Good morning to all.
How is everyone feeling about these welfare reforms? Its unfair that they are targeting us and playing with our lives trying to send people back to work when they cleary cant.
Do you really think that this government is going through with this or do you think somewhere down the line there will be a backup ? Im sure this will kick off protests and all sorts everywhere
They are still to be discussed and approved. Still a long time before they will have any impact when if they do go through.
hi, I think we are all worried about this, especially some of the problems we have, are no longer going to be given points for, and excluding them from the claim.
But we have a bit of time yet, and I am sure, some sort of protest will happen, the charities are trying to help us too, so just a waiting game, try not too stress too much, we will find a solution, I hope.
I’ve been thinking about this too—what will happen to our benefits? Will there be cuts, or will things stay the same?
I do agree that benefits should be taken away from people who shouldn’t be on them. Unfortunately, I know some people who take advantage of the system. It’s not that they can’t work, but that they choose not to, and they’ve spent most of their lives avoiding it.
X
They took away Winter Fuel Allowance for most pensioners, so I think they're not likely to think twice about taking away some of our benefits too.
No, they did not. They changed the allocation to means tested.As with the winter fuel allowance i think it's a lot of media hype.
There are some really positive changes ti come too.
Yes it's means tested therefore the majority of pensioners have had it taken away, which is what I said. It's only those who get Pension Credit have it now. I'd like to know what positive changes are coming.
I don't understand why anyone woould be cross if money is diverted from those who don't need it to those who do. Some UC payments will get a bigger % rise, some PIP recipients will be spared repeat assessments.
And people who what to work if they can will get more support from the reform and from employers.
Because they are likely to subtly tinker with the PIP scoring to exclude those with many debilitating conditions such as fibromyalgia. Remember its not your condition but their rules on how it affects you that count and they can very easily move these thresholds or change questions in devious ways. Be aware the methodology is set by an insurance company that has one of thr worst records for claims denial in their own business.
I agree with you re diverting money from those who don't need it, but those whose pension is just above the threshold for Pension Credit absolutely do need it! At the moment you need to be earning less than £218.15 if you are single and less than £332.95 as a couple to receive Pension Credit, do you think that anyone earning say £1 above those figures do not need the Winter Fuel Allowance?
That's been my concern. If you just go above even by 50 pence you won't get pension credit. Even if you were £10 above. How would that enable people to pay the massive energy bills that the suppliers are asking people to pay.
But I do agree there are many pensioners who could pay their own fuel bills. Imo and believe me I know many. That take up to 3 cruises a year. These people don't need the government's fuel payment to help fund their holidays.
The question for me is where should the cut off limit of help be? Maybe a better way would be to scale the payment on an individual need.
Obviously those on pension credit and the other benefits get the full award then scale back from there.
I'm sure I'm been a bit simplistic here. But at least those who may just be above the full award will still be getting some help according to their needs. If any of what I said makes any sense at all lol
I agree with you, it's the same for people just over the threshold and the other benefits you can get with PC, the system is unfair.
ironically those on pension credit ie haven’t paid their way through life will end up with a bigger total income than those who only have the state pension and paid their stamp all their working life.
Totally disagree with you on that I'm afraid. How do you come to the conclusion those people who are on pension credit have not paid their way in life. There are many people who have worked all their lives and paid all their dues that may need help now example pension credit. And those same people are still paying taxes on pensions they have already paid for over their working life.
So I'm guessing unless people also have a private pension that takes them over the pension credit limit . Then surely they would be able to get help with rent and council tax . Again unless they are lucky enough to own their own home.
Totally agree with you but there has to be a line. Maybe the line is wrong, but I can't imagine how the country gets out of this without tough choices.
Seems to me if you’re old and disabled you will suffer in these reforms.
Reducing the ridiculously oversized civil service that has grown out of all control. Stop paying benefits until someone has lived in the UK for 10 years and has paod NI for that long. Move public sector pensions to defined contribution. Slash the quangos (the government has created 27 new ones since coming to power.
There are much better ways to tackle things than attacking the old and disabled.
It’s not means tested at all. Even pensioners on basic state pension and no other income get no WFA. Disgusting.
Maybe you should apply for help if your only on state pension with no savings. People on a state pension can claim Pension Credit, which is a benefit designed to top up the income of those over state pension age who have a low income, even if they already receive a state pension.
It might have changed now (I’m not the one who dealt with it) but my husband’s parents worked their whole lives, and get state pension only, as working people with seven children there was no money to put away for retirement or savings and afaik they only just at 80 paid off the mortgage on the house they managed to buy just before retirement (with help from the now grown up children) - they used to get Pension Credit, then a few years back the state pension was increased and they went £3 per week over the limit and lost it, along with all the other benefits that came with it. Now tell me that sum being set at exactly that level wasn’t intentional?
Totally agree that WFA should be means tested - I’m pretty sure my dad never even claimed his as he didn’t need it and believed in only taking what you need. But I’m not sure the government are very good at deciding the levels of means that are required these days..
I agree, that's what I said above. Not everyone who's paid their dues are well off . Claiming pension credit does not mean people have not worked all their lives.
I also agreed there should be more leeway for those who may just be over the benefits threshold.
I'm 68 and have never had to claim the dole etc. Like your dad we came from a different generation with a different mind set. There was not thr amount of benifit help back then
Working was the only way to survive. Sadly I feel that's not the mind set for many these days xx
The government could choose to tax the super rich, and force companies to pay their dues - just making Amazon alone pay tax properly instead of loophole after loophole to dodge it would probably cover the whole government deficit.
Instead they go after the poorest in society, the ones least likely or least able to stand up to them. The fraud rate on PIP is so small it’s rounded to 0%. We are not the problem.
I’m 40, so maybe I count under your definition of those who choose benefits instead of working (I do work, small self-employment now after having a breakdown from the stress of running a 7-figure business, but not ‘gainfully’ - UC pays most of the bills) I’d like to think a civilised society is supposed to look after the ones who need it instead of it having to be about ‘survival’.
My remarks were not aimed at you . But many not all of the youths of today seem to be work shy IMO . I shall not be replying any further on this thread.
It seems this could be turning political and that is against the FMAUK guidelines. And I personally don't wish to be on the end of someone's temper.
We are all entitled to our opinions. I have mine you have yours. But please don't see offense where there is none . Just a personal opinion.
Momo
Only if both people in a couple are retired. If one is retired and the other unable to work then they can't get pension credit. Also why do people class a pension as a benefit? We have paid in all our working lives to get that pension so I think it's an entitlement not a benefit.
They took it away. From Pensioners who needed it. Most pensioners I know are only a couple of pounds over what they needed to make the claim. And now struggle to pay the bills. They will take money off people who need it. And the ones who have milked the system for years know how to do it and will carry on. The Goverments are not here to help people with disabilities
To be honest I have just been through the PIP process and after hearing the changes announced I believe that some aspects are already in place. I have been in the system for a long while and keep all my old paperwork including medical reports. The most recent report was all about physical function. I have medical training and the report read totally different from the others. For example I suffer from periods of chronic fatigue it was not even mentioned. What was reported on was limb and back movement. How I stood how long I could stand. How far I could lift my arms etc.The report stated what proof I had, who diagnosed the condition. For example there was great emphasis that my conditions were diagnosed by a specialist not my GP! I was constantly asked who diagnosed me. Then there was emphasis on what community care I receive, how often etc. Also how many times do I see the GP for my conditions. For example pain. I stated not often as I attended a pain management program which allows me to manage my own pain. Again they asked when I attended. How often I attended pain clinic.
I have never scored four in any one question normally my differing conditions gave me two points here and two points there to make a total of twelve after a mandatory reconsideration for the care element. This time I scored 4 in three questions which surprised me slightly as my conditions have got worse but not that much. The last paragraph of the report was interesting. It stated my answers were consistent with the proof supplied and consistent with the assessors own observations. The whole report was about proof and physical function my mental health problems ( diagnosed by a specialist) hardly got a mention.
This does worry me as I have no written proof about anything really. I saw a rheumatologist in 2018 who said I have arthritis in my knees, hands and wrists and I have written knowledge of that but he played down the fact that my legs go numb after 5 minutes of standing or walking and have to sit down before I fall down, he said it would get better but it has got worse. My Dr diagnosed my fibromyalgia in 2019 but I have nothing written about it. I did go on a pain management course but it was virtual due to covid, I have seen a physio twice but no paperwork was given, they just told me I have nerve damage to my spine. I am seeing my Dr next week so I am going to ask about paper work as it seems since covid happened they haven't really bothered.
I think a visit to your GP is wise. Part of my PIP assessment was based on Capita contacting my GP and asking my GP how my conditions affect me. Getting your problems documented and current is a good move. Sadly my wife is now awaiting her reassessment and like you is very worried. We sent her reassessment forms in a year ago and due to my experience she as just sent in all her consultants letters from the past year detailing problems.
Even if you don’t have letters, it’ll be on your medical record. You can request the full record from your doctor (a patient access request) to see what is written and what PIP will get access to, they write notes from every appointment, I learned that my doctor can’t spell for toffee and was recording the oddest things from my appointments in addition to the actual medical stuff, for example there were remarks in there about debt I was in and that I’d reported making positive steps towards dealing with it.
Funnily enough, that’ll probably now go in my favour for points for the budgeting descriptor. I already got ADP mostly for depression based reasons but chose to request a reassessment only halfway through my award as I’ve declined so badly I think both parts should now go up.
hi everyone. I am also worried about the proposed changes and also angry. Having PIP allows me to keep working and I think this is the same for a lot of us here. The welfare reforms ignored this and removing them will mean a lot of us will find it hard to keep working. Also having gone through the assessment and been rejected and having had to go to mandatory reconsideration stage to get finally awarded I can confirm as a lot of us here can that the process is not at all easy and it is very hard to get the PIP awarded. A reappraisal of the whole system is needed definitely but not just denying it from people who need it to live and work. I am really angry about these changes and trying hard not to stress about them! Hope everyone ok and we will continue to support each other here on this. I found the support here when going through the PIP process invaluable!
The government seem to have singled out the old and disabled.
Totally agree with you.
There’s already protests starting from next week, Scope has a petition, many people have their own petitions going as things like needing 4 points on one section to be awarded the DL award that everything else (like UC health) then hinges on will exclude hundreds of thousands of people who may be very severely disabled but because they can feed themselves and have a shower and get by with aids and prompting, not actually needing someone to do it for them, they won’t be ‘disabled enough’ and will lose thousands of £. You could get 20 points, the cut off for enhanced is 12, and still not be awarded anything.
It’s clearly aimed at getting people with invisible illnesses ‘back to work’, under the guise that we’ve been forgotten and abandoned because somebody in their consultation said they felt like that when I’m sure many of us would happily just be left alone and if we want help, we’ll let them know instead of needing to be asked. They keep talking about ‘good work’ but don’t address at all who is supposed to provide this good work and why they’d employ someone like me who is likely to need accommodations, time off, and be generally less reliable and less productive than someone who does not have the mental and physical difficulties I do, never mind the fact I’ve also got children so either need work that fits school hours and baby to go to (UC funded - which alone would cost more than I get in disability benefit) nursery, or extra childcare they’ll be paying for. I’ve been an employer and I wouldn’t employ myself if there was a younger, more able candidate available, how can I expect anyone else to?
They seem to think that ‘removing incentives’ to stay on benefits will somehow magic us all back to work, instead of just sinking sick people (further) into poverty. To mitigate this, the promised extra investment in the black hole of the NHS budget to get us well again - I don’t know about anyone else but I’m not waiting for a surgery or therapy, been there, done that and still not ‘fixed’. What disables me can’t be fixed and removing benefits won’t force me to work - it’ll just make it harder to live for my whole family. Take away daily living, takes away my husband’s carer status, meaning he has to take on more hours to meet his UC work commitments, which means less time at home to help me and care for the (not planned, before anyone asks) baby, leaving me getting progressively worse from the stress. And then I’m supposed to get a job too, because it’d be good for me?
It’s a joke. I’d laugh, but it’s not funny. The only saving grace is the years it’ll take to implement meaning most isn’t happening til 2028, which leaves plenty of time to get it stopped so I try not to worry until anything actually affects anyone.
going to turn off comments as I think the discussion has run its course but also running close to politics.
Welfare Debate!
Universal Credit - Welfare Reform continues....
Bit of advice, please...?
