

The government are proposing that the DWP should be made to ask claimants for receipts. It's a proposal - nobody is asking for receipts yet. You do understand that, don't you?

As for costs....We, the taxpayers, pay the administrative costs. It's part of the price of delivering the benefit. "Let the DWP worry about administrative costs" is a ridiculous answer.

You clearly have absolutely no clue how high that figure could be, but Rishi should.

The thing is, claiming expenses is the process. It’s what I need to do to get paid back the money I’ve had to lay out just to go to work so I obviously try my best to do it or I would be out of pocket when I really can’t afford to be. If people need support to claim in the new way then the DWP will need to make sure their staff provide the support that people need. That’s on them though, this is their decision. They have set the hoops, the rest of us will just need to jump through them unfortunately. It’s a change to the process and that can be scary but people need this money, they can justify it so they just need to do so. It won’t change anything in real terms.

Like the health professional who said my husbands condition didn’t exist because she hadn’t heard of it before. Or the health professional who said my husband could hold a pen, chop food and knit (yes!) despite having very very minimal use of his arms and hands.

Has ANYONE got a link?

I'd like to read the details but I'm struggling with really poor mobile data connection and can't get much to load on any of the broadsheets beyond the front pages, which are dominated by SNP news.

I’m so fed up with all this

My son has ASD, SLi, dyspraxia, bowel issues ( perennial constipation) etc

We has the insult of carers allowance and Pa we are meant to mess around with vouchers or expense schedules having already grappled DRE claims.

i care for my adult son and his PIP pays for his Pa to accompany him out to museums cinema or shows etc. so if my son wants to eat - the PA eats or drinks - the latter is funded by my sons PIP. My son refuses the bus - we have Uber costs. My son wants to be able to remain on the swimming pool without anxiety ( I have to Marshall him into lanes) we pay for 1:1 swimming lessons. He has a language disorder we pay for English tutoring and drama.

He bangs his head on walls and draws blood or on desks. He is happier with his Pa and having some resemblance of a normal life. He is for once not voicing a desire to die on a daily basis

RS can go to Hell and back and take his proposals with him.

i have had enough of it all - time sheets for Pa , forms for transport to college, universal credit forms, personal budgets for education, EHcp reviews, interviewing PA’s, chasing transport to turn up on time, arranging my sons life, finding activities for Summer when he is aged 20! I am not going to do weekly expenses and claim vouchers.

Forget it all - he can go supported living and wall to wall Pa - have no outdoor activities , bang his head and be sectioned and cost the state £100,000 per annum - I have given up!

Link to consultation - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/disability-benefits-system-to-be-overhauled-as-consultation-launched-on-personal-independence-payment--2

The thing is, claiming expenses is the process. It’s what I need to do to get paid back the money I’ve had to lay out just to go to work so I obviously try my best to do it or I would be out of pocket when I really can’t afford to be. If people need support to claim in the new way then the DWP will need to make sure their staff provide the support that people need. That’s on them though, this is their decision. They have set the hoops, the rest of us will just need to jump through them unfortunately. It’s a change to the process and that can be scary but people need this money, they can justify it so they just need to do so. It won’t change anything in real terms.

Jeez.

Look up the word "proposal".

It isn't the process.

It's apparently been suggested that it could and should be the process. But it's not the process yet, and probably never will be.

The suggestion comes from an outgoing government. It will be almost impossible for them to win another term.

Thanks @TigerRag

You won’t do this though because you love your son and the government rely on people like you. Keep fighting, give them your bloody receipts if you need to, whatever keeps them happy. You know full well that you need this help and you are entitled to it so don’t give up.

Except they've literally said that too many people meet the criteria to be eligible for PIP and its costing too much so they'll be changing the criteria so less people are eligible.

People will lose money. That's scary. The vouchers is just one part of the consultation

Because most people with disabilities simply don’t have the capacity to make these claims. So it either goes unclaimed or is a further overhead for those unpaid carers who care for them. Because how do you quantify the extra electricity for laundry or the extra heating that someone might need? Who decides what is a legitimate claim. Because most of what people use their pip for should be funded through direct payments but that’s so difficult to claim that people don’t bother so the claim under pip will be denied and they won’t get it under direct payments because it’s too hard to get that funding.

you begrudge disabled people everything.

How will my friend with an aquired brain injury who cannot read, write or count complete a claim every month. How will he pay for services with £0?

He will be supported by the people who support him to claim his other benefits.

I do agree that pip should not be paying for therapy etc that should be paid for by the nhs. If our health system was better perhaps we can look at pip eligibility but until then leave it as it is though eligibility is still hit and miss with mental health issues. For severe disability the current system is better as is flexible

No one supports him to claim his pip. He spends about 120 hours dictating his answers to text to speech software every time his PIP is up for renewal.

You are entitled to universal credit. My sons claim that and they’ve never worked.

Who are these mysterious people who “support”?

PIP surely isn’t his main form of income though? He will be claiming income support or ESA which are means tested and will have support from DWP staff to keep these claim active and possibly housing / council tax benefit or UC if this is more recent.

These are almost certainly unpaid carers. Do you not think we’ve enough to do without faffing around claiming for every extra penny our “charge” needs to spend?

No it's not, it's a proposal.... That won't happen.... Because it's excessively stupid and would cost even more