That permanently disabled people shouldn't have to reapply frequently for help

[Worrysaboutalot]

I was sent this on Facebook and thought it was just a good idea, that I would see if anyone on here wanted to support Francesca Mason.

Francesca Mason said....
"I have a disability called Achondroplasia. It is a physical disability that will not change over time. I am therefore proposing changes to the existing process of applying/renewing for Blue Badges & DLA/PIP, in order to better support disabled people."

Click here to support her

I support Francesca. Permanently disabled people shouldn't have to do this.

I've signed the petition. I also think the same is true for people with severe learning disabilities.

I fully agree it’s such a waste of everyone’s time and energy let alone the mental anguish it causes for people every time those forms land on the doorstep

Yep I agree my son has severe autism and severe learning disabilities he's ten and non verbal ,it's not magically going to go away

I've signed. Although I have a permanent and progressive disability and at my 3yr review (in 2020 by phone) I was told that they made it a 15yr award so I don't need to reapply until 2035, so maybe they have already started doing it?

YANBU. Must be very stressful

I do PIP applications through my work. I also did my daughter's. She has a degenerative genetic disease and will just get worse over time.

For all my clients with long term disabilities and my daughter - the award states it is for "an ongoing period" and so far I've gone 7 years without a reassessment for the people whose award was marked as this.

I obviously put a lot of effort into my daughter's and was there with her when the assessor was there - he actually said "I'm going to make sure you don't have to go through this again..." - so I'm guessing that the facility is there already?

I'm not sure if my post is helpful or not? I think a lot of the problem is not answering the forms correctly or fully enough. I honestly spend between 7-10 hours on each appliction I do - including time spent writing to various GP's, medical experts etc - and in one case only I had to appeal a decision for zero points. I spent a solid day at work - 7 hours - doing a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice and 3 weeks later client got full PIP - ongoing award....

There's lots of online help for filling in PIP and I always make it CRYSTAL clear if there is no hope of improvement etc.

... I do agree though - yes, disabled people shouldn't have to prove again and again - not least because it makes you feel really shit about yourself to have to list your limitations again and again.

Signed thanks for flagging. You do spend half your life waiting for or doing one thing or another. Just because one Gov department says here’s a blue badge or disability benefits or income support you have go start all over again with another one.

Yep completely agree. I have 2 conditions that can never be cured and when I speak to someone it’s like they expect in a years time I won’t have it.

Can I ask, did DLA have to be renewed under the Labour govt?

@Phoenix21

Can I ask, did DLA have to be renewed under the Labour govt?

Yes

My dd has a permanent disability and has been turned down for DLA. Just to be able to get it in the first place would be helpful. Some disabilities do change over time, but the level of scrutiny is totally unnecessary in many cases.

I agree that they shouldn't, my mum used to get so scared and worked up at the prospect of them incorrectly evaluating her situation.

It was so sad to see her like that.

Agreed, this is totally wrong.
Dc2 has a genetic condition. Despite this, the original PIP assessor stated that their vision 'may improve with time'. The automatic renewal since then seems to belie this, but no-one with a lifelong condition should have this hanging over their head.

YANBU at all.

@Phoenix21

Can I ask, did DLA have to be renewed under the Labour govt?

Yes. And the Conservative one before that. It seems to be a silly policy that no one has sorted out for decades.

I do agree though - yes, disabled people shouldn't have to prove again and again - not least because it makes you feel really shit about yourself to have to list your limitations again and again.

Absolutely agree. And not only that, but to be faced with describing in excruciating detail how shit your life is and to then be told that it's not bad enough to qualify for the help.

It's such a damaging, inhumane system.

@user195436581575, oh, yes.
Although DC is an adult, I helped with (as in actually filled in) their last application.
No-one really needs to be reminded of how their condition negatively impacts their life do they?
The whole system for people with permanent conditions is crap.
OP, I've signed. 👍🏻

YANBU, its an inhumane form of discrimination.

Thanks for flagging. I was dreading my DS' renewal and he only got a 2 year award this time... So I'll be doing it again in 2 years for a life-long condition. It's so pointless.

Argh - my questioned looked goady, it wasn’t I just wondered if it was part of Tory austerity.

I think it should be permanent for permanent disabilities. Or at least not such a difficult process for renewal.

I think I’m up for reassessment every 10 years. I’m completely blind in one eye with about 4 different incurable conditions, and the other eye is plastic. I dont know, maybe they think I’m going to grow a new eye or somet’?

The best one I ever had though was ESA. I was in the support group. They had my bank statements to check I wasn’t getting too much money, then a couple of years later they sent me a letter inviting me to a compliance interview. Their system had flagged up that I had an ISA with £900 in it, and their algorithms had calculated that I’d earned between £19000 and £25000 in the interim. I did ask them to direct me to this account with such a generous interest rate but they weren’t forthcoming.

DLA could be and was given as a life time award. Part of the “reform” was that lots of people weren’t reassessed. Most likely because they didn’t have anything that would change!

It essentially boils down to us having a culture where people simply cannot tolerate the idea that somebody else may be accessing resources unavailable to them.

Even though when they are the ones working out in a particular narrow comparison they never seem to feel that they should be punished or deprived or something to even things out. And there are far fewer communes around than you would expect from all the "well why should they have xyz when I don't?".

So disabled people are put under a microscope and punished because of the greed and jealousy of non-disabled people.

Same mindset that drives the whingeing about any other welfare support. We haven't moved on as far from the culture that brought in workhouses as we like to kid ourselves.

@Phoenix21

Can I ask, did DLA have to be renewed under the Labour govt?

It depended on the award given. Some people had an indefinite award or a lifetime award which meant no reassessments.

I agree OP. My DH has an incurable degenerative condition. Luckily his PIP was awarded as an ongoing one, so hopefully any reassessment will be light touch.