How many of you have been appalled by the yesterday's news that, despite massive opposition from a number of charities (inclucing NRAS), the government are going ahead with their goal-post move of the qualifiying threshold for the higher mobility entitlement?
Previously set at 50 metres, this has been reduced to 20 metres which means that anyone who is able to manage 21 metres will have their higher level mobility allowance rescinded and therefore, their access to the motability scheme which allows you to use that allowance for a car lease contract.
I can't even begin to tell you how awful I feel this is, (otherwise I would be here until tomorrow) - Frankly, 21 metres doesn't even get me as far as a bus stop so I would be totally housebound without my car. Socially, emotionally, financially, medically and physically more greatly impaired.
With all the stories coming out about ATOS I remain terrified that the only financial income I get is going to be slashed because they need to hit their target. I've already lost a slice of it on the bedroom tax.
What I would impress upon anyone else in my position, however, is that (apparently) the government have promised to ensure that sufficient consideration is given to the reliability and repeatability of that 21 metre walk. In other words, can you do it all the time and can you do it over and over again. So, for example: Today I may find that I can do the 21 metres before I have to sit and rest but after resting I can only do 18 metres without seizing up and after that only 10 metres, therefore I am unable to repeat it. Tomorrow, however, I may have a flare and may not be able to make it to the front gate and am, therefore unreliable in my ability to walk that distance. The level of pain that is experienced in doing this operation also counts. We have all learned to live with pain but the fact that we deal with it does not make it acceptable. We have to learn to make it clear to the assessors that it exists.
You are so right, it is the repeat ability aspect that we need to consider and use. This is what I neglected to consider on my dla to disasterous results. CAB are supporting my appeal, and the ability to repeat (or not)is what we are using. Please donot make same mistake as me.
They stopped them in may, took car away within 2 weeks. We had to purchase a car using credit card& isa. The date for tribunal is 18th November . Been a long time coming!!! Hopefully will be able to start paying off credit card bills when reinstated. Don't get me started on this government.
I know! I am absolutely apoplectic about it! I have absolutely no way of replacing my car if I lose it. I'm just being re-assessed for the universal credit bit so sitting here with bated breath incase they decide I can return to work (along with Richard 3rd). I don't think my DLA is due until next year but can't see how I would manage without it.
It's awful. Have u looked at the benefits and work site? I wish I'd known about this before I'd started my dla review. I may not have been in this situation if I'd known about them. Hope it works out for you.
Hello
Twenty mtrs would not even allow a disabled person transfer from home, wheelchair car. Also when shopping allow the same distance.
This is the nasty party getting back at the disabled because Society has the attitude of why should they get these payments when I cannot, when I am sick.
Every minority has now been attacked, Society needs to realize that is what happened in the 1930 s and we know what happened then
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An article I read estimate that around half a million people are set to lose the support they rely on because of this random distance change.
Well what can WE do about it? I feel helpless enough most of the time without my dla and blue badge I will not cope. Ps my dla runs out in march, but letter came in today with a new claim form. Seriously they think it will take nov, dec, jan, feb and march to process the form. I think I will take most of it to complete the b....y thing .
I should Allanah, and put down it took u that long because you can only write when your hands are able and for a small amount if time to prevent inflaming joints and wrists etc. please remember to pm me about dla tribunal. X
I know! I had to stop 5 times when filling in my recent form because my wrist was so sore. I thought it was going to go on forever.
I somehow wish I had done a bit more campaigning against this change. I signed petitions and wrote to my MP but joining marches etc was impossible without help so I left it to others to fight my battle and feel bad about it now..
Having said that it seems that it wouldn't have made any difference, there was resounding opposition to this but they went ahead anyway.
The 'Hardest Hit' article compared this 60% drop in distance for disabled to the qualifiying age for state pensions being raised to 104 years old.
Have you thought about down sizing to avoid the bedroom tax? A lot of landlords are offering assistance with the cost ot moving etc. Just a thought...............
I have been on the list for a bunaglow for ages and also been on the mutual exchange list. There is a massive shortage of 1 bed properties nationally now and in some cases, people are moving from social housing to private rentals which is actually costing the local authorities considerably more.
I have one spare room which my daughter moved out of recently. Most of my family live around London and it would be far too expensive for them to visit me if they had to book into holiday accommodation. Also, sometimes, I need my son/friend/family to stay over to help me with things around the house particularly when I flare.
There's a bit of a moral dilemma with this I know, because I get help with the rent, but adaptations to the bathroom have been made and it is my home. I don't want to be effectively evicted from it.
In the absence of any other alternative and because they have to make further adaptations I'm hoping that I can appeal for a disregard.
Just gotta soldier on I guess Ronnie - thanks for the thought though. xx
Have you thought about applying for Discetionary Housing Payment (DHP) until you either are successful in arguing for a disregard or move? DHP is a pot of funding made available to local authority HB depts which is designed to tide people over until the solutions can be put into place. If you are awarded it the shortest payment period is 3 months but it could be up to a year, that would basically mean your HB of 14% for the one bedroom would be reinstated for a period of time, worth a try given you can't rely on other sources of income..........either your LA or Housing Officer should be able to assist you in applying
Am assuming you're either a council or housing association tenant, what part of the country do you live in?
Good, also concerning the move it's worthwhile speaking to your Housing Officer or the associations Lettings team as rather than you doing all the looking for a mutual exhange with other landlords as well as your own, they could try and fix up "chain" exchanges involving more than 2 parties. Lots of Landlords are doing this now and they're in a good position too as they can see where all the individual cases are, and it's in their interests to facilitate such exchanges as they don't want rent arrears to build up.
Do act quickly on the DHP though as it's a limited pot of money, which also supports people in temporary accommodation in the private rented sector (they also have caps on how much HB will support the rents)
Councils are finding there's a lot of pressure on the pot and in some cases it's already 95% spent and we're only half way through the year................The government isn't planning to top the pot up either
I wish you luck and if you need any more advice happy for you to PM me, I do work in this field
I know..........I can feel a Billy Bragg moment coming on. In fact when we have out transatlantic coffee afternoon we can pinch some of the Woodie Guthrie songs from them as well. Hands across the sea and all that.
It really is horrible to have this lingering over you isn't it Sylvi? I really don't know what I'm going to do if my payments are stopped prior to appeal (and I will definitely appeal). I live alone, have no other source of income and feel threatened.
There was some very unpleasant media coverage about benefit scroungers leading up to this. It implied that we were all con merchants and off course, left open an opportunity to cut back our benefits with minimal public outcry. Of course some people screw the system (even politicians and bankers would you believe) but the statistics for disabled benefit fraud are less than 1% I believe. I feel criminalized as well as a burden.
0.79 per cent. Reading about tax avoidance by large companies, who lobbied government and guess what. The government failed to close a loophole which would have bought in billions. Money that could have been given to u and me and others! Sickening isn't it.
Out of interest, has anyone had any success explaining a 'flare' to the DWP? They only deal with the black and white. So trying to explain that a flare may last 1 day, 1 month or 1year - who knows? They just didn't get it, they wanted a ball point figure. Lol
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There you go! Another use case for my symptoms spreadsheet - evidence for DWP.
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Already on it pb52......already on it. Not pleasant to record all the nasty bits of the day though.
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Hey Pb52, I used to keep a diary in the beginning. I was trying to suss out a correlation between diet and inflammation and so called trigger foods. I imagine your charts are useful with your appointments. Have you detected certain triggers that cause your symptoms to flare?
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Hi Charlotte
Unsurprisingly there is a clear link between activity and pain levels and fatigue levels although it is also clear that both pain and fatigue events can occur spontaneously. The sheer volume of events is the best thing about the charts. We all aim to make the best of it and it is easy to gloss over events if we rely on our memory, so having it all recorded is very useful. My rheumy doc spent several minutes poring over the charts with me.
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I'm sure that I saw a guideline somewhere that said that the conditions of a flare could only be considered if they were, on average, more than half the week. If a flare lasts for several months without a break then I assume to gets averaged out??? Looks like we have to do the maths to work it out though.
I wonder what would happen if this act of a government that clearly does not CARE about people with RA to the European parliament. With in mind how about starting a petition on this matter.
The fact that you lose even if you are willing to move but there are no smaller properties available is just inequitable. I wonder what the European Courts would make of it?
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There have been so many campaigns running about the spare room tax (like the 20 metre rule for mobility allowance). Some people are exempt, some can cover it with their incomes but there are still many who are floundering.
Creaky i do feel for those that are struggling with this bedroom tax and d la. Have to say i did try for dla that was a waste of time it was no. For me i have cut down the hours i work, i am selfemployed in the morning and have fifteen hours a week which is three hours a day. If i were living alone i truly don't know how i would manage.
What can we do to stop this stress i would gladly sign any form if it would help xx
There are some good websites i follow on this matter.
Change.org for starting a petition
benefitsandwork.co.uk a good site as someone mentioned, i used this one for help with my ESA
ESA/DLA on face book This has good sound advice
Vonnie x
Thanks Vonnie,
I've just sent a request to join the fb pages as I am waiting for news regarding my switch from Incapacity and Income support to the new ESA. I dread it so the more info and support I can have the better.
I had also heard that switches from Dla were being bounced forward to PiP on any type of query.
I mentioned it all to my GP the other day who replied 'Oh I'm sure it will all be perfectly straight forward in your case'. Really? Has she not read any of the reports of people being put in the back to work section who are seriously ill?
I for one, am going to be more active in supporting any of the charity based campaigns from now on and not leave it to others to fight my battles for me.
Peace and love and all that from the new anarchist me. xxxxx
Hi yes I have joined the website re DLA. I applied last year got refused then appealed. Only just found out that the idiots had dealt with it in July and not sent the info to my home address so I knew nothing about it. They promised to send me papers so I can ask for a set aside. Still not received them. So cross about it all. How can they get away with it. Oh thats right they can. I am now in the work based support Group of ESA and had to undergo the medical to get that. Anyway sorry for the rant.
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