Stop the Abolition of DLA

[Glitterknickaz]

The government are proposing to get rid of DLA in favour of PIP. full consultation here

Riven started a fantastic thread in Chat with the very pertinent point that this applies to everyone, that every one of us could be just one step from disability themselves.

There is NOTHING in the media about this. These proposals could mean poverty for the disabled and their families in this country. It could leave some in residential care completely isolated from their families and support networks through the removal of the mobility component.

My family has already been hit three times through the NHS, education and aiming high, via the cuts, if they now remove the money from our pockets we are going to be in a heat or eat situation.

Please MNHQ do something, as many are oblivious to these proposals and what they will mean, including those who themselves already claim DLA.

@mouseface
just wondering would you happen to know ? can direct access (meaning you go straight to the ward and not through A&E) be used at any hospital ?

Rhydian Sat 22-Jan-11 20:16:26

the link you gave as "here" is broken - I think it might be this article you meant??

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/21/disability-welfare-cuts-impact?INTCMP=SRCH

Lisa - we have open access for Nemo (AKA DS, he's our Nemo because he survived against the odds) at the nearest hospital to us, 30 mins away.

If you have open access too, then yes.

Just make sure that you take anything that you have (recent dx letter, Consultant letter) with all relevant conditions on with you.

You should be able to bypass A&E and hours of waiting but may need to callthe hospital in question in advance?

Let them know you are on route.

HTH xx

Also Lisa - when our local hospital has been closed to admissions, then we've been 'bumped' to the next nearest hospital with a children's ward.

Anyway brave people, off to bed but will be back tomorrow to fight the cause!

Rhydian - ANYTHING that I can do from home...... just say. I've posted your links on my FB page and e-mailed it to all my family.

Night all.

Night Mouseface

So, 40% of eligible disabled people don't claim the DLA they're entitled to. Only 0.5 % of claims are fradulent. Despite that, a new and complex assessment system which revisits all cases regularly is to be set up. And the new benefit has to reduce costs by 20%.

Ha. I suggest a mumsnet campaign to get everyone eligible signed up for DLA (or attendance allowance for the over 65s... google it, document how much help your aged parents are giving each other). Administration becomes completely clogged up. Tribunals go through the roof. Almost all claims are valid so costs go up hugely.

Then, having doubled overall costs, a 20% reduction will still leave a far bigger bill than there was in the first place.

You have my total support, both myself and my son receive DLA. My son is on Autistic spectrum, and like all those ASD, has had it from birth. However, I have become chronically ill, and it was a real reality check...it could happen to any one of us.

Glitta he should not have targeted you

FWIW from what I have seen (of FB and elsewhere) over some time you are one of the most loving, sparkiest, funniest people I have the pleaseure to 'know'.

WB- meh. Quite lecturing me, sir, about get up and go; I have that in spades. But the DLA is for the boys not me and telling a markedly impaired autistic kid to gain some get up and go is laughable. DS1 not so much- he has that and his DLA now is what's going to enable him to take over the world. School Council captain, vice Chair of House- so what if he needs his TA there to ope, he's amazing.

And whilst we are all panicking (and I certainly am) it's worth noting how much more of a voices places like MN gives us, and how that correlates with the government's plans to make PIP definitely there for adults but no decision yet for the children.

A bully always targets those least equipped to fight back.

It's amazing how many people don;t claim as well

Mum cares for Grandad. Grandad is not pleasant; people say 'oh is it his age?' when he gets banned from shops for his racist tants but no, he might be in his nineties but he has always been like that. Now we know what we do about our family genetics we are pretty sure we know he has an ASD that has never received help becuase of his age, probably added to by psych damage from his role in the war (dragging mangled bodies from aircraft- he didn;t show any emotion, you see, so they assumed he would be OK....).

Nan we now know kept him locked up sometimes but we only found that out when nan died. None of mum's siblings want in with the caring; one visits every six months then calls mum to suggest mum should put in an awful lot more time and pay for a cleaner- mum is retired, dad pushing 70 works pt. they can't.

ATM grandad drivers so he cab get to my parents who can't drive- rural county, minimal transport etc. Once his licence goes, and it has to soon surely, she and he would need to claim to cover taxis to get to him. I don't think Mum could physically walk the 4 miles each way daily tbh.

No PIP or AA or DLA or whatever they choose to call it would mean no caring, absolutely. And an elderly genmttleman that no nursing home I know of would touch with the proverbial. How much would he cost to support then, I wonder?

Mouseface

Thanks very much. Actually, there is something that you, and any other willing Mumsnetter, could do. Would you be so kind as to contact MNHQ and urge them to support The Broken of Britain in our campaign against DLA reform? Mumsnet support would be great as you have "brand-recognition" so it would really help!

If people report your last message and add a note that would work BUT I don;t think they will- MN tries to stay politically neutral.

Maybe e-maily [email protected]?

For the record, The Broken of Britain are also politically neutral. We just try to stand up for disabled people, in the same way that Mumsnet does for parents.

Fair enough- and as a carer and someone vaguely in the field I support you entirely.

hope you dont mind me posting on your website. im not a mum with a disabled child but i am disabled and in receipt of DLA.
there are various campaigns opposing the scrapping of DLA by various groups but they are not being heard. none of the papers are reporting it, it seems to be all hush hush.
there is no good valid reason why DLA should be replaced. we all know the forms are a nightmare to fill in but they are thorough.
The government are using fraudulent claims as one excuse to change it, but DLA fraud is in 0.05%.
Us disabled, children and adults are being targeted left right and centre and so many people seem unaware of what's really going on.
We have nobody on our side, not one political party or any of the media are supporting us.
Please, we really need help, we need to be heard, we are terrified.

Plenty of non parents on MN, welcome.

Why is it no party is interested? I get that the whole condem thing cut the options by a thrird in real terms (bitter ex LD voter moi? ) but labour should be on this and simply are not.

Labour introduced the WCA otherwise known as 'fit for work' assessments for people in receipt of sick related income support and incapacity benefit. The government are continuing with it, but these 'assessments are completely flawed and many disability organisations back this up. They are paying a private health care company called Atos, to carry out these assessments some of who are not even doctors. It is believed that for every person they find 'fit for work' Atos receive a bonus, but a high percentage being found 'fit for work' are appealing and winning. Government propaganda has got the public into believing that the majority claiming disability benefits are fake or fraudulent. It simply is not true. Benefit fraud really is not a big problem, despite what government or the media say. DWP figures will prove this.
It.s nothing more than a cost cutting exercise and people with disabilities are already suffering because of the cuts.
There have already been suicides as a direct result of what is happening and more will follow if some thing is not done to stop it.
Labour are supporting the welfare reform, including the scrapping of DLA.
I apologize for going on and on, but this really is serious and terrifying for all concerned. We desperately need help in fighting this.

If I sound desperate, it's because I am.

johnsybear

You are right unfortunately - we've had some coverage in The Guardian and Community Care, but most of the media are ignoring The Broken of Britain.

We are working on getting noticed!

ReclaimingMyInnerPeachy

Disability is not a sexy issue, and a lot of people don't considerr that it may be them in the future. That means DLA is not a vote-winner.

Mencap petition re Disability Living Allowance Mobility Component link
www.surveymonkey.com/s/mencapdla

please sign up to the online petition

Forgot to say Westminster Council are in the process of changing the eligibilty of disability so people who are disabled today and get help will probably find out that they no longer qualify in a few weeks- this is going to be adopted by most councils to save money in social care.
Shocking ! !

Rhydian, I have read yours and other articles in the guardian and they are good, the trouble is, you have to look for them because they're not easily accessible.
You're right,disability is not a sexy issue and neither is it a "lifestyle choice".
I really can't get my head round what is happening. I am so very thankful that we you and others and now mumsnet leading the fight on our behalf.

hi,new to this,cannot believe what they are thinking,its so difficult actually getting dla in the first place,don't know what we would do without it now,you have to fight for everything.

mouseface
yes that helps a lot :) thank you will get a letter off her consultant when we go in a few days :)

You are right; disability isn't a vote winner but that's in part becuase they (and they being a generic all party they) have so carefully spun the whole benefits thing for ages to prepare for this.

I am not a poli-campaigner, i;ve tried all that and it doesn;t work for me. I;m more the back up lass sneaking arounjd MN picking up desperate cases. there are many roles and they all need doing. Oh I do petitions / l;etters / have written my thoughts about what they SHOULD be doing to reform DLA and CA if they want to actually help people and sent them to IDS. But party politics and me don't mix.