D.L.A LIFE AWARDS help needed

50Twuncle

rolling_stone wrote: »

I'm really sorry, for you and for me, but that's highly unlikely. Some of the Incapacity benefit claimants that are found fit for work are having their DLA suspended. ATOS healthcare have a long contract with the DWP and their assessment of DLA claimants is due to begin in 2013/14 after the IB reassessment process is complete. Hence the timescale.

Do you think that this will affect ESA claimants as well ?
Because - we have already been assessed on the "new" system....

mandiskem

i was assessed in march this year after bein on dla for 12 years the first time i was assessed by the doctor from the dla that came out was 12 years ago and the last time it was march this year have been awarded it for life both hrc and hrm . i will be assessed again for incap benefit in 2012 where i was awarded it for 5 years instead of goin every year. its just a waiting game now to see what the government do

bigzippy

gingernights wrote: »

If anyone that has a DLA award for life do they now any more about it?

Also are these changes going to happen straight away or 2013?

candykisses wrote: »

On MoneyBox Live this afternoon (23 June) (Radio 4) it was stated quite clearly that yes, only DLA claimants "of working age" will need to be reassessed, which obviously helps the older people and children if true.

I copied the above text from another post on the forums re: DLA - does anyone else have any input regarding above.

I logged on to listen to the broadcast and it did say what it says above.

rolling_stone wrote: »

Sorry to be a party pooper but I think that everyone, no matter how serious their disability, has good reason to be afraid of losing their DLA. It looks like the criteria that the government is going to use for their decision making process is going to be the current Work Capability assessment, and the company responsible for assessment will be ATOS Healthcare. Now there's a joke.
The current level of incapacity benefit claimants, and this includes disabled people, being found unfit for work is around 9%. There is a mass cull underway and this will eventually include DLA.
Please visit the many forums on this subject and the current level of dissatisfaction with both ATOS and their computer software system that is designed to fail as many people as possible. This is not about helping severely disabled people, it's about saving money.

I've found the best, reliable, information - that's more understandable than the government's info - is on/from benefitsandwork.co.uk's site. You can sign up for their (free) newsletter, and they try to get to the bottom of it all, as timely as possible, for people just like us. They have some really helpful, useful, easy to understand information - some of which is free, some of which you can only see if you are a member paying c.£18/year membership. It helps cut through the scaremongering and the fear imo, and I have to say from what I've read:
anyone WORKING AGE will be subject to a new medical - with a new system as rolling stone mentioned.

I also watched a documentary called "Who's Cheating Who?" on BBC Scotland (which aired before the election) which pointed out the pitfalls of the new ESA medical process, which is again run by ATOS. Even the guy who devised the system agrees that it's flawed and is being "too successful".

I think that whilst we shouldn't get too hysterical in the wait for more details to emerge, we also have a right to be worried about what's going on right now, nevermind what's to come...:cool:

The figures I've read was that the government target was actually to knock 20% off of DLA, in order to achieve their £1.4bn saving. I just don't think that (especially taking into consideration how much they'd have to shell out in order to staff&admin a complete rejig and reevaluation of DLA claims) they could possibly recoup that amount of money without making the controls much tighter and turfing an awful lot of deserving claimants off the benefit.:(

bigzippy

In this newsletter we look at the shock coalition government plans to slash the number of people receiving disability living allowance (DLA) by 20%. A new, points-based system modelled on the notorious work capability assessment process for employment and support allowance is to be introduced for DLA, along with new qualifying criteria.

from the benefits&work July 2010 newsletter

Shockingly, the same newsletter goes on to say that the DWP themselves admit that fraudulent claims only amount to approx 0.6% - which is nowhere near the 20% target they've set to recoup the £1.4bn :mad:

Hope this info helps you guys...:)

Indie_Kid

bigzippy wrote: »

from the benefits&work July 2010 newsletter

Shockingly, the same newsletter goes on to say that the DWP themselves admit that fraudulent claims only amount to approx 0.6% - which is nowhere near the 20% target they've set to recoup the £1.4bn :mad:

Hope this info helps you guys...:)

I think they're hoping that some people will magically be better by 2013... (or dead)

Whilst some peoples' conditions would've improved, I don't think 20% will.

psychologyman

I would be so happy to give up every penny of my DLA and even would be happy to spend the rest of my life paying back all the payments that I have recieved in DLA for the past 4 years if I could just take a pill and be cured. I had a injury that resulted in brain damage and sadly my brain is what it is and will never improve. The change in myself was so sudden that in the end I lost my wife, my children and my quality of life is hard; and the extra monies I get in DLA does help in me being able to live.

Give me that pill and I would be more than happy to never get DLA again.

But the key issue with this debate is that I am left worried sick thinking that the payment could be stopped at any time because the medical will not pick up stuff that actually does have an impact on our lifes. If the payment stops then to be honest it would be saying I am a fraud and my whole world caved in because of me and not because of my accident.

Does the gov. not realise that most of us that recieve the benefit are vulnerable people and making a statment like they did without clear indepth detail as to what it really means, to me is cruel and evil, leaving us all worried like this until they have thought about it. Why could they not have thought about it first, drew up clear details and then inform us all.

Just shows no matter which party is in they dont stop and think how it will impact the person, before they act.

Surfer

As the previous poster PM states, I would happily give up my DLA just to able to move around withourt pain. I suffer from Rheumatoid arthritis and have mobility problems. In 2013 I will be 64 so not much point in a medical as I wouls be retiring the following year. I have no issue with a medical except that I would like it done by a qualified person who assesses me and does nto use a computer progrma to decide if I am fit and well. ATOS stinks as they have no qualified doctors checking people, only health people who can't get a job anywhere else!

TaBunny

Genuine claimers with genuine dibilitating illnesses have no need to panic after all it's not like we're going to get cured anytime soon

rigoletto

rolling_stone wrote: »

I'm really sorry, for you and for me, but that's highly unlikely. Some of the Incapacity benefit claimants that are found fit for work are having their DLA suspended. ATOS healthcare have a long contract with the DWP and their assessment of DLA claimants is due to begin in 2013/14 after the IB reassessment process is complete. Hence the timescale.

I thought DLA payments were non-means tested & there to cover the additional costs associated with disability, regardless of ability to work or not. They seem quite separate to IB which is payment for being unable to work???? Correct???

So there should hopefully be very different criteria for assessments, when they do come around.

Indie_Kid

TaBunny wrote: »

Genuine claimers with genuine dibilitating illnesses have no need to panic after all it's not like we're going to get cured anytime soon

But the criteria is very likely to change - plus, most of the current criteria can't be proved in a medical.