Motability 21 January at 10:18AM in Disability money matters 13 replies 1K views

maxgrazza

My wife had a stroke in August last year, exactly one month after she had received her first state pension payment. She is paralysed on her left side. The costs associated with caring for her are significant but we are not entitled to any benefit until six months after the event. In addition because she had reached state pension age she is NOT entitled to a Motability grant where if she had had her stroke a month before receiving her pension she would have been. This is clearly age discrimination and offends the various Equality Acts. Has anyone else experienced this and more importantly fought the decisions

wolfehouse

The issue has been raised by age U.K..  (they agree with you that it is unfair) https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/how-public-funds-can-be-used-to-support-the-mobility-needs-of-disabled-people/public-feedback/age-uk-response

poppy12345

maxgrazza said:

In addition because she had reached state pension age she is NOT entitled to a Motability grant where if she had had her stroke a month before receiving her pension she would have been.

Motability grants can only be claimed if you're a motability customer for things like help towards the cost of driving lessons, help with advanced payments for vehicles and help with the cost of adaptions to any vehicles.

If you mean not entitled to apply for a motability vehicle then for this you need to be claiming either PIP Enhanced mobility or DLA high rate mobility. As your wife is now over state pension age then she will need to claim AA but this doesn't have a mobility part, so you can't access motability.

Albermarle

If you mean not entitled to apply for a motability vehicle then for this you need to be claiming either PIP Enhanced mobility or DLA high rate mobility. As your wife is now over state pension age then she will need to claim AA but this doesn't have a mobility part, so you can't access motability.

Out of interest what happens when you reach state pension age,  if you are claiming PIP Enhanced mobility and are using it to fund a motability vehicle. Do you have to give the vehicle back when you reach your 66th birthday, even though there might still be some years left on the lease agreement ?

Spoonie_Turtle

Albermarle said:

If you mean not entitled to apply for a motability vehicle then for this you need to be claiming either PIP Enhanced mobility or DLA high rate mobility. As your wife is now over state pension age then she will need to claim AA but this doesn't have a mobility part, so you can't access motability.

Out of interest what happens when you reach state pension age,  if you are claiming PIP Enhanced mobility and are using it to fund a motability vehicle. Do you have to give the vehicle back when you reach your 66th birthday, even though there might still be some years left on the lease agreement ?

No,  PIP continues if the claim was started before state pension age. 

teddysmum

The unfairness of the system, making people, who become disabled after State Pension age, second class pensioners, has been discussed at length, before, on here. The State can't afford to help everybody and one rhetorical question was whether the extra benefit should be removed, thus levelling up.

At the time, there was a story in a newspaper about an elderly couple, where the lady lost a leg, just after pensionable age , so depended on her husband to drive her about and push her wheelchair. Just AA for this lady, but their problem was that the garage said that the old car could not be repaired again, with a replacement being beyond their means, so the man, who had arthritis, faced pushing his wife home, up a steep hill.

As AA has different criteria from PIP, there could be separate criteria for mobility help, over the whole age range, according to need. Perhaps some PIP beneficiaries may lose out, but to the advantage of this poor couple and the lady on this thread.

Spoonie_Turtle

teddysmum said:

The unfairness of the system, making people, who become disabled after State Pension age, second class pensioners, has been discussed at length, before, on here. The State can't afford to help everybody and one rhetorical question was whether the extra benefit should be removed, thus levelling up.


As AA has different criteria from PIP, there could be separate criteria for mobility help, over the whole age range, according to need. Perhaps some PIP beneficiaries may lose out, but to the advantage of this poor couple and the lady on this thread.

That would be levelling down.

The people who get the mobility component of PIP do so because they need it, it's already assessed based on need - and it's already harsher than the DLA mobility criteris.  What you're suggesting is a system that gives mobility awards to people who need it … which would include everyone getting current mobility allowances as well as pensioners who would qualify for PIP mobility if they were 66 or younger. 

 … which has essentially the same effect as just adding a mobility component to AA.

teddysmum

to Spoonie-Turtle 

In your haste to put your point, after being pedantic about 'levelling',  you have totally misunderstood/misread my post. 

First of all, the comment was not mine and was not meant seriously by the person who did comment.

Secondly, neither I nor anyone else has said that people awarded the mobility part of PIP or DLA do not deserve it. I said people should be paid according to need and not age (I don't need bold print), which means that those with similar needs acquired after pensionable age , have need so should be awarded  according to that need.

Incidentally, I lost my ability to walk, independently/safely almost 3 years ago (I'm 74), but am so grateful that I have no 'need', as my husband drives me about (among other things), but there are many older people who are alone, who certainly do have needs and are forced into being housebound  because .....

Spoonie_Turtle

I apologise, I still can't see how I missed the point of your post, but perhaps my post sounded like I somehow disagree pensioners should have a mobility component - I certainly don't think that at all, it's an absolute disgrace that the government apparently thinks people over pension age shouldn't expect to be mobile.  If anything it's even worse for people over pension age because statistically speaking they are perhaps less likely to have a partner or friends who can help out (and family may have moved away), and for all sorts of reasons it is vital to be able to still go out and socialise, remain independent where possible* and keep their mind active.  Nobody should be cooped up at home just for lack of money/transport.

*without being to their detriment

sevenhills

teddysmum said:

Incidentally, I lost my ability to walk, independently/safely almost 3 years ago (I'm 74), but am so grateful that I have no 'need', as my husband drives me about (among other things), but there are many older people who are alone, who certainly do have needs and are forced into being housebound  because .....

It is a complex issue, if the government treat people differently.
I don't think that they should treat married/single people differently. But those that work, ie people below state pension age have greater demands on their time and they are paying taxes for other people's benefits.

teddysmum

sevenhills said:

It is a complex issue, if the government treat people differently.
I don't think that they should treat married/single people differently. But those that work, ie people below state pension age have greater demands on their time and they are paying taxes for other people's benefits.

We paid taxes for other people's benefits, too. In fact we still do so and the Government does treat people differently, so based on that, mobility for older people would simplify things.