An end to DLA?

[SantasMooningArse]

C&P from NAS email

Dear all,

Thanks for recent email, expressing interest in reform to Disability Living Allowance,

The Government has today launched a public consultation on the replacement of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This will not happen until 2013.

Assessment by an independent medical healthcare professional will be introduced as part of the assessment. We are urging the Government to ensure that they involve people with autism and parents/carers in the reform to make sure that the new assessment fully takes into account the needs of people with autism.

Currently this new benefit is expected to be for working age disabled adults only. However, the Government is looking at whether to replace child DLA too.

There are some positive indications in the consultation document that the specific needs of people with autism will be taken into account in the new benefit. For example, it emphasises that in ensuring eligibility for the mobility component of the new benefit, ability to get around should look at more than a person's ability to walk and also include ability to plan a journey

We are also worried about indications in the consultation that re-assessment will become more commonplace as this may cause unneccessary anxiety.

We are also concerned that the intention behind the introduction of the new benefit is to reduce the number of claims for DLA overall. The proposals set out a plan to reduce the number of bands of benefit payment. They should be seen in the context of the Government's plans to cut the projected spend on DLA for working age disabled people by 20% over the next 3 years

The NAS will be working to ensure that these changes work for people with autism. We will be responding to the consultation and working on the Bill as it goes through Parliament.

We will be in touch again to let you know, how you can feed your views into our consultation response. You can also respond to the consultation directly. See: www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2010/dla-reform.shtml

Many Thanks

Sarah Lambert

The Policy and Campaigns Team
The National Autistic Society
393 City Road, London EC1V 1NG

I could cry. I don't get a lot but it helps (pays for trains, taxis, extra petrol for my parents to get me to places), and will certainly help when I leave home and will be on public transport full time.

Genuinely scared now :( That said, my mum has had a letter saying they're going to carry on paying it to me, so whether that means I'm safe for a while, I don't know.

I don't like this at all :(

There are a few conditions which give automatic entitlement to DLA at a particular level, including severely mentally impaired (to get HRM). All of the automatic entitlements will stop except for the terminally ill. Even double amputees and deaf/blind people won't get automatic entitlement to HRM!

It will continue to be non means-tested and paid for those in work, and not taxed or dependent on NI contributions - so that's all good at least.

"A significant proportion of DLA recipients believe that DLA is an out-of-work benefit." - really? Every DLA recipient I've ever met has known that they are able to work and get DLA; it's only the ignorant politicians who seem to get confused.

"Two-thirds of people currently on DLA have an indefinite award" - this is surprising to me, I've only known a few people with indefinite awards and they have had very severe long term conditions.

"Consideration is being given to what, if any, extra support may be needed for disabled people in Universal Credit". I wonder if this means that the extra Child Tax Credits will end once they switch to UC? And premiums on Income Support?

DS2 has an indefinite award of MRC with ASD, but that's moot, since he's 5 next year and we have mobility to apply for. I doubt we'd get HRM, since he usually sleeps at night and that, under the current system disqualifies him, even though he functions as a 2 year old and qualifies on severe mental impairment grounds. That's a ridiculous inconsistency they'd better iron out with the re-think.

does anyone think they'll call an election soon to try to get total control or are we all completely screwed for the next 4 years?

ouryve, dd3 is considered to sleep at night, gets mrc but she gets hrm, you don't have to get hrc to get hrm.

wonder if they'll cut hrm for kids who get school transport paid for?

In some ways I wish they would decide so we'd know. DH graduates in 2012; I am supposed to start my SW training in teh following years. We can't realistically stay in Wales for ever- too isolated and house we're in only rented- so want to move to England (or rather, back to: came here in 2005 when I started uni).

From Wales we cannot train as a SW who can practice in England, nor get uni funding if I commute (only about an hour) to England.

So realistically the idea is for ds3 to complete his Snu input where he is (2014) tehn we go, DH works from home / takes over kids and I do my training. I can't train until DH at home becuase of the usual childcare crap.

Without DLA however we'd end up in poverty ehre first, and then be moved into a council house from whcih we would never escape I think: something I fear as DH is a bit older and if he goes, I will be so far from family etc who don't drive and most likely unable to support a car to see them myself.

I don't graduate from my course to do the SW training in time to stop these changes knocking us too far. I am beginning to think I have spent 7 years full and part time working towards a Tory ideology of self support only to fall at the last hurdle as they whip away help too early.

Fuck you David Cameron.

here

scary

I feel so angry and bitter to be honest about the way people with disabilities, or a child with a disability are viewed and treated. Feel quite hopeless at the moment. DS's DLA is due for renewal end of 2011, when I got it I thought - oh next time we do the form he might be sleeping through the night or out of nappies, or have some sense of danger.... nope! I am much less optimistic these days.

There's no test for ASD but am beginning to think if there had been he'd have been better off not born for his own sake because if this is the society I entrust him to when I die then he's stuffed.

Thats what is so scary isn't it? Our dcs futures. Even with us fighting their corners it is a relentless bloody difficult battle, how will they manage without us? No one gives a toss!

If we lose this and our Child benefit we are going to be nearly £500 per month worse off. How are we supposed to survive that? Can't work anymore hours because of ds disability. This is just awful

We break even each month; if the business is doing well when this happens (if my arse!) we'll survive, if not then with 2 disabled kids we'd be down by 1.5 times the rent every month.

Unsustainable.

We could solve it in a minute by putting ds1 in foster care as it is his aggression that makes childcare non accesible (and the simple lack of any locally for kids over 12, he is 11 now)but clearly I would not wish that.

(If anyones doing sums on that I shoudl point out that's a SE Welsh rent not a big one LOL)

I can't stand David Cameron. Want to punch the tv everytime I see him.

they wouldnt dare call an election with the amount of anger thats built up in various groups best case is they'd lose majority completly worst is labor or another small group could get in

but this is ridiculous the upper crust adjusting things again

I don't think they want to stop anyone who uses a wheelchair from getting HRM. What they are trying to do is separate the 'can't walk but is compus mentus and can self-propel with their arms at a decent rate' (so presumably a paraolympiad still qualifies for HRM despite being able to wheel themselves faster than you or I can walk right now) from the 'can't walk or propel themselves in a wheelchair' or 'can't walk, could propel themselves in a wheelchair but couldn't plan a journey and successfully navigate it' or 'can't walk, could plan and navigate a journey, but can't propel themselves' or 'can't walk, could propel themselves in a wheelchair, but the rate of travel is very slow'- all of which would surely still qualify for HRM.

What annoys me, especially WRT children, is that they seem to be saying 'there are 3 rates of care, and it is very complicated to work out, so we will 'simplify it' by reducing it to 2'.

In actual fact, one of the biggest problems with the care component is that sleep is linked to 'high rate of need' in terms of care. So a child who needs total care in the day time, but sleeps well at night, is given a lower rate than a child who needs close supervision day and night but does not need as much as child a.

Likewise, so many parents who claim on behalf of a child find that their child falls between HRM and LRM - they walk well enough to lose HRM, but not well enough that LRM is appropriate, and they can't get LRM until 3 anyway. Which I agree with if it is just on supervision grounds, but when actual mobility is a problem, then that problem doesn't disappear just because the child isn't 5 yet.

What they need to do is:

a) remove the dependency on night waking for HRC, and base it on total care needs per day, however distributed.

b) Remove the barrier to LRM before age 5 when physical walking problems are the basis for the claim (but retain it for purely behavioural/danger awareness until 5, because most under 5's need close supervision whether disabled or not).

c) Introduce a MRM to cover the cases where someone needs more than LRM and doesn't meet NRM criteria.

yea but if we dont complain then potentially a great many of us will be up the creek without a padel

Fuck the we have a deficit brigade, when they don;t scream about things like art cnetres and the like my sympathy may rocket

Lougle I agree to an extent but wrt to HRM and behaviour (and we don;t get it so not affecting us) I know of so many cases where the behaviour means parent has to pick a fairly alrge 5 year old up and hoik them about and DLA just say 'he decided not to walk. Supervision yes but if the child needs that much support that htye stop say in a crowd and need lifting (quite possibly by a parent already having a buggy or with a bad back or PG) then it's a huge issue.

I think there should be a criteria for more than one disabled child as well: i've always happily said I would hand my 2 LRM's over for a blue badge (not the mobility car etc, just a blue badge and no cash) becuase anyone who imagines 1 asd kid plus 1 asd kid doesn't need more than 1 asd kid is a bit lacking. A space near the shop entrance and security that one child won't push their sibling / the buggy / car door into each other or in front of a car (ds1 did it purposely once when with dh, shook dh up for weeks- land rover screeched and swerved to miss ds2 after a sudden shove absed on something weeks before) would save my sanity once the P&T sapces become unavailable to us.

The blue badge system in Wales is decrepit though and being reviewed: none of theis Gp letter stuff for us oh no, if it ain't physical then sod off.

people are to busy worrying about adult students

Santasmooningarse..... interesting name.

We have a Blue Badge. My son is autistic, and can run like the wind but.......I made quite a forceful case on application. I had a collection of parking offences all relating (genuinely) to my son's issues with leaving the house for even a short 5min journey and then, only walking, in a near hysterical state sy, 20 yards to our destination. I applied for the badge on a Tuesday, got a phonecall the following day saying we'd need a medical assessment, told them the doctor could come to me (our house) as my son couldn't come to him. One hour later, got a call from a doctor who listened without saying much then said he would make a decision based on my application and our conversation. Three days later, the Blue Badge arrived in the post. A miracle.

Sadly, we can't use it at the moment as my son now is unable to leave the house (additional diagnosis of OCD) BUT, for the brief time we DID have use of it (and hopefully again in the future) it made the most enormous difference to our world. So, a child who can walk/run/has no PHYSICAL disability as such but could not "walk"? Yes, in my opinion, he should qualify for HRM.

The Tory's are a bunch of class one t*s. They cannot grasp the effect of these cuts on those who truly need the services/funds because they do not live our lives.

With regard to the sleeping through the night bit on the form, ffs ladies tell a white lie. My niece needs total care in the day but sleeps at night, or she did until I got hold of the form

Wendi (the name is a play on SanctiMoaningArse I ahd before y'see) are you in Wales? ATM there's a review ehre into whether to allow psychological conditions to get a badge; the result of a yes is a foregone apaprently but it takes due process

DS1's DLA is up june; goodness knows what happens! He doesn;t really sleep and needs a lot of checking (Christmas has equalled an assault on a sibnling per night, you can imagine keeping vulnerable ds3 away... hard work) but whether we wget it depends I reckon on whether he's doing his nice quiet young man act or his flapaping making guinea pig noises and jumping about one. Completely random. We have psych agreement to back up eating disorder and I guess if he gets the palce at the asd abse it'll bump his chances but who knows eh?