Winter fuel payment petition 12 January 2010 at 10:22PM edited 13 January 2010 at 11:51AM in Disability Money Matters 444 replies 23.2K views

summerof0763

moonsilk2 wrote: »

I am 68 and get DLA does this mean I qualify for cold weather payments? Its a simple yes or no,as reading the other posts are a bit confusing.

at 68 i presume you get the winter fuel allowance.dla does not qualify on its own for cold weather payments,you have to be in receipt of other qualifying benefits which not all disabled people get

mellc

fedupconsumer wrote: »

WFP should be means tested and there is nothing to say it would cost more to do so, simply looking at the assesment of income when applying for other benefits has effectively done the work for them. Simple solutions but the powers that be dont want to address the obvious disparity.

At last some sense, my ex landlord was over 60 and he drives around in a BMW sports car and has regular exotic holidays, he gets the same winter fuel payments as the little old lady down the road who is living hand to mouth how is that fair?

Yes i agree some disabled people can work and good for them, i'll swap paying their gas bill with my disabilities any day :mad:

summerof0763

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Yes i have disabilities (or at least i have conditions talked about on here as disabilities) but i self manage and still work normally.

i worked "normaly" for years and would dearly love to work "normally" again but i can barely get up some days for "chronic pain" never mind "conditions"

_shel

sh1305 wrote: »

We're told that we have to use our DLA - why do we have to, yet once we reach 60 (or is it 65?) we don't have to do this? Or do we suddenly have more costs when we reach that age?

Why should we have to do this.....Because thats why we get awarded DLA.

IS, ESA, JSA or shock horror wages are there to pay for 'normal' essential living costs. DLA is awarded to pay for extra costs related to disability such as, amongst other things, transport, medical equipment, special foods and additional heating.

Benefits are not designed to give a little extra at the end of each week/month for luxuries, savings etc. No they dont cover everything for everyone but then they are not designed to do so.

I'd actually argue that the CWP made to pensioners needs to means / need tested. No some of those retired Europe who dont need it shouldnt get it and those on the breadline should get more.

Indie_Kid

_shel wrote: »

Why should we have to do this.....Because thats why we get awarded DLA.

But some pensioners get DLA or AA. So, why don't they have to pay it out of theirs?

£18.65 per week doesn't go far. Especially when that involves things such as transport costs (can't drive and can't go out by myself) or things such as special food, nappy sacks, extra washing and possibly soon, nappies.

I'll still need those things at 65 - so why does the government then decide to help me?

Trialia

God, this whole thread is making me furious just reading it.

My DLA pays for me to have ready meals delivered because I can't go out and shop, can't cook for myself, pays for me to get a little help ironing and cleaning and to have a computer because I have a severe phobia of telephone calls and get very depressed when I am cut off from friends and family without internet access. I don't get the severe disability premium because the DWP decided, despite the Pension Service advisor who helped me fill out my latest DLA form and my doctor's comments, that I don't need to be on middle-rate care. I can't drive, and often cannot take public transport because of anxiety, bad Aspie days and haptephobia, so have to have taxis about half the time. I also have to pay for special clothing and alternative health treatments out of my DLA as I have severe fibromyalgia, hypermobility, Raynaud's and temperature/air-pressure-affected migraines (along with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder) and am allergic to multiple fabrics including wool and acrylic.

All of the former are negatively affected by the winter and its weather - if I get too cold I become too stiff and am in too much pain to move at all - so I need extra heating. Does the DLA meet that cost? Hell, no. Not by a long chalk.

Given all I already have to pay for extras out of what little DLA I get, I can't afford extra heating on top, which means I have to go without other things to meet the bills I can't go without paying - for example, it means I have to reduce what I eat to the point where it will keep me from becoming hypoglycaemic and not much more. And I do not have the energy to appeal against my low-care ruling to get the severe disability premium, even though it takes me all my time to get anything done because of my state of health and there are many things I simply can't do at all. So I don't get winter fuel payments, even though the cold makes my conditions considerably - and noticeably - worse, because I am under 60.

Now tell me: how is that a fair way to make someone live?

Edit: Used the wrong abbreviation - I do get CWP, but not winter fuel payments.

mellc

Trialia wrote: »

God, this whole thread is making me furious just reading it.

My DLA pays for me to have ready meals delivered because I can't go out and shop, can't cook for myself, pays for me to get a little help ironing and cleaning and to have a computer because I have a severe phobia of telephone calls and get very depressed when I am cut off from friends and family without internet access. I don't get the severe disability premium because the DWP decided, despite the Pension Service advisor who helped me fill out my latest DLA form and my doctor's comments, that I don't need to be on middle-rate care. I can't drive, and often cannot take public transport because of anxiety, bad Aspie days and haptephobia, so have to have taxis about half the time. I also have to pay for special clothing and alternative health treatments out of my DLA as I have severe fibromyalgia, hypermobility, Raynaud's and temperature/air-pressure-affected migraines (along with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder) and am allergic to multiple fabrics including wool and acrylic.

All of the former are negatively affected by the winter and its weather - if I get too cold I become too stiff and am in too much pain to move at all - so I need extra heating. Does the DLA meet that cost? Hell, no. Not by a long chalk.

Given all I already have to pay for extras out of what little DLA I get, I can't afford extra heating on top, which means I have to go without other things to meet the bills I can't go without paying - for example, it means I have to reduce what I eat to the point where it will keep me from becoming hypoglycaemic and not much more. And I do not have the energy to appeal against my low-care ruling to get the severe disability premium, even though it takes me all my time to get anything done because of my state of health and there are many things I simply can't do at all. So I don't get CWP, even though the cold makes my conditions considerably - and noticeably - worse, because I am under 60.

Now tell me: how is that a fair way to make someone live?

Spot on! its NOT fair, why should pensioners that go to europe for the winter get the CWP and people who need the extra be left struggling, will someone PLEASE tell me why the CWP is not means tested

Indie_Kid

mellc wrote: »

Spot on! its NOT fair, why should pensioners that go to europe for the winter get the CWP and people who need the extra be left struggling, will someone PLEASE tell me why the CWP is not means tested

CWP is means tested. It's the winter fuel payments that aren't means tested.

[Deleted User]

_shel wrote: »

Although when I'm at home for days after having cluster seizures I use extra heating in winter I really cant sign this.

Both DH and I get DLA but why on earth should we be paid a cold weather payment? We get DLA to pay for extra disability needs (including heating when needed) and we both work and get tax credits due to disability to pay for 'life'.

It realy would not be equal or fair to pay us this.

It really wasn't thought through before posting here or on the Number10 site was it?

I absolutely agree with you. I am disabled due to having several complex spinal surgeries and the kind of extra costs described is what I use my DLA for - that's why DLA is paid! If one's DLA income is below the Income Support threshold then it's topped up by IS and one gets a cold weather payment.

Indie_Kid

joolzred wrote: »

I absolutely agree with you. I am disabled due to having several complex spinal surgeries and the kind of extra costs described is what I use my DLA for - that's why DLA is paid! If one's DLA income is below the Income Support threshold then it's topped up by IS and one gets a cold weather payment.

What you've said is incorrect:
DLA isn't means tested and you can claim it and work at the same.
IS is means tested and only certain people can claim it.