Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Being messed about again

Sometimes it can seem that you're surround by a Government run merry-go-round as having eventually got my money sorted for being unable to work even if felt up to it, we have another hoop to go through because the money that's supposed to help meet my personal needs has had a change.
In Britain, we have for a longish period of time given by assessment money to people to help meet the costs of disability such as adaptions, equipment, services or support outside of social services through a variety of differing schemes.
The last expansion of this came in 1992 with the replacement of Attendence Allowance and Mobility payments for under 65's by a broader mainly self certified scheme called Disability Living Allowance where you set out what your needs were and why, doctors and consultants would be asked  to verify the accuracy of you said and so you'd be given an award for varying periods depending on likelihood of it improving or not.
I remember applying for it in November of 1994 and because of my own situation was given an 'indefinite' award because mine cannot improve, quite the opposite actually so when in response to some concern about the potential for fraud, many people were sent to 'medicals' periodically effectively I was exempted not that much fraud really existed but it satisfied the man at the pub who thought so and so believed they shouldn't be getting it.
It is worthwhile considering what actually is the criteria to be considered because to simply have a condition of itself isn't sufficient, you normally need to show how that effects you, what you may need and how that help.
The example people tend to quote against automatic condition as qualifier is a person has a eye deficiency - let's say they are short-sighted - and while without correction they are impacted supplying a (inexpensive) pair of glasses enables them to get around so they don't *need* extra payments.
Two things I'd say from that is this presumes people have sufficient money after regular spending to buy a pair since free glasses ended for most people over eighteen in the mid 1980's and some eye conditions don't lend themselves to simple correction and are grounds to such as severe impairment or actual blindness.
Fuelled by what was seen as increased costs and the idea some with low care needs didn't really need financial help the then coalition government  in 2010 decided to change the system to something that had less provision for lower rate care needs and radically reduced distances  for showing a person was unable or virtually unable to walk with face to face assessments by people called health care professionals who aren't and don't consider anything from specialists to decide if you do.
This is called Personal Independence Payments (P.I.P's)
To date the governments own National Audit Office Report has shown this change has actually allowing for inflation resulted in more spending on disability payments not the anticipated reduction, more cases are won on appeal at expense and many reports from the health care professionals contain errors sometimes even whole falsehoods.
I received a letter late last week informing my INDEFINITE award was stopping soon and I'd have to make a fresh application for PIP so I now have to get a form and fill it out like I did for the Work Capability Assessment eighteen months ago and like I ended up to sort out my main income replacement benefit just before Christmas.
I finally after a long wait and a twenty-two minute phone call got the form coming to me soon.
Will this ever end as with me at least nothing can change for the better and to be honest they might as well of just passported me over as they all the information they need as I'm not getting any better as my body ages.

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