Budget - tougher for DLA claimants

Indie_Kid

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Hypocrite, no - knowledgeable, yes.

So, you gave up and retired. Yet, are telling people not to give up and go on to benefits.

jenniewb

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Some people take responsibility, others do not. There is also a level of people who lie somewhere between being totally incapacitated and scamming the system; these are the ones whose attitudes need to be changed.

Its not those people who are causing the anxiety on this thread- I can see what you say but the reason for me posting that was as myself and others who read that: "you are not sick, your being lazy/irresponsible/scamming the system....etc" or words to that effect, its not at all nice reading that on here. I am mentioning it here as many people may have come here for some help or advice, instead all they are getting is someone *shouting* down their necks that they are undeserving and a menace to society. Its actually the genuine claimants here who are taking the blame as its the genuine claimants who probably lack self esteem and have anxiety issues. Its not helpful and is not setting anyones mind at ease. Perhaps those that are assuming the role of a psychiatrist (judging cases as fraud) need to put a disclaimer at the bottom of their posts "I am not a psychiatrist I am just here to judge" or similar.

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

If people used their DLA for this kind of thing it would be an excellent thing. Unfortunately there is a regular MSE poster with depression who gets irate when this is suggested to her as she spends her DLA on "treats" and holidays.

But as a result we all suffer and how on Earth do you 'prove' a psychaitric disorder within a 5 or even 20 min interview? even those who have known issues such as hearinf voices will be hard pushed to prove themselves against someone who is pretending to hear voices, people who are professional scammers will always know how to trick the system and I don't see how an interview with an unknown psychatrist is going to weed out any of the false claimants so people with a psychiatric disorder lose out against scammers who probably know how to get past the system and say all the right things.
Just a very expensive way to make more mistakes, and this is out new government.

I have already written to my MP, I know well that I am on a one way road to an overdose if all my therapy and support were to stop, I know this for sure, and yes this really is where all my DLA (and some of my own money) goes. (And if it helps justify myself to you, the last holiday I had was with my school/school journey when I was 14 and we went about 20 miles down the road to Kent- if you can call that a holiday, this was almost 20 years ago.)

nogginthenog

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I get so cheesed off when people keep saying this; it's just an excuse for many people to give up and take responsibility for their own health!

I get cheesed off, with people thinking that because everything is fine and dandy and works out right for them, it should it should be some sort of a benchmark to apply to everyone else.
Life is not that simple and straightforward.thats why we have laws and a lady with a set of scales to at least try and have fairness and equallity in life.

Dray_2

Gone cross-eyed reading all these posts

There appears to be a misunderstanding by some posters quite what DLA is, and why, for whatever reason, people get it.

Claimants don't get it for being ill, though it might feel like it if you go through the process, particularly when you're aware that they do, indeed, contact your medical professionals.

The Care Component is provided to help with the costs of obtaining and providing care to enable you to live as normal a life as possible. You are assessed on the help you need with care as a result of your disability. That's why there are three levels of Care Component, with addition help for Middle and Higher (eg, carers allowance, housing benefits).

Likewise the two levels of Mobility Component, lower and higher. They assess your need for financial help, and the help you need to get out and about. Again, there are additional benefits on Higher Rate Mobility, including a free bus pass.

Either way, you can work and receive DLA. The assessment the Chancellor is talking about is not a medical assessment. That's your Medical Professionals job. It's to determine your need for care and mobility support remains the same, is less, or greater. You could find your DLA increased

For the record, multiple stroke survivor, who was on Higher Rate Care, Lower Rate mobility, reclaiming every 2 years - who was not too long ago dropped to Middle Rate Care, Lower Rate Mobility, but 'indefinite' - I can be called in for an assessment at any time, but don't have to go through the worry of filling in a claim form anymore. But they can ask you to do so, if they want.......

BTW, a little while ago I got an odd phone call from JobCentre Plus saying they "didn't need me to go in for a chat, because of the level of DLA" I'm on. That's a new one.

Oldernotwiser

sh1305 wrote: »

So, you gave up and retired. Yet, are telling people not to give up and go on to benefits.

We seem too have cross posted, read my post above.

Obviously many people will have to claim benefits for a while but to expect that depression will never get any better is just wrong and may well be, in itself, a cause for depression!

Indie_Kid

Dray wrote: »

Likewise the two levels of Mobility Component, lower and higher. They assess your need for financial help, and the help you need to get out and about.

The financial help someone needs is irrelevant. Ideally, I need a piece of equipment that is going to cost £2k. I won't get the higher rate of care because I need that piece of equipment.

Oldernotwiser

nogginthenog wrote: »

I get cheesed off, with people thinking that because everything is fine and dandy and works out right for them, it should it should be some sort of a benchmark to apply to everyone else.
Life is not that simple and straightforward.thats why we have laws and a lady with a set of scales to at least try and have fairness and equallity in life.

Of course things don't work out well for everyone and many people are far worst than I ever was. However, I feel that it's a positive thing for people to know that there are other ways forward compared to giving up and living a life on benefits.

Indie_Kid

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

We seem too have cross posted, read my post above.

Obviously many people will have to claim benefits for a while but to expect that depression will never get any better is just wrong and may well be, in itself, a cause for depression!

I saw your post after I posted mine!

Some peoples' depression will never get better and for some it will.

ladyabosso

de1amo wrote: »

that could be read as 'all claimants from 2013-14 as in ones making a claim from then--my claim was long ago accepted!!

but if they only assessed new claimants then they wouldn't be able to reduce their DLA BILL!
I have an indefinite award with an illness that is exempt from medicals being necessary for IB. However they reserve the right to ask you in for an assessment at ANY TIME. They are the ones who are paying it after all.
I have read the test will apply to those of working age so if you're past retirement age, you may get away with not being newly assessed.
I think I speak for most people on this thread when I say that if you have an illness that is only likely to get worse with age, why should they want to assess us again. IT'S BECAUSE, WE MAY BE IN REMISSION OR FEELING BETTER NOW THAN WHEN WE FIRST APPLIED. THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT, THEY'RE IN CHARGE AFTER ALL.

Oldernotwiser

sh1305 wrote: »

I saw your post after I posted mine!

Some peoples' depression will never get better and for some it will.

So how do you then define my actions as "giving up"?

A positive viewpoint is beneficial for many conditions and telling people that they may never get better seems to me the very worst thing that you can do for them. New treatments and new medications appear all the time and these possible development are often what keeps people going and gives them hope.

You have to be an optimist wherever you possibly can in this life.