Is it true that the Severe Disability Premium is going to be abolished?

HotShotLin

Hey.

Is it true that the Severe Disability Premium is going to be abolished when the new Universal Credit comes in place? It is currently worth £58.20 a week and is available to those who receive I.S (Income Support), I.B (Incapacity Benefit) and E.S.A (Employment & Support Allowance) who get Mdl/R/Care or Hir/R/Care on D.L.A (Disability Living Allowance). A person claiming this must either live alone or live with another who is also on the same rate of D.L.A. Also, nobody can be receiving Carer’s Allowance for looking after them.

My problems are "severe mental issues" and I have had various diagnoses such as 2 types of Personality Disorder, then possible Manic Depression, followed by a suspected Schizoaffective Disorder and finally Schizophrenia. Out of my premiums through E.S.A, I pay my friend £5 a day to come and cook me a decent meal and she comes on her lunch time. We agreed it would be cheaper for both of us if I buy her a £10 weekly bus saver to go to work and then come to me and then back to work. That is why she gets £5 a day instead of maybe what a carer from the council may cost say £7?? But we both reached this arrangement and it suits us fine. I also pay £20 a week to a cleaning firm called Maid 2 Hire. They will do a minimum of 2 hours only and no less. The lady is very nice and she tidies up, dusts, polishes, hoovers, washes pots, laundry and changes bed covers. She does a cracking job. Also out of my benefit income I pay for taxes as I dislike going on public buses.
Too many people who I am suspicious of. Can't handle it. Not even being able to cook my own meal! A girl in her 20's! How sad is that??? I also pay for other carer's from a firm called Aspire. I get a few hours free a week allocated from the Mental Team and if I wish for any more then I have to pay out of my Disability benefit.

I also had to pay for prescriptions for a while as I was on a "Contribution Based" of E.S.A and then eventually changed to "Income Based" so I now get the NHS associations free. Like.. dental, eye-tests, glasses voucher and prescriptions. And I did not qualify for a Low NHS Scheme (for people on low incomes as I was deemed to be getting too much and D.L.A didn't count. From what I figured, a person had to be getting the basic rate of what they'd receive on Income Support or Job Seekers alone - and I got more) Now I am not complaining about that. I am very grateful for what I receive. I am very lucky. But I'd swap it all in a flash for a "normal life". I want to point out that I am not lazy. I just comprehend things in different ways and what might be a simple task for some is complicated and stressful for myself.

I'd like to ask you to please not tell me to get a job. Believe me, if I could, I **would**! But there ARE no jobs. That is why so many hundreds of thousands are on Job Seekers. What is my alternative? To go on Job Seekers and then crumple under pressure and then go BACK on to Employment & Support Allowance? Please do not be judgemental. If you have not had any issue yourself similar to mine then you really do not know how it is. Even those who might care for somebody with a mental or disablement problem. You may have a good gist of it but cannot totally know how it feels unless have 1st hand experiencing of such things. I have not come on here to be ridiculed and only to receive advice from people who may know. There is always somebody who knows somebody else who holds the power (lol).

I have already telephoned Job Centre who seem to be unaware and CAB think it is all up in the air. Maybe somebody will stumble across this who has read something of truth who can shed some light? Who knows. Worth a try though.

I am so worried I will lose this portion of my E.S.A (premium) as in the Severe Disability Premium. I have read elsewhere that some existing claimants will not have a reduction yet their level of income will be "frozen" and won't receive a rise and other sites say that all claimants will have deductions.

I do know that nothing is set in stone, just wanted to hear other peoples thoughts about this??

Oh, and what about Enhanced Disability Premium? Will that be slashed also?

Thank you so much. Appreciation X 100000%

HSL xXx

Sorry I also forgot to say I am in England Britain and am in the Support Grouping of the Employment & Support Allowance.
Sorry for the huge posting.

enabledebra

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/disability_universal_credit_final_web.pdf

This is a really good overview of how UC will impact on disabled claimants. The SDP is going but there is some transitional protection to the income of existing claimants.

[Deleted User]

to me looks like the transitional relief will be 100% but wont be index linked

missapril75

woodbine wrote: »

to me looks like the transitional relief will be 100% but wont be index linked

If it's done the same way as when Supplementary Benefit changed to Income Support, those qualifying for the protection will see income stand still for a few years.

What happened was that an assessment was done under new rules and a "Transitional addition" for any shortfall was added so there was no drop in overall income.

But the TA didn't remain unchanged. If it began as £20 and then annual uprating gave a £3 rise, the TA became £17, so there was no overall change.

The higher the TA, the longer that person's income remained unchanged.

I knew of one rate that was likely to stay frozen for 7 years during which time the lone parent would have had a second child and seen her first child progress through infants, primary and onto secondary school - all with no change in income.

benefitbaby

It is worth bearing in mind that the transitional protection will only last until there is a change of circumstances (eg partner moving in) at this point the legacy claim will end and entitlement will be calculated under UC.

nannytone_2

but if a partner moved in, the SDP would stop anywaay unless the partner gets SDP too

benefitbaby

nannytone wrote: »

but if a partner moved in, the SDP would stop anywaay unless the partner gets SDP too

Very true... so if a partner also on MRC or HRC DLA moves in after you have transitioned to UC this is a change of circumstances and both would lose their transitional protection.

[Deleted User]

missapril75 wrote: »

If it's done the same way as when Supplementary Benefit changed to Income Support, those qualifying for the protection will see income stand still for a few years.

What happened was that an assessment was done under new rules and a "Transitional addition" for any shortfall was added so there was no drop in overall income.

But the TA didn't remain unchanged. If it began as £20 and then annual uprating gave a £3 rise, the TA became £17, so there was no overall change.

The higher the TA, the longer that person's income remained unchanged.

I knew of one rate that was likely to stay frozen for 7 years during which time the lone parent would have had a second child and seen her first child progress through infants, primary and onto secondary school - all with no change in income.

and thats EXACTLY what i meant by "not index linked"

missapril75

woodbine wrote: »

and thats EXACTLY what i meant by "not index linked"

Oh sure. I wasn't meaning to suggest otherwise. It's just that when it was done back in 1988, people knew it wouldn't increase, but they never realised it would be whittled away by annual uprating.

They thought the TA would remain but stay at the same rate.