Changes to DLA

[chris54]

Lifted from a news letter sent to me.

 

 

Personal Independent Payment Presentation (PIP)

 

Helping disabled people live full active and independent lives.

Dave Winterton–From the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

There are still consultations ongoing about the PIP, this presentation is a work in progress and as such information supplied, whilst currently correct, is subject to change in the future during political changes to the final document. We have been asked to get what information we have to our members

PIP will replace the Disability Living Allowance for people of working age from April 2013. DLA was unsustainable in the long term, complex and confusing with very little independent evidence & no systematic review.

It will retain the key features of the DLA, not means tested, not taxable and payable when both in work or out of it. Criteria will change a bit, based on the individual circumstances of the person claiming, the impact of their disability / condition, and the extent to which they are able to live independently

No changes are currently happening to attendance allowance or children's DLA. If you get DLA before you were 65, you don't get on to Attendance allowance, and you will continue to receive it. Motability still in consultation. It seems likely that it will carry on pretty much as is.

Assessment for PIP will involve a health professional in a face to face consultation and will consider evidence from any professional who supports you on a regular basis. The health professional will provide advice to a benefit decision maker at the DWP. The decision maker will use all of this information to decide your entitlement to PIP.

PIPs will be made for shorter periods and more objective about how a disability affects you on a day to day basis. Will reflect fluctuation conditions. There will be a daily living component and Mobility components, only 2 rates in each Standard and Enhanced rates.

Many hand outs are available on the DWP website. Also a FAQ.

The Department for Work and Pensions would like your feedback about the proposed changes. Further information and Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the website at their consultation address www.dwp.gov.uk/pip until the end of June.

[LancsLad]

Chris it all sounds very fair and good stuff, however.

 

From a personal perspective having had to wait 16 months for an appointemnt with a mental health professional through no fault of my own, does this constitute 'supports you on a regular basis', I wonder?

 

If I therefore have no means to support myself with 'professional evidence' my only hope is the 'health professional' in front of me face to face is in fact qualified to make a correct assumption on the spot, even then they will only provide advice to a third party decision maker who this time around can say my own forms are not independent, though they might contain a lot of factually correct information about my needs, and as such ignore them. They then see there is no 'independent evidence' because there are no resources available for adult mental health in my area to deal with the demand. The conclusion therefore is without this evidence I am not entitled to DLA and 'bingo, full house!' The governement can't loose in this new set up and conditions such as adult mental health will no longer be seen as a disability.

 

Can feel a panic attack coming on, must remeber to dial 999 and ask for the ECG print out from the ambulance crew might need it for evidence in the future.

 

Just a few thoughts.

[chris54]

My son, apart from the GP which he last saw 3 years ago, the only new supporting evidence for his DLA claim came from his school. My son has been signed off by the Pediatrician, and sees no other professionals (Out side of school) (His DLA was successfully renewed)

 

My wife, last week had a medical assessment for ESA, it was carried out by a nurse, mainly questions relating to what was already on the form, and a few very basic mobility test. Her condition is now managed by the GP which she see as and when needed, so there is no Consultant input etc in supporting evidence.

Edited May 23, 2012 by chris54

[LancsLad]

You make some good points here Chris about your family.

 

I think a lot of individuals go through periods where we come to the attention of health professionals often our GP and we may be active in the system for a short period of time. I think we then have no choice but to settle into a state where we are fully aware their is little available in respect to professional help. I know I reached a case with my GP where he felt I had been through a course of counseling we had tried various cocktails of anti depressants and as such he was happy for me to decide which felt best. The truth is none of them worked for me, I since have a diagnosis for AS and there is emerging evidence that these drugs do not work well in an AS brain, and as a result my decision to drop taking all medication has left my relationship with my GP somewhat strained. The fact is all the symptoms associated with my condition and other elements such as clinical depression and self harm are all still there. He does not have the time to research AS, there is no adult provision for it in my local authority, and as such he is not prepared to outsource. I do not think he even recognised in managing my own depression without the support of drugs that is actually saving him practice money but is costing me in purchasing natural supplements to support my exercise regime which plays an important role in balancing my mental health.

 

I just wish the health service would front up and say we do not have the resources available or we do not feel we can do anything to help you but we are not denying these negative elements are there in your life and as such are prepared to at least recognise them.

 

The past system of DLA and Incapacity Benefit kind of recognised that this is a reality for many people, we simply have to try and get on with living in a difficult situation, as best we can. What concerns me is that these new guidelines and current thinking is in many ways in complete denial about the fact there are many of us for whom there is little or no support. I do not want to be seen as 'needy' I am far too proud for that. What I do want is a level of honesty which recognises that at times I might have needs and adressing those personal needs using my own resources impacts on my ability to focus on being productive in other areas of my life.

 

My own levels of currently Incapacity Benefit and DLA amount to under £20 a week. I pay more than that in tax on my pension which is completely locked into keeping hold of our house which is in negative equity after extending the mortgage to pay for a university course and in servicing credit card debt.

 

For me and many others it is not about the money but rather the ability to make judgements on what constitutes a productive life for myself. Without doubt I will reach the point where I will loose any support from the governemnt. If they feel there is an idealogical argument as to why they think this is fair I wish they would come out and say what it is rather than trying to wrap up a series of cuts in spun rhetoric about improving systems. At a political level I saw none of this in their manifesto, if there was i could accept given the will of the people in a fair democracy that the country supported their line. To be honest I could accept that and try and work out what the impacts of such a positon means to me and my family.

 

At the end of the day all I want is honesty, a bit of respect, and not constantly feeling like I am somehow being dishonest about what it is like to live my life. It took me a long time to get away from a position of denial, my concern is that national policy is creating a scenario where many of us might feel pressure to move back into positions of denial because elements in our lives will simply not be recognised on any level.

 

Just a few more thoughts.

[Sally44]

I'm just thinking "here we go again".

 

I've been assessed for ESA, and under the new criteria have been found capable of work!

That is after 12 years on Incapacity Benefit, and after them telling me that they would never assess me again because it was apparent that I would never be capable of work.

Now the goal posts have moved and the criteria does not take into account my health conditions.

So i'm appealing because independent advice has told me that I do qualify for enough points for the disability element.

 

You would have thought that the fact I did not work for 4 years whilst I was fighting to receive IB in the first place [DWP said I had not paid NI contributions. I proved I had paid them whilst working within the EU]. They had to backdate the IB for those 4 years. So you would have thought that IF I had been capable of work I would have found something within 4 years rather than live off nothing [because I did not claim JSA either].

 

I also get DLA, as does my son. The only reason all these benefits are being looked at again is to bump people off them. I am certain that most people on the 'moderate' rate will now be on the lower 'standard' rate.

 

Just getting a bit sick of it all TBH.

[justine1]

My brother is severly disabled after having 3 strokes ages 23(he is 33 now) He has many,many difficulties. He is now completing paper work for his benefits and has not slept or eaten properly for 2 weeks as he is so worried about losing everything! He has worked for the greater part of the 10 years since he had his first stroke but he suffers alot. What gets to him is the people who lie to get such benefits will always get these benefits because they are "trained" to lie so will always get away with it. Yet when people are honest it is not seen as that severe compared to those who have lied....crazy!

 

I watched daybreak just about two weeks ago where a former military man whose leg and arm got blown off whilst in Iraq/afghanistan,was talking about the cuts. He said he ran in the marathon 2years ago,with prostitic leg,to raise money for others in his situation he said the government could stop his benefits saying "well if you can run a marathon you should work." not realising that he suffered since and has not been able to do anything like that.

 

My brother feels he cannot even do anything,like walk his dog or play with his kids in the park, as he fears this will look like he is capable of more...not true!! It is really unfair. Luckily Sam's DLA award is valid until he is 16,I have not renewed it since he first claimed in 2010. However I really believe he may not get it when he does reach 16,things are changing so much and won't surprise me if one day there will no longer be a benefits system.

[chris54]

Not mater how the government dresses it up these changes are all to do with saving money.

 

They always highlight the few cases of people how are abusing the system. Playing to the crowd.

 

Why cant they be honest for once and say what it is they are doing. Cutting back on the welfare state.

[LancsLad]

Justine I have to ask the question, who are the people who your brother thinks lie to get benefits?

 

I can remember turning up over 1 hour early for an appeal hearing regarding my incapacity benefits and watching individuals and their representatives going into a room to have their cases heard. The assumption being by the government that in the opinion of the process first time around, and second time around after their own internal review they felt none of us were entitlied to benefits.

 

One after one people came out from this 'independant review' and had thier benefits reinstated including myself, why was that? The issue here is am I and many thousands of others who go through this process liars and somehow able to decieve the system? My point is all the spin which is put out there by government is designed to make the general population think we are, why is that?

 

It is a fact that a minority might be 'fraudulent' and get something out of the system they are not entitled to, but how many is this in real terms and what percentage of the population on benefits do they represent. If it is a miniscule figure of around 1% then let the government come out and explain the data untill they do so it is a case of simple scare mongering. As a result many of us like your brother are very worried about our futures as we have no faith whatsoever in a system which seems to be anything but fair.

 

Just because a paper such as the Daily Mail comes out and paints a picture of a nation full of benefit thiefs for their own political aims, doesn't mean this is a fact and we should buy into it. Nor does Ian Duncan Smith saying the same means it is a fact. Ian Duncan Smith presenting some hard data gained through independent sources, then I might start to listen in the meantime why is it he does not present a solid case. It might simply be the truth that there isn't one and so it is easier for ideological concepts to be spun through certain media channels.