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Paralympics stars express concern over losing disability living allowance
Tonight’s Channel 4 programme Dispatches, titled Britain on Benefits, will be looking at the plans to “reform” Disability Living Allowance and replace it with the Personal Independence Payment. They talk to Paralympians, disabled army veterans and disabled people in work and ask if this hugely ambitious and expensive plan to reassess disabled people has been properly thought through.
More on the programme here Dispatches - Britain on Benefits
The Guardian has also covered the programme, including this from Sophie Christiansen, who has cerebral palsy, and who won three gold medals at the Games in dressage. She is worried that under the new criteria, she may find herself no longer eligible for the benefit, depending on how assessors judge her ability to get around.
“Technically, I could walk over 200m but I’d be tired. If I lost my mobility [payment] I would lose my car. The train station is more than 200m away. I can’t walk to the train station and I can’t get my scooter on it. What am I going to do?” she said in an interview with Dispatches.
Christiansen expressed anger at the widespread misunderstanding of the purpose of the benefit, which is designed to support people who are in work as well as those who are not working. “We use this money in order to get out the house, not think, oh, we’ve got a comfy life here, living on benefits,” she said.
For the whole article, see Paralympics stars express concern over losing disability allowance
Using the distance of 200m they’re giving an impression that someone who can manage less will somehow qualify for the mobility component of PIP. 200m is actually the level set for the equivalent of ‘no problem with mobility’.
I think a lot of people are due a shock - my understanding is that when finalised the bar is going to be set lower than 50m… (possibly a lot lower)
Using the distance of 200m they’re giving an impression that someone who can manage less will somehow qualify for the mobility component of PIP. 200m is actually the level set for the equivalent of ‘no problem with mobility’.
I think a lot of people are due a shock - my understanding is that when finalised the bar is going to be set lower than 50m… (possibly a lot lower)
As far as I know, the current state of play for HRM is a mere 20 metres, rather than the 50 metres that previously served as some kind of benchmark.
yep, under draft PIP regs, to get enhanced mobility component need to score 12 points which, for those with physical problems walking, means either -
Can stand and then move more than 1 metre but no more than 20 metres, either aided or unaided
or
Cannot, either aided or unaided, –
(i) stand; or
(ii) move more than 1 metre.
here’s a link to draft regs -
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2013/9780111532072/schedule/1