Threats to cut benefits
Apparently a green government paper is going through to stop paying disability benefits to the person and instead give them to social services to pay for what ever level of help they say you need.
This would make it impossible to remain independent, if you saying you don't need social services then they are going to question why you aren't going to work etc, but what if you prefer to use your money to get equipment to stay independent like buying a scooter with it to get to supermarket yourself rather than having to wait until social services can find someone to push you there and help you get it?
There is a petition thing you put in email and name and they send you info, I think they need 1,000 signatures to stop it going through.
Ministers also said people would be better off on the new ESA than incapacity benefit but then made cuts in related premiums, leaving many people struggling after been transferred to the new ESA benefit. Incapacity benefit will end in 2010 and everyone on it will go through a 13 week assessment for ESA.
If you dont want any more cuts to your benefits sign here:
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/disability-living-allowance-%28dla%29/dla-aa-cuts
Personally I prefer to use my benefits to finance equipment I need than having to pay other people to do it for me. I'm recently struggling with typing, get alot of pain. I don't want to have to employ someone to sit and type for me every evening so I can chat to my friends, and social services wouldn't be able to find someone to do that everyday for me anyway, they are already understaffed with several people to get through a day for getting dressed etc. I'm hoping to trial an Headmouse to use when my hands are very painful so I still have access to computer and aren't isolated throughout the long winter months when I got painful hands every day, but these usually cost around £700. How you meant to save up for this kind of stuff if they gonna take your benefits?
Electric wheelchairs are an issue as NHS wont provide them unless you cant walk or self propel at all, many people who can walk a bit but cant manage distances may benefit, more people choose chairs over scooters now after they wont take scooters on trains and taxi's anymore cos of their size. I don't want to have to pay people to walk my dog twice a day as its my reason for getting up neither do I want to have to be pushed everywhere in a manual chair cos money is going to social services to pay someone to push me around. As a deaf person I need to see the persons face, I can't do that when they are behind me all the time pushing!
None of the social services team that deal with getting people dressed etc know sign fluently so on days I was really struggling to type for using lightwriter, communication would be very difficult and frustrating, how is that going to improve the quality of my life? then they bring you a sandwich and go off to next person and come back later if you lucky to undress you. (according to the recent documentary that was shown on television about the state of care the nations elderly and disabled were getting from agencies employed by social services).
What If you want to find your own helper who can maybe sign or use a member of family do they keep the money if you got a family member who will do it for you?
I can understand they are trying to cut benefit fraud but alot of genuine people with real disabilities are also going to suffer from a ruling like this. I have spent the last 5 years trying to stay as independent as possible despite having to use wheelchair and coping with hearing, speech and mobility issues. I manage to get through the day by pacing myself and frequent rests but every day is different and I had these issues when I had an helper for 16 hours a week before.
They are going to end up penalising people who are trying to stay independant but are unable to manage going out to work.
This would make it impossible to remain independent, if you saying you don't need social services then they are going to question why you aren't going to work etc, but what if you prefer to use your money to get equipment to stay independent like buying a scooter with it to get to supermarket yourself rather than having to wait until social services can find someone to push you there and help you get it?
There is a petition thing you put in email and name and they send you info, I think they need 1,000 signatures to stop it going through.
Ministers also said people would be better off on the new ESA than incapacity benefit but then made cuts in related premiums, leaving many people struggling after been transferred to the new ESA benefit. Incapacity benefit will end in 2010 and everyone on it will go through a 13 week assessment for ESA.
If you dont want any more cuts to your benefits sign here:
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/disability-living-allowance-%28dla%29/dla-aa-cuts
Personally I prefer to use my benefits to finance equipment I need than having to pay other people to do it for me. I'm recently struggling with typing, get alot of pain. I don't want to have to employ someone to sit and type for me every evening so I can chat to my friends, and social services wouldn't be able to find someone to do that everyday for me anyway, they are already understaffed with several people to get through a day for getting dressed etc. I'm hoping to trial an Headmouse to use when my hands are very painful so I still have access to computer and aren't isolated throughout the long winter months when I got painful hands every day, but these usually cost around £700. How you meant to save up for this kind of stuff if they gonna take your benefits?
Electric wheelchairs are an issue as NHS wont provide them unless you cant walk or self propel at all, many people who can walk a bit but cant manage distances may benefit, more people choose chairs over scooters now after they wont take scooters on trains and taxi's anymore cos of their size. I don't want to have to pay people to walk my dog twice a day as its my reason for getting up neither do I want to have to be pushed everywhere in a manual chair cos money is going to social services to pay someone to push me around. As a deaf person I need to see the persons face, I can't do that when they are behind me all the time pushing!
None of the social services team that deal with getting people dressed etc know sign fluently so on days I was really struggling to type for using lightwriter, communication would be very difficult and frustrating, how is that going to improve the quality of my life? then they bring you a sandwich and go off to next person and come back later if you lucky to undress you. (according to the recent documentary that was shown on television about the state of care the nations elderly and disabled were getting from agencies employed by social services).
What If you want to find your own helper who can maybe sign or use a member of family do they keep the money if you got a family member who will do it for you?
I can understand they are trying to cut benefit fraud but alot of genuine people with real disabilities are also going to suffer from a ruling like this. I have spent the last 5 years trying to stay as independent as possible despite having to use wheelchair and coping with hearing, speech and mobility issues. I manage to get through the day by pacing myself and frequent rests but every day is different and I had these issues when I had an helper for 16 hours a week before.
They are going to end up penalising people who are trying to stay independant but are unable to manage going out to work.
Views: 14
Comment
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Comment by Kati on August 10, 2009 at 1:41am -
Mine has mostly gone on equipment recently which I would have been able to save up if I didnt have that income. Even used equipment off ebay (managed to buy a trackball version of my joystick off there for £68 - which I originally paid £250 for last year). I'm hoping to get a new TENS machine too as my old one broke and some of those Thermoskin gloves. Some items arent too expensive, but others are for example my scooter breaking down this year cos old one couldnt cope with all hills here. Another £1700, powerchairs tend to cost even more, I was hoping to be able to use my DLA to get a really good chair when I reached stage I had to be sat in it all day (one that reclined etc to save having to be hauled about when I needed to lie flat). Or a van that I could drive straight into with powerchair if I needed a full time helper anyway, for PA to drive. In meantime I'm trying to get all equiment I might need as already having had an helper for 16 hours a week once I know how I struggled with paying her wages and trying to save for stuff and pay bills!
Its not like I spent it on luxury holidays I haven't been on once since the year 2000! Think the only extravagence I dont really need is a bottle of brandy every now and again! oh and having that Da Vinci chair custom built for my brothers wedding, which I probably wouldn't have bothered with if he hadn't been getting married!
I think its an attempt to stop the kind of people shown on the dispatches that are claiming it then seen climbing ladders, still working and taking exotic holidays abroad etc, I'm all for catching them! But surely they can find a way of doing it that wont make it even harder for those of us that have genuine disabilities and conditions to cope with?
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Comment by William Phillips on August 9, 2009 at 9:06pm -
I hope I have an honest reputation even if sometimes it means disagreeing with things but in this case I totally agree with all the above comments. I'm on incapacity & DLA. I can't walk at all and have tremors but can drive, use a self propelled W-chair and get around my tremors in various ways.So thats my problem sorted. I don't need or want social services so why should they get any of my benefits. I could make a list of what I spend my benefits on but the "L" in DLA stands for "living" which is what I use it for. I try to avoid stress, as do other people but the powers that be lay it on us by the shovel-full. Bill xx
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Comment by carol reading on August 8, 2009 at 4:49am -
Why cant they just leave us alone. Would any of these so called carers want to change places with anyone of us for even one day.We are entitled to our benifits so we should not loose controll of them!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Comment by Jennifer Davies on August 7, 2009 at 1:58pm -
If this happens I will not be able to live independantly. All my income comes from incapacity benefit and DLA...and what about my car, will I be able to keep that, I get that through motability via DLA? I hate living on benefits!! I bought up 2 children and worked and paid for all our up keep for 20 years. It wasn't till I started falling at work and a Pineal Cyst was found followed by Ataxia investigations that I had to stop...boy did boredom set in. How the mighty fall! I'd love to hear how others are going to manage. You can survive it if you have a partner with an income somehow. Must go bitterness is setting in. Jenny
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Comment by Patsy on August 7, 2009 at 12:04pm -
Social Services dont appear to have an entirely good reputation for what they - definitely sounds unwise to give them even more responsibility.
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Comment by Kati on August 7, 2009 at 4:57am
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I found another article called DLA threat FAQ
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/disability-living-allowance-%28dla%29/dla-aa-cuts/dla-threat-faq
It states it would give you right to an assessment but only the most severely disabled would actually receive any care. It doesnt say whether the social services would still get to keep your money even though they arent actually offering you any care.
The successful applicants get a personal budget that is decided by social services/social workers etc, so you may not be able to choose your own equipment or therapies it gives an example of someone with ME
"
If you have ME/CFS, for example, you may rely on your DLA or AA to pay for alternative therapies such as acupuncture, homeopathy, herbalism or chiropractice or you may use it to pay for dietary supplements that you know help you. However, professionals may dismiss these as quack remedies and you may not be able to use your personal budget for those sort of things. It wouldn’t be your cash to spend as you choose, in the way that DLA and AA are"
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