Had some good news today, been informed that I've been accepted to have my Blue Badge! I feel really happy about this like there is a bit of hope and help for people out there! I was turned down on my DLA but when I went seeing the occupational therapist who was assessing me for my blue badge she actually said that when the new PIP benefit comes in what will replace DLA that I should have a good chance of being accepted for this and so will most people with chronic illnesses. So I'm just sharing this to give people a bit of positive hope that we might start to get a little help as we all know that a little help goes a very long way! So I'm all smiles today
Hugs everyone xxx
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lisa_toot
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Hiya, Lisa.. Just wondering, what is PIP? I've never heard of it before, but by the sounds of things, it seems like it would be a big help! (Which we all need) DLA is so much stress, so I'm glad you've found another alternative that has helped you
Well done,iv had mine for about 6 months and its been a god send,I find it a great help in that you can park in disability parking spaces and a you get room either side of the car where you can actually get in and out so mutch easier,no more struggling to get in the car with a bad back and knees that won't bend when some idiot has parked to close to the door and you can barely get it..that used to make me so angry!
Also if you park in the council run car parks you don't need to pay which is a real bonus when money is tight!
I have just been refused DLA again,reading through the stuff as to why they refused it it does actually say that it dost take into consideration that you have a blue badge,it doesn't make any difference if you have it even though you have been assessed and proved you have a disability.
PIP is taking over DLA, it stands for Personal Independence Payment. Everyone that is on DLA at the moment have to reapply for this new benefit and us thy have been refused DLA are advised to apply for PIP as it is now scored a bit differently! So good luck to everyone for this, I'm defo gonna apply!
I actually thought that having the blue badge would have been good thing when reapplying for DLA so thanks for that info PB x
Thank you for sharing your good news. I am pleased that you have been granted a blue badge as it will be such a help to you.
I am a bit wary about PIP as I have been told that anyone on the lower rate of care, which I am, will not get PIP as the lower rate will be scrapped.
I don't want to burst your bubble and I am really hoping that what you are saying is right, as that will help all of us who are chronically sick...it is just that I have read in the past that PIP will only be given to people who are "seriously disabled" i.e. in an assessor's eyes...I am not saying that we aren't very disabled by our condition 'cos we know full well that we are ...just that because it is an invisible condition we won't be taken seriously. I really hope I am wrong.
Does anyone else have any thoughts? Maybe all you lovely ladies in admin. have some more up to date info. on PIP?
It's certainly looking as though the equivalent of lower rate of care will be scrapped and you'll only qualify for Standard Rate of PIP if you score 8 points - you need 12 for the Enhanced Rate:
Enhanced Rate - £79.15 (same as HR Care DLA)
Standard Rate - £53.00 (Same as MR Care DLA)
The DWP have very sneakily (what's new) changed the goalposts for one of the criteria for Enhanced Mobility in that to get it the distanced you can walk has been cut from 50 to 20 metres. However they're considering Blue Badge entitlement for anyone scoring 8 or more points, which is Standard rate points - but only ER will qualify for Motability.
Enhanced Rate - £55.25 (Same as HR Mobility DLA)
Standard Rate - £21.00 (Same as LR Mobility DLA )
Another thing the DWP have done is omit the words "reliably/repeatedly/safely/in a timely fashion" from the descriptors and has only put them into the Assessors Guidance Handbook on the PIP Criteria. What's the difference? For those of us with fluctuation conditions those words are important & the difference is a very important one because if they're in the Descriptors they have legal standing which could be used at appeal if you felt they hadn't been taken into consideration but if they're only in the Guidance documents they don't have legal standing as they are only being used for guidance.
All this (and more) didn't go down very well at the recent sitting of the Work & Pensions Select Committee when they were taking evidence from Esther McVey the Minister for Disabled People. Simon Dawson, PIP Policy, Design, Test and Assurance Programme Manager & Dr Bill Gunnyeon Chief Medical Adviser were also there. You can watch Esther McVey do goldfish impressions when faced with questions from Sheila Gilmore & Dame Anne Begg - she squirms a bit & comes across as a bit clueless about her own Department's policies!
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All the above is very informative and it is good of you to take the trouble to share it with us.
It sounds like there have been some very sneaky moves, on the part of the DWP, designed to catch us all out (again!) if they can get away with it.
I have recently sent off my ESA50 questionnaire and, like so many of us who blog on this site, I am anxiously awaiting the outcome of that. As I understand things at the moment, for those of us on an "indefinite" period of DLA (which I am) we have been given a reprieve until 2015 so I shan't worry too much about that just at the moment. I'll just try to cross each hurdle as it arises as I cannot deal with too many things at once. However, in the back of my mind, I am, of course, worried about what DLA to PIP will mean for all of us.
Once again thank you so much for your informative blog and the promise of more info. as and when you get it in the future. I am sure that I am not the only one who appreciates your response to my question/fears.
I shall certainly watch the video link you have recommended.
I've just posted a blog to say that the DWP actually listened to the Select Committee and have put the reliably/repeatedly/safely/in a timely fashion as part of the regulations.
I've got my DLA on "Indefinite" too so can expect the call in a couple of years as well. I think that the long delay may be a deliberate ploy to lull those who already have it into a false sense of security/relief and get them to back off the campaigning a bit. Personally, I don't trust them a inch (wouldn't even trust them a millimetre) so I'm not going to sit back and wait for 2015 in the hope that things will have changed for the better. The fight is now cos it's going to be a hard slog to try & make the Government to see sense.
The video of the meeting is interesting & the Select Committee's Sheila Gilmore and Dame Anne Begg reminded me of pair of wee terriers with a rat (Esther McVey) when it came to the wording in the regulations and also to the change in walking distance that the sneaked in (especially as 20m wasn't even mentioned as an option in the Consultation papers!).
Useful Petitions for signing include:
We call for a Cumulative Impact Assessment of Welfare Reform, and a New Deal for sick & disabled people based on their needs, abilities and ambitions epetitions.direct.gov.uk/pe...
Thank you for your reply. Like you, I do not trust what the Govt. and Atos are doing between them and I am certainly not complacent that because we are going to be left alone for 2 years that everything will be OK. I am sure they will be dreaming up some more hurdles to try to trip us all up in the meantime.
I had already signed 2 of the petitions you mention but have just signed the mental health one. I sign as many petitions as I can, not just to do with disability but anything where pressure is needed to bring about changes for the better, whether it be for the benefit of people, the environment, animal welfare etc etc. Thank you for giving the link for the mental health petition as I hadn't seen that one before. I hope other people on this site will pick up your information so that as many people as possible sign all 3 petitions, if they haven't already done so. As you so rightly say, we all need to stick together and keep fighting as hard as we can to make our voices heard.
I have just watched the Panorama Programme from Monday night on i player. It was entitled "The Disability Scam". It was quite an eye opener. One of the ex-employees, who had been trying to help people in the WRAG group, told the interviewer that disabled/chronically sick people were referred to as LTB's which you can probably guess translates as "Lying, thieving, b*****ds" How charming is that?! I honestly believe that that is how the Govt. regard us, as well as the media who are happy to whip up a campaign of hate against us. Hitler comes to mind in some ways as he exterminated thousands of disabled people as well, of course, as all the poor Jewish people. I still find that period of history very hard to come to terms with. It is amazing how quickly a frenzy of hatred can be whipped up using propaganda and other devious means.
Well I shall get off my soapbox now! I shall watch the other video you mention a bit later on. I have got to recover from the Panorama programme first. A cup of tea and a bar of chocolate will go down nicely, methinks!
I have just noticed that the link you had given me has been deleted by Admin. I wonder if you would be allowed to provide it for me via a private message? That way it couldn't possibly offend or upset anyone on this site as they wouldn't see it.
congratulations, that's great news. its not easy to get a blue badge these days, and its very stressful being given the third degree from the local council staff. the woman I saw made me feel like a naughty child. the first time I was refused a badge, but luckily I got one the second time.
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Finally some good news!!!
Good Morning Everyone.
