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

@user195436581575

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.

True statement x 100

It really is crap. My SIL got a lifelong award under DLA, yet PIP she got the maximum of 10 years, so have to reapply for a condition that will never get better, only worse.

When you are on any sort of benefits they can ask for a review to snoop check your entitlement. So housing benefit or income based. I’ve been asked produce bank statements and the like. If you have savings about £6k they can reduce some benefits so no way of any privacy.

@Phoenix21 it used to be that if you were severely disabled, you got severe disablement allowance, which was awarded for life. that was not the same as DLA, however, DLA could be awarded for life too. it no longer is allowed under the PIP rules.

YANBU. It's all wrong.

I understand, however, that some cases are only 'light touch' reviewed, on existing documentation only. The award period, till the next review, may then be stretched out. My last one is for 10 years.

Signed

@Speakuptomakeyourselfheard That’s another corrupt scandal these medical private contractors that part DWP

I do know one of them lost contract but no one held accountable for devastation they caused over many year. New contractor same ethos and same staff just different name!!

I will sign it. Such a rotten system, especially PIP.

I agree it is ridiculous and unnecessary stress reviews should only be carried out on people who have an opportunity to recover.
Unfortunately they're always trying to review it as there is a few scallywags playing the system it encourages suspicions from all sorts which is why this review is acceptable to many people they have the "if they've nothing to hide attitude what is the problem" attitude.

I'm in several amputee groups, we all enjoy a giggle at being told our various bits and pieces will have grown back in three years or whatever. I was in an indefinite DLA award, now on PIP, with a fight. All fun and games

Totally agree we are in same situation

I have permanently disabled and my condition will never change. I was awarded DLA for life and now the government want to take it away from me.

I have enough problems in life without the added stress.

biddybird

@Whatisthisfuckery how did they know how much you had in your ISA account? angry

I was on income based, so every 5 minutes they send you letters demanding bank statements. It’s fair enough I suppose, but getting a call from the fraud team informing you that you are to attend an interview because they suspect the £900 you had in your ISA two years ago has accrued £19000 - 25000 interest is taking the utter piss. I think my interest rate at the time was about 0.15% FFS. To add insult to injury, braille letters from DWP, if they arrive at all, don’t hit your doormat until at least 2 months after the letters are dated. I didn’t get the fraud interview letter until about 4 weeks after the interview date, so if they hadn’t called me to check I was attending I wouldn’t have known about it and I would have had my benefits stopped.

I used to be on a lifetime award for DLA but had to apply for PIP. I was quite lucky that I didn’t have to have an face to face assessment and they just waved it through, but I still have to have a review in 10 years, by which time hopefully the completely detached retina will have reattached itself, my congenital eye disease will have cured itself, my cornea will have reshaped itself from the pointy cone shape it’s gone and my eye will magically start seeing again, mean while my other eye socket will have regenerated and grown a new eyeball. I can live in hope I guess.

Oh, and DWP have no accessible way for blind people to fill out the paperwork. You have no choice but to get a sighted person to fill it out for you, which is fabulous bit of accessibility dontyathink?

The last time I had to speak to them I was in hospital on oxygen.
Did they care?
Did they fuck, they are absolutely shameless.

@Fastestbrownie thats not true. they are deemed as not the end of the world by activists, sure, because they aren't. but they aren't the end of the world, because adaptations and adjustments can be made to help people with these issues live. and such adaptations require money. the whole point of DLA was to be able to financially help toward any adaptations you need in order to live. so lets not blame activism that promotes the normalisation of disability and showing that disabilities don't mean you need to sit a corner being sad as the reason why ableist nonsense policies exist.

Under DLA they had lifetime awards........that seems to have stopped with pip.

My friends adult son has the brain development of a 12 month old baby. Yet they have to reapply every 3 / 4 years for him.

So in answer to the question was this as much as an issue under the labour government ? Well for a lot of people no, it wasn't. Because they had lifetime awards. Those lifetime awards for the most vulnerable were taken away under pip.

Yes, dbro had a life dla but had to reapply for pip. I recall one of the main spinal charities raising alarm because it was causing trauma to their members, having to once again lay out the full effect of the devastation their injury had caused.

I have a permanent blue badge approval. I do need to renew every 3 years but that’s purely administrative. Wish it was the same for those requiring disability benefits. The assessments and the whole process sounds brutal.

I agree that for a lot of people, it's pointless to expect their support needs to change and there should be lifetime awards. Information from a hospital consultant should suffice and there should be no need to constantly prove you still 'deserve' financial support. I'd love to see the State pursue tax avoiders with the same degree of ferocity, but I won't hold my breath...

I've signed it.

Good luck,I hope it gets passed,I'm disabled,I wasn't born disabled but I'm never going to get any better and the medication I take helps keep me alive yet I still have to jump through hoops to keep my pip and my blue badge and it honestly feels soul destroying.

There is already a provision for DWP to make an indefinite award of PIP. They can also give an ongoing award of PIP with a 'light touch' review every 10 years.

Do permanently disabled people have to re-apply frequently for PIP? I have a relative with MH issues who was awarded PIP for 3 years then another 3 then 10 years.

It stands to reason that if the frequency of the reviews has lengthened appropriately as functions are affected by a condition that has proved to be enduring, that if functions are known to be affected by permanent disability, there won't be frequent reviews. They should receive an award for an indefinite period or for an ongoing period with review after 10 years under current rules.

I’m the same as another poster, I was going to sign until it said it was just for physical disabilities.

It needs to be for severe mental disabilities as well

Assessment is theft of public funds.

Applications are accompanied by medical confirmation letters, from medically qualified NHS professionals. Nothing further is required.

Unless of course the NHS are committing fraud now too along with all those pesky disabled sorts with their flat screen tvs!

I won't sign that because of it saying physical disabilities. I think it saying it for only one type of disability is divisive and feeds into the 'only physical disabilities are proper disabilities' way of thinking.