Taking the PIP

[Justin Passing]

Mel Stride was on this AM in an opening salvo to reduce the disablity benefits bill.
Personal Independence Payment is a little odd. I get some of it, so I know it's a bit unsaisfactory in at least some ways.

Simplified:
It's not means tested at all.
There are 2 sections, "daily living", and mobility.

Those getting higher rate for Mobility can have a modest car instead, all paid for except fuel.

An oddness is that you can apply for it up to retirement age, not after.
If you qualify at say 55, you get it essentially for ever (they do a few reassessments).
So I get it only because I applied before my retirement age. Mine is stated to be for undefined period. ie forever.

Melly was saying a lot of people with mild mental elf issues get it and he wants to reduce that. (Plus bumfuzzling about increased access to therapy)
He also said, as close as I can remember it
"People get it because they need a handrail here or there. We should pay for the handrail, which many get free anyway, but it's thousands of pounds a week".

So he's defining the extent of the disablity to be just a couple of indicators - so put them right and all is ok again?
There is no figure which is "thousands of pounds a week" anywhere.
So he's a thick lying POS with a lame argument , and assuming his audience is more thick than him. (Ministerial job qualifications, nothing to see here. )

Just as a reference, if you need a rail/frame/appliance to help with all of dressing, washing, cooking using a wc, you'd qualify for Daily Living, Standard.
If you can't walk 200m whenever you like, you'd qualify for Mobility Standard rate. For HIgher it's 20m.
Blue badges can be separately assessed. If you have a car you get some or all off the tax.

As at 30th April 2021 there were 2.7 million claimants entitled to PIP (caseload), with just over one in three cases (34%) receiving the highest level of award.
I saw somewhere that's now 3.5 million.

So my question is, what's it right to dole out money for? The state pension pays for age-related dilapidations. If someone needs a wheelchair, fine, buy them one. But what else? OK food winds up costing a little more, and a Netfix sub might be admissible for someone who can't get out.
But until they actually pay for somene to come and change their dressings, or for an Uber because they can't use Public Transport, why give them money?
I've just been to Lidl because I can park outside. I paid £2 more for batteries than I sould have done in the £1 shop I can't get to.
I walked in and out, so now I won't be able to move for the rest of the day without crutches. Well that's tough, but I don't need money for that.

 

[motorbiking]

There are clearly people claiming that shouldn't. I'd like the money to go to people who really need it. The problem is a lot of disabilities are easy to fake and you cannot clinically disprove a person has it.

chronic fatigue, pain, mental illnesses, etc. Can easily be faked.

How do you find those gaming the system without hounding the people who are really having quite a sh*t time.

 

[JonathanM]

An oddness is that you can apply for it up to retirement age, not after.

I think there is Attendance Allowance if you are over retirement age.

 

[charliegolf]

How do you find those gaming the system without hounding the people who are really having quite a sh*t time.

All DWP benefit districts used to have fraud sections. They carry warrant cards and conduct interviews-under-caution and do surveillance. More of that?

 

[ajohn]

I think there is Attendance Allowance if you are over retirement age.

Some one who cares for a retired person can get an attendance allowance from the state. I do know some one that does this currently. She did work as a call in carer as below. If she carried on doing that she might find that the care would have to be paid for. I'm not sure about her mothers finances but a retired matron may have a decent pension.

Going on my mother
If that retired person needs some one to call some times a day the retired person pays for it. If they can't I'd assume the state does. Bit of nightmare as the council put the work out for contract bids every year. They also have call in carers that they employ. Those probably look after the ones that can't pay. Not sure. As one said to me they are different, they even get holidays. Uniforms too.

If the person goes in care the same apples. There are 2 levels of care. Care homes and nursing homes. If a person has to be given medication a care home is likely to want a top up over their normal rate as they see handling medication as nursing care. Even bathing help can complicate it.

My mother was under care of one sort or another ~24years ago. Maybe things have change but suspect not.

 

[Justin Passing]

Before 2013 there was Disability Living Allowance, which was different, but PIP relaced it.
As for the fraud thing, they do ask your doctor, though they didn't ask mine.
It's messy when you forst apply. The assessors are biased against the applicant. So if the applicant says yes, they can just about manage with a zimmer frame get to their car which is 20m away, they are recorded as being able to walk 20m plus, though the actual requirement is that the person can do it whenever they want.

You qualify for the benefit whether you get the help you need, or not. Some people more disabled than me are out all the time. I CBA. So should I get the same as them? Presumably Mel Stride would say not.

 

[ellal]

There are clearly people claiming that shouldn't. I'd like the money to go to people who really need it. The problem is a lot of disabilities are easy to fake and you cannot clinically disprove a person has it.

chronic fatigue, pain, mental illnesses, etc. Can easily be faked.

How do you find those gaming the system without hounding the people who are really having quite a sh*t time.

Don't forget to throw so called 'long covid' into the mix...

The apparent list of 'symptoms' cover almost every other not fully identifiable illness

 

[Mottie]

Some one who cares for a retired person can get an attendance allowance from the state.

I don’t think carers get attendance allowance - that goes directly to the person that needs attending to. My mum gets attendance allowance but I know you do have to be of state retirement age to get it. Carers get carers allowance but it is withdrawn if the carer earns more than £151 a week elsewhere - it’s been on the news a lot lately where the govt. are claiming back these over payments - sometimes running into thousands of pounds.

 

[ajohn]

Carers get carers allowance but it is withdrawn if the carer earns more than £151 a week elsewhere -

I'm not sure if the carer I mentioned does anything else. As she was a call in carer previously I would assume she could choose how many hours of that to do. It's that sort of job for some. Her son lives at home as well. The lady being looked after isn't what I would call light weight. Extremely poor vision and other problems. Near bed ridden.

My mother and care. She was assessed at home for needs by a particular social worker after my father died. I assume I was asked about income, There was no problems paying the usual bills. My father was the sole owner of the house but this is not a problem. She finished up with 3 visit. Morning, midday and night time.These may use different careers. Always did on the night time visit. 2 ladies. Might be the same on the morning one. Lunch time always the same one until the work went out to contract each year. The last one she had for that lived locally and could walk there. There were also visits to check for out of date food and odd ones to take my her shopping. Just 1 as that wont have been easy. She bought a small TV, don't think it was ever used. Also some one got her to the hair dressers periodically.

Problems. I handled my fathers probate myself so no problem removing him from their joint bank account. Parkinson's has some odd problems so I needed to get my name on the account. That meant getting my mother to her bank to agree and I suspect a helpful branch manager. He had noticed that my mother had not been with my father when he visited for a long time. He could also see my mothers condition for himself.

So you can do all yourself but if anyone complains things have to go legal. No one did. There were some comments and she often had visits from close relatives. There was no way she would agree to go into a home. I had to force that in the end. Final comments from social services was that she could remain at home if she behaved. Mostly misdialled phone numbers. She had problems talking correctly. One of .the uniformed carers that turned up now and again packed her off to hospital where they said they could do no more for her. Then comes the pressure to get her into a home. Some of it not very subtle - some of the other patients would tell me what went on in the day. It took me a couple of weeks to find a suitable place I had no idea that a persons condition complicates that. Some like people with dementia. Some like people that don't take much looking after.

Hows it all work now - pass but some aspects are likely to still be similar,

The house when empty. I concluded the best thing was to leave it like that in reserve if needed. I could have let it furnished. It was a neat and tidy place. Complications and thoughts about lining my own pockets put me off. There was enough money coming in.

 

[Notch7]

Don't forget to throw so called 'long covid' into the mix...

The apparent list of 'symptoms' cover almost every other not fully identifiable illness

Long covid exists

You tried a thread on it and got totally destroyed

Get back in your box, this thread is not about long covid