Does this Universal Credit amount sound wrong?

[FryingPanWithJam]

Total amount in UC is £2421.40 a month

Income is £1950 a month, Partner. I’m unemployed as a carer, I get carers allowance

Two kids on higher rates of DLA

Rent is £930

I really, really worry about being overpaid! I wasn’t even aware I could claim it until someone mentioned it at a support group. I am really shocked

It’s massive. I’m disabled - degenerative physical condition which will likely kill me eventually - and my condition incurs expenses so I do understand. But I stretch to meet the expenses myself as the system literally cannot afford any more claimants. Like I said, people think this is an issue of morals and ‘mean people’ rather than economics. It makes it a very frustrating conversation as nobody is willing to face up to the gravity of the situation.

MN
@FryingPanWithJam I am not sure I would engage with the more recent posts if you're exhausted. Some of these recent posts about children with disabilities can be incredibly distressing to read for parents, or disabled people themselves, in this position.

*"Demands for the State to spend millions of pounds on individual's care will increase and it will become more and more difficult to fund this, especially in a way that is acceptable to the general public. It is vital to remember that we live in a democracy and the welfare state and all it's provision exist due to public consent.

We need to think hard and long about responsibility and how this works. We need to be realistic and we need to communicate this to the population. We all roll the dice when we have children and risk having disabled children that need lifelong care"

"It just isn’t affordable and the worry there is that the system won’t work for long, eventually they’ll be forced to reduce the payments or reduce the claimants and neither will be pretty."*

@Blueybanditbingochilli and @Bumpitybumper may I suggest you set up a separate post to discuss your dissatisfaction with the current financial support of children with disabilities? Perhaps outline your own ideas of what responsibilities and provisions you think the public should consent to? I'm particularly intrigued by the concept of "reducing the claimants" as I felt your posts were skirting around the topic of eugenics, so thank you for confirming that is what you are thinking about. I won't be engaging further. I can't afford to expend more mental energy engaging with people like you and frankly it's exhausting and depressing as hell. Why don't you start your own thread instead of hijacking OP's thread for a specific theory?

(Before you start it's worth remembering you too could become sick or disabled overnight. I was fine and healthy (and paying a fortune to the state in tax/NI, you'll be pleased to know) until one day I wasn't. I'll be "reduced from the claimants" soon enough though, so don't worry.)

I'm particularly intrigued by the concept of "reducing the claimants" as I felt your posts were skirting around the topic of eugenics, so thank you for confirming that is what you are thinking about

How on earth did you leap to that conclusion? I simply meant the payments wouldn’t be made, not eugenics I’m disabled, classically disabled with a physical degenerative condition which as I said before will likely kill me. I still acknowledge the scary position we are in, even if it’s at odds with what I would like as a disabled person.

"But I stretch to meet the expenses myself as the system literally cannot afford any more claimants"

Well I cross posted and missed that gem. You do realise it's not as simple as that for many many disabled or people with life limiting/terminal illnesses? Especially the children You're in a privileged position that you are able to manage to "stretch yourself".

Fuck me this is depressing I am done for the day

@GenderIsPretendButSexIsReal of course and that is why I said OP should receive benefits. I just think 50k+ is utterly unaffordable and the numbers support this. You’re shooting the messenger.

Do you think benefits for non-disabled households, including working households, should be reduced or is it just disabled households? Because the extra benefits for disabled households don’t cover the actual costs of having a disability as it is and disabled household are already more likely to be in poverty.

All benefits will have to be reduced. People in OP’s position are not in poverty as £75k is not poverty.

Families with severely disabled DC like the OP can be in poverty. In fact, they are more likely to be. Disability Rights UK (actually it was a DWP report if I remember correctly but reported by Disability Rights UK) found families with disabled DC are more than twice as likely to be in poverty than non-disabled families. Income may be higher, but costs can be extortionate.

Yes but I think they’re referencing disabled single people or elderly people. Nobody on 75k is in poverty, they just aren’t. The ‘average statistic’ clearly doesn’t apply to OP’s situation which many are in given the diagnoses and DLA applications are literally rocketing.

The report I mentioned in my last post was specifically families with disabled DC.

And the difference in costs are actually likely to be higher for OP since she has two severely disabled DC. Not just one disabled DC or even one severely disabled DC.

Hi is this your actual statement or one you have done online?I'm only asking as they are terrible for being wrong.Theres a really good facebook page called Universal Credit Survival.Admin on there and highly knowledgeable in working out payments.Also,please take no notice of people's more negative opinions on here.Im sure you have enough to deal with,without the 'it isn't fair' brigade popping up.

I have the same experience

Well the government is thinking of scrapping disability benefits in favour of vouchers.

That was a consideration, as far as I know, under the Tory government. I believe Labour was looking into this too but nothing came out of it after the date proposed

In addition to that, I can’t remember who, someone from the Tory party came onto LBC and spoke about this. And said for the most vulnerable and in need, they want to ‘give more’

But again, nothing has been put on the table properly at all. It would also cost £££££ to admin and the different services, shops and companies the vouchers would need to cover would be obscene surely

and in those countries what happens to disabled children pray tell ? Are they dumped in the street to die ? left in orphanages to starve to death ( failure to thrive they call it ). Is that what you recommend to solve the financial burden to the state ?. If not what other solutions do you have . I am genuinely interested to hear !

What do you suggest? Because we can’t continue paying the amount we do for benefits and social care.

It’s very clear that many people do not have the slightest idea of the additional costs of raising a severely disabled child. I bet they couldn’t even begin to accurately guess the various expenditures that are needed 🤦🏼‍♀️ Did you know that incontinence pads can cost over £1 each? Just imagine the price of even adequately meeting your child’s continence needs every month. Yes some are provided but guess how many times my child is funded to go to the toilet every day? Four 😭 I don’t claim UC as we are over the savings limit but seriously, it is so expensive.

you really have no idea of what is involved in taking care of 2 autistic children though do you ( no such thing as mild autism by the way. That's a bit like saying someone has got mild Downs syndrome).And if the neighbour works school hours who has the kids in school holidays ? There are no holiday clubs for kids with additional needs where I live. School holidays are v hard work with my autistic teenager. He has been off six weeks with another week and a half to go.Nearly 2 months with no routine and all the subsequent issues that creates! How are parents supposed to work as well exactly ?

@CuttySarcasm
@GivingitToGod
My post above was in response to you both. Quoted wrong person sorry.

I asked you first .

Can't believe that anyone would begrudge someone with 2 severely disabled children benefits. Disgusting

I suggest reducing payments. Because there’s no other option unless we are to become a country that exists simply to support a large minority of people who are dependent, which wouldn’t work anyway.

Apart from nobody has said that have they?

Get your facts right. Pretty sure that was a conservative idea.

I have a disabled child. I have rather annoyingly found out that I'd be considerably (not a little bit, considerably) better off claiming I couldn't work due to son's disability, claiming UC and carer's allowance. Instead I work self employed around son best as I can and honestly it's killing me.

There is something wrong someone not working earning more than someone who is imo and some people really do take advantage of the system (not saying this person is) People saying having a disabled child costs more - but that much more? And the DLA it's not even means tested which is odd to me.

Also you get a lot more if you rent as opposed to have a mortgage and significantly more if you boot your husband out and present as a single parent.