Budget - tougher for DLA claimants

Indie_Kid

karatedragon wrote: »

I thought the whole purpose of DLA was to provide for your care and mobility needs.

If you are lucky to get dressed then DLA is clearly not working.

Unless you are not spending it on making your ability to get dressed better? In which case is DLA actually making people worse?

It's not that simple. The way SS works means that many people can't get help unless they have a lot of care needs.

While others languishing in DLA induced self pity get indefinite awards.

My indefinite award is because I was born with 2 incureable conditions; both of which will only get worse the older I get. Nothing to do with self pity.

Oldernotwiser

sh1305 wrote: »

I have however, had tests that state:
- I have a reading age of a 15 year old (I'm 21) - I got told my reading shouldn't be affeted

Did you tell people this when you applied for university or is this a fact you only use when it suits you? Come to think of it, how did you pass level 3 qualifications with a reading age of 15?

Doom_and_Gloom

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

And even better if these additional costs were paid direct, rather than handing over cash to the claimant. That would go some way to discouraging fakers.

However if they were direct people could be worse off as they might not be able to do things they are now able to due to DLA. Sometimes you don't know the help you will need from one day to the next.

For example how would things like transport to hopsitals/getting around - such as shopping/going to work for those that do etc work? At the moment you can only get a disabled bus pass if you have HRM (although some on LRM can get it sometimes). However you don't get a disabled rail card that pays the journey in full like the buss pass does. What about those that get taxis and pay for them through their DLA? What happens then?

What about equipment that the NHS can not afford to give out to the disabled and so the person needs to save out of their DLA to get it? What happens then? The NHS won't magically be able to pay out for these things you know so that helps no one. I don't think people who say what you have said think it through.

Indie_Kid

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Did you tell people this when you applied for university or is this a fact you only use when it suits you? Come to think of it, how did you pass level 3 qualifications with a reading age of 15?

I don't use it when it suits me. I have a psychologist report that states this fact.

Bryando

I suffer from voices and a few other mental health issues, some my doctors are not fully aware of or indeed are aware of full stop!

My concern is at this medical I will be disadvantged. Purely as NO medical can engage my problems, can speculate to a degree.

I have voices 24/7 and can mean I am in battle with them any moment. Harm somebody or myself or they get really distressing. Whole load of issues arise due to the voices itself.

At times I wish I was in a Institution! Been tempted to do a minor offence refuse Bail to get jail. That is how bad I feel I am or more pose a danger!

So have no idea how a medical will take this in to account. Not very nice speaking to a complete stanger, esp one I will not trust! The fact I don't tell my own Psychiatrist the lot or GP, thats my choice. Yet I feel that I can't any longer if I want weight behind my DLA cliam in the future.

I have NEVER had DLA write to ANY of my doctors, DLA have always taken my form as information.

karatedragon

sh1305 wrote: »

It's not that simple. The way SS works means that many people can't get help unless they have a lot of care needs.

My friend's care visits are not arranged through SS (Social Services??)

She pays per visit privately to a local care company who invoice her. She pays the invoice from her DLA money.

Her family contacted the company directly and they came round and did an assessment and produced a care plan.

Check the internet or Yellow Pages for local private care companies and then maybe you can get the help you need to get dressed and motivated using the money from your Care Component.

kah22

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

And even better if these additional costs were paid direct, rather than handing over cash to the claimant. That would go some way to discouraging fakers.

What a brilliant idea, let’s scratch the surface a little.

OK example I’m disable and my brother/sister come in twice a week to help me out: do a bit of washing, ironing, maybe cut the grass in the summer time. Maybe run me down to the shops to get some groceries.Nothing really out of the ordinary, just ordinary simple tasks that I may not be physically able to do myself. It's an example so bear with me.

So lets say DLA decided that was worth £10 per week for each of them.

Now my own brothers and sisters if I needed them to do it would do it with a heart and a hand and wouldn’t expect payment but it’s there and that’s what it is for. So every month tens of thousands of people make their claim and those nice people in the DLA department work tirelessly on our behalf making sure payment is sent out ASP :rotfl:The reason, of course, for making the claim is that we can't trust these helpers, it might have been raining all week and the grass was left uncut! No we can't trust disabled people, but the same token we can't trust the able bodied.

So my sister gets about 500 odd pound a year my brother likewise. OK so what are they going to do, they will of course declare it as income – well it’s money earned so it’s the right course of action and anyway the DLA people issued the checque and it's on computer so the tax people might find out :eek:

At the same time don’t think that the tax people would be all that happy with tens of thousands of people saying they earned an extra £500, create a lot of extra paper work. Then maybe they wouldn’t be that unhappy it might secure their jobs.

One of the reason for DLA been paid as it is now, dear friend, is to cut down on unnecessary administration, the cost of administration is very great indeed, that’s one of the reasons benefits like the child allowance are given to everyone, fat cat bankers and all, it works out cheaper in the long run!

Great we’ve discovered a way to discourage fakers, but at what cost?

There is an old saying about justice:

it is better that ten guilty men walk free than one innocent man go to jail.

Maybe we could employ a similar sentiment to those with sever disabilities.

cyclonebri1

kah22 wrote: »

What a brilliant idea, let’s scratch the surface a little.

OK example I’m disable and my brother/sister come in twice a week to help me out: do a bit of washing, ironing, maybe cut the grass in the summer time. Maybe run me down to the shops to get some groceries.Nothing really out of the ordinary, just ordinary simple tasks that I may not be physically able to do myself. It's an example so bear with me.

So lets say DLA decided that was worth £10 per week for each of them.

Now my own brothers and sisters if I needed them to do it would do it with a heart and a hand and wouldn’t expect payment but it’s there and that’s what it is for. So every month tens of thousands of people make their claim and those nice people in the DLA department work tirelessly on our behalf making sure payment is sent out ASP :rotfl:The reason, of course, for making the claim is that we can't trust these helpers, it might have been raining all week and the grass was left uncut! No we can't trust disabled people, but the same token we can't trust the able bodied.

So my sister gets about 500 odd pound a year my brother likewise. OK so what are they going to do, they will of course declare it as income – well it’s money earned so it’s the right course of action and anyway the DLA people issued the checque and it's on computer so the tax people might find out :eek:

At the same time don’t think that the tax people would be all that happy with tens of thousands of people saying they earned an extra £500, create a lot of extra paper work. Then maybe they wouldn’t be that unhappy it might secure their jobs.

One of the reason for DLA been paid as it is now, dear friend, is to cut down on unnecessary administration, the cost of administration is very great indeed, that’s one of the reasons benefits like the child allowance are given to everyone, fat cat bankers and all, it works out cheaper in the long run!

Great we’ve discovered a way to discourage fakers, but at what cost?

There is an old saying about justice: Maybe we could employ a similar sentiment to those with sever disabilities.

I actually "think "I agree with your sentiments, but, boy, do you need to chill.

cyclonebri1

DLA is paid for 2 reasons only, to aid mobility and to balance care requirements, ie, caring costs the carer.

The mobility component of whatever rate can be used to obtain a car if the claimant is able to drive, or to pay for transport if they are not. I see few problems with that.

The care aspect is less clear as it does not go anywhere near to paying the true cost of medium to high rate care.

Additionally I do understand that there must be real concerns amongst MH claimants, not an issue for me, but I wouldn't want to try and argue the issue in a 20 min interview unless my GP was there.

And yes we want to see false claimants get there just deserts, but there will be casualties.

LindsayO

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

And even better if these additional costs were paid direct, rather than handing over cash to the claimant. That would go some way to discouraging fakers.

But not all care needs, mean hiring a carer, they might mean buying care supplies, like incontenance pads, nappy cream and baby wipes for a wheelchair user with no feeling below the waist who is incontenant.