DLA and MOTABILITy over 65

bertiebat

I'm sorry krisskross but you have made it clear that you simply agree with this because you feel hard done by. There is no doubt in my mind that you would have very different views if your husband was on the right side of 65 when he would have qualified.

I'm 57 and because I'm not 3 years older, I will lose my incapacity in 2012 and then will have to wait an additional 6.5 years until I can claim my well contributed state pension. Then I will have my DLA HRM/LRC taken away. Take that one for being unlucky with timings!

I have also done my time at the coal face and proudly paid my taxes and NI's (both employee and at some point employer) until I got breast cancer (and even then for a while). My work ethic is such that I worked through chemo and managed to hand over as much as I could before accepting that I wasn't superwoman. It wasn't want I wanted to do I can assure you and it wasn't for the money.

Didn't claim anything for 2 years of hell.

I was hospitalised 5 times, developed lymphoedema first in one arm and then the other. Numerous scans (bone, liver etc) repeated 4 times over that period to restage me, (told by the onc to expect the worst when I had a brain scan).

I scuppered my leg and the NHS misaligned my leg and gave me chronic MRSA osteomyalitis. Only at this point did I think it was reasonable to actually claim incapacity benefit and then later DLA. I decided that rather than suing the NHS this was a reasonable compromise.

I'm so utterly bored with the prevailing trend to condemn all people below the magical and ever moving pension age as work shy money grabbing scum!

Edit: Probably a bit OTT in ranting. But for some (actually less so me), the removing of the DLA HRM is going to be a real blow and NOONE should be rejoicing at the misfortune of others. It's really low!

nannytone_2

welsh..i'm 47

allen...i was playing devil's advocate. my partner works and will have a private pension. he owns his own house ( well he will do by retirement age!)

i'll just be a persona non grata. reliant on his good nature as the only money i have of my own, will be gone.

allen35

Too much income for pension credit then, partner in real terms means partnership, therefore it is classed as joint income, won't you be entitled to a state pension when you reach retirement age???

nannytone_2

my state pension will be minimal. the only credits i have are for when i was receiving xhild benefit.
my partner financially supports me now, and has no problem in doing so. it just irks me, that the reason i didn't work was not of my doing, and the only little bit of independance i have will be taken away.

Oldernotwiser

welshmoneylover wrote: »

Planet earth I'd imagine.

Its long enough for people to save up to provide for themselves rather than rely on the state for every hand out.

I don't think that getting a state pension comes under the heading of "getting every handout!" Neither do I think that a lifetime of low paid work allows enough spare money to fund a generous pension scheme. After all, a 40 years in the public sector on NMW is only going to provide a pension of about £5,000 pa.

Marisco

krisskross wrote: »

And still no one has come up with a decent reason why some people over 65 get mobility help whilst others of exactly the same age are denied it.

I should imagine it's for the same reason someone of 24 years and 364 days gets less benefit than someone of 25. There has to be a cut off date somewhere, and "they" have decided 65 is it!! If people got it prior to 65, and continue to get it after 65, I suppose it could be that they would be used to getting it, and factored it into their budget, so stopping it would cause hardship. If you become immobile after 65, then you'll be used to managing without it.

As for the argument that everyone should have a private pension, that's rubbish!! I agree with ONW here, not everyone was in a position TO save. I cannot understand what is so hard to understand about that!!!! And what about women who mainly worked part time? And not all so called "baby boomers" have made money!! There seems to be a perception that the BB's have all been married for donkeys years, bought their house cheap and are sitting on a fortune!! Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but life doesn't always turn out as you seem to think it should!!!!

ekkygirl

I feel for the people who are unlucky and just miss deadline and cut off points for everything, not just benefits, I am one of these and it irks me enough to not want anyone else to get what I can't have if I am in the same position as they are. I think this is human nature and its wrong to condemn people and call them selfish for being human.

At long last the government (our choice or not) are doing something about the crippling financial burden of the welfare state. There are too few of us working to "pay" for all the people who claim benefits and it will only get worse. That is not to say that most of the claimants are deserving I hope they all are.
I dont agree with targeting the elderly or disabled but if it needs to save money and makes all equal then that has to be the fairest thing to do. If you cant pay everyone with similar needs then why pay anyone? we are all suffering at the present time

The shake up of the system is bound to affect everyone in it. For too long it has been so complicated that even people who were entitled to help didn't know it. You need legal advise for some of the loopholes and obscure benefits.

harry7075

krisskross wrote: »

My husband IS a genuine case. Rheumatoid Arthritis is absolutely nothing to do with age.

So as you expect to have mobility problems when you reach retirement age then it is entirely right that everyone or no one should get any financial help, is that what you are saying?

My Mother is well passed the state retirement age and all she receives is a Police Widows pension, which my late father contributed through via his salary, and the normal state retirement pension. Is it fair because she is in rude health for her age that she only receives the basic pension, paid from her National Insurance Contributions from her previous employment? Wouldn't it be fairer to abolish Attendance Allowance and use the gained surplus to benefit all pensioners?

Also if your husband had been diagnosed at 63 and be receiving Higher Rate Mobility Component would you be under the same opinion? Perhaps it is unfair that some get a car by a few months grace. But if a child is disabled from birth and at four receives a motability vehicle is it fair to take this benefit from them when they reach 65? Of course is wouldn't apply yet as the benefit hasn't ran that long, but when it does will it be fair to take the independence away from someone who may have used the benefit to fund a vehicle so they can contribute to society by travelling to work etc? I THINK NOT!

DLA funds vehicles for more than the small minority of blue badge waving pensioners, I've encountered at Tesco when I quite rightly park in a disabled bay.

krisskross

I thought it was odd when the government announced the plans to make everyone of working age who claims DLA have a medical to prove their eligibility. I wondered why they weren't including the over 65s.

It is obvious now why the over 65s won't need a medical as they will no longer be eligible for DLA.

I am sure this will happen and even if Labour got back into power I doubt these decisions would be reversed.

Money needs to be saved and I am sure Labour are happy for the coalition to be taking the unpopular decisions.

Marisco

What is the point in including over 65's??? It's obvious that the older you get, the more creaky you get!! Unfortunately, old age brings more than just wrinkles!!;) And pensioners cannot work anyway, I thought (correct me if I've got it wrong) that these medicals were to ascertain whether someone is fit to work or not.