Our friends in the government are at it again, busy, busy, busy with their little plans to P*$% us off. I should have written about this earlier but somewhere buried underneath all that snow and my own misery was hiding this little gem that was sadly sidelined in the news (benefits claimants, nobody cares, nobody wants to know). This time it’s the turn of the working-age DLA claimant (muggins and many others) to suffer a bout of unnecessary and stressful changes. Not so long ago in the recent past the coalition released their latest evil plot, a public consultation for “Disability Living Allowance Reform”. I’ve just finished reading this paper and of course I’ve written my comment for Tourettes Action, the gobby Welsh bird has got to have her say! So I thought you guys should know what those Tories and their hangers on have in store for us….
Axing the lower care component! Instead of 3 care rates and 2 mobility rates, the lower care rate will get the chop leaving a whole load of people who like me just receive the lower care component DLAless. I find my DLA very useful, it pays my mobile bill; it would be verging on the suicidal for a person with cop to go out without her mobile. My DLA is also there should I need to make a quick getaway if my wit and charm fail to get me out of a sticky situation arising from my random shoutings. I’m also often a dangerous, disaster in the kitchen; my DLA helps me to avoid such danger.
They want to interview us! They’re just not convinced by the info provided by our GPs and consultants so they want one of their own “independent healthcare professionals” to interview us, either at home or elsewhere. Is this one of the same “independent healthcare workers” that work for ATOS, you know those people who decide whether or not you’re able to work or not and get paid bonuses to decline applicants? Apart from the added stress, I think this is a complete waste of money!
Get help to manage your disability/condition. Like duhhhh! Which came first the TS or DLA, now let me think…. Don’t you think that we’ve tried to squeeze out of any organisation any support that we think we might get and need? Do we really need some pen-pusher giving us the number for Tourettes Action? What I mean is that prior to applying for DLA we’ve jumped through many a hoop, GP, neurologist, TS specialist, Citizen’s Advice Bureaux, local mental health services, DWP, read-up about our condition, trying manage it and of course accessed charities, and online forums etc to gain an understanding and support. They should realise that you become a bit of an expert with regards to your own condition. It’s a bit like telling your grandmother how to suck eggs!
This isn’t good, I’m going to have a root around for some petitions relating to this matter but unfortunately I have no broadband at the moment thus feeling a bit cut off from reality so you’ll have to wait a bit.
xx
