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Dla/aa Cuts

Guest
Guest Community member Posts: 1,968 Listener
I everyone I am new here but not new to Scope having CP myself.

I would just like to bring to everyone's attention including Scope that there is to be a cut in the DLA and a possible abolishing of the AA. If you are in receipt of either of these benefits or you know anyone who is or are a carer to someone who is, please access the link below via copying and pasting and then sign. There is a need to get 1,000 signatures before the originators are prepared to act upon the proposed cuts.

http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/disability-living-allowance-(dla)/dla-aa-cuts

Thank you.

Comments

  • Carla1
    Carla1 Community member Posts: 1 Listener
    I everyone I am new here but not new to Scope having CP myself.

    I would just like to bring to everyone's attention including Scope that there is to be a cut in the DLA and a possible abolishing of the AA. If you are in receipt of either of these benefits or you know anyone who is or are a carer to someone who is, please access the link below via copying and pasting and then sign. There is a need to get 1,000 signatures before the originators are prepared to act upon the proposed cuts.

    http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/disability-living-allowance-(dla)/dla-aa-cuts

    Thank you.
  • panther
    panther Community member Posts: 251 Courageous
    I have signed this petition but I just wondered what the views of Scope were on this Green Paper and will Scope be doing anything to fight against it or do you agree with the idea that the money be given to local authority instead and given out as individual budgets?

    Helen
  • Guest
    Guest Community member Posts: 1,968 Listener
    edited June 2014
    Scope's position statement:

    Reform of the social care system is not just an issue for older people. Millions of disabled people of all ages rely on social care support - without this they are excluded from taking part in many everyday life activities such as taking up educational opportunities, finding a job or having a family.

    One of the paper’s proposals - to establish a national care and support system - sounds good in principle. We hope it will help to share the cost of support so it does not impact disproportionately on disabled people on low incomes.

    We urgently need a fairer, flexible and more transparent system where costs are spread more equitably, where people understand what support they are entitled to, and where eligibility is determined by need, not postcode. Whilst we understand there is no extra money in the pot, existing funding needs to work harder and deliver more.

    A key test of today’s proposals will be where the threshold of eligibility is set. This cannot simply be confined to people with high support needs - social care services are key to the independence and dignity of disabled people with lower level needs.

    It is crucial that social care support is made more portable so that people can move to a different authority area without experiencing lengthy delays in transferring their support package or in some cases having their support cut off.
  • panther
    panther Community member Posts: 251 Courageous
    But don't these ideas in the green paper mean that if dla and attendance allowance were given to social services you would have to meet social services criteria before you got any financial support or any other support?

    At present I receive dla but my local social services claim I don't qualify for support at my last assessment when I tried to apply for direct payments.

    If social services were given control of everything and I lost my dla I would not be able to survive my dla pays for my transport costs, my wheelchair costs etc. But without that money I wouldn't be able to do these things I would be made virtually housebound.

    Surely there is more too these proposals than just ensuring that services are more portable so people can move between different authorities without delays in services. It's not just about services it's about ensuring those of us that currently qualify for these benefits aren't going to loose them if it is up to social services to allocate the money to people.

    Helen
  • Guest
    Guest Community member Posts: 1,968 Listener
    edited June 2014
    Scope’s position paper re: Green Paper – proposed DLA/AA reform

    12th August 2009

    We share your view that Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is an important benefit for disabled people. Scope consulted with disabled people and responded to the social care pre-green paper consultation in November 2008, and recommended very strongly to Government that the DLA must be retained. Many disabled people have told us that they rely on Attendance Allowance (AA) and DLA to meet the additional costs of living with an impairment or long-term health condition. We believe, like you, that scrapping AA and/or DLA would have a very negative impact on many disabled and older people’s quality of life.

    We further recognise that AA and DLA are politically important as they represent a clear recognition that society has a responsibility to support people with the extra costs associated with living with an impairment that other people do not incur. Disabled People’s Organisation (DPOs) were instrumental in campaigning for DLA and we believe that its abolition would be a backwards step.

    That said, in the social care green paper, the Government has not proposed to scrap DLA, although it is asking people for their views on whether they should absorb Attendance Allowance into social care funding. Since its publication, we have met with the Minister to seek reassurance that DLA would not be subsumed into the general funding pot for social care. Scope will respond to the green paper in the Autumn, along with other disability charities and DPOs, and we will be consulting with our networks of disabled people to develop our response to the full range of issues resulting from the proposals in the green paper.

    In the meantime we would encourage you to have your say directly, by getting involved in the Government's national 'Big Care Debate'. There will be a number of events taking place around the country that would significantly benefit form the voices and real life expertise of disabled people. You can find out information about these events at: http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/

    If you would like to get involved in Scope's response to the consultation and be kept up to date with the work Scope is doing around this issue please sign up to our campaigning network by sending an email to campaigns@scope.org.uk. You will also receive ways to support Scope’s work and ideas about how you could run campaigns in your local area.
  • lou
    lou Community member Posts: 1 Listener

    Hi Helen,

    First day of joining and first posting, so forgive me if i make a mistake. I dont have CP but am very aware as my son Ben has all four limb CP.

    Am not polictally minded but this was something the labour government was planning to introduce. Our new government is now planning a huge reform of the benefits system, with an in work and out of work benefit system. this is something they will need to be very careful with, as a statement such as the above will possibly open a can of worms.
    As a welfare benefits adviser it is something i will be keeping an eye on and will keep you up to date.

    With regards to direct payments. Do you have a social worker? if yes is he/she supportive? If not ask for a transfer of care to someone else. Did you appeal the decsion? Keep on at them, give them worst day scenario, quote stress, social inclusion, isolation from leading normal life etc etc. Most important dont give up, keep on at them. Its not easy, once they are in place its easier to have the hours increased. Good luck xx
  • panther
    panther Community member Posts: 251 Courageous
    Hi Lou Thank you for your reply. Yes I appealed the decision on being turned down for direct payments but still didn't get anywhere. I don't have a social worker as I'm supposedly not considered bad enough to need social services support.
    After my last assessment the social worker assessing me put me onto something called the in-touch team this basically means every 3 months some one from the local council rings me to see if I'm ok and if there is anything they can do they then say oh no we can't do that we'll ring you in 3 months time goodbye.

    A few years ago I had surgery I rang social services and asked could I have support short term when I came out of hospital they said no your bungalow is wheelchair accessible get on with it. After that surgery I then had to have 2 other lots of surgery and was not allowed to weight bear for 6-8 weeks each time so I wasn't even allowed to stand but again social services response was and your house is wheelchair accessible what more do you need get on with it.
    At my last assessment the social worker actually said to me can we not get the gp to say you are depressed then we can tick the mental health box and give you everything handed to you on a plate no questions asked.
    Earlier this year I was diagnosed depressed so rang the in touch service and ask the social worker to contact me and come back that was at least 4 months ago and I'm still waiting for that phone call. I'm no longer considered depressed by the gp so back to square one.
    I also think now I'd be even less likely to get support because my partner moved in with me earlier this year and I think if I couldn't get help and support when I lived alone I'm even less likely to get it now he is here.

    It is frustrating as I have salt rubbed in the wound every week as my neighbour who is able bodied my with mental health issues gets direct payments and has a carer who goes in cooks, cleans, does everything she wants and takes her out where ever she wants to go but I can't even get a social worker.
    I guess it goes against me that I used to work for the social services duty team for the elderly so now I get nothing. With all the talk of cuts to benefits and moving people from incapacity benefit on to jobseekeers allowance or ESA I have become more ill as it has restarted my stress related seizures again and I'm due for more surgery but I know the situation will be exactly the same no support after by social services, physio or anyone.
    I asked my gp the other week how do you prove a flauctuating condition and how do you prove pain and fatigue my two biggest issues both now and when I was working and he said I don't know they're your biggest problems but you can't see them so I don't know how you prove it.
    I've heard of people with MS being told because they are in a wheelchair they can work and been placed in jobs assessing other disabled people on whether they are fit for work. Or if we find you a sitting down job you can work!
    I worked for a number of years but ended up having to give up as I'd work all week and spen the weekend in bed unable to move too tired and in pain to do anything and I also ended up taking more time off sick than I was at work. When i worked for social services I ended up being signed off with work related stress for 6 months then i got another job for about 2 years but ended up stopping due to pain and fatigue. I don't want to go back to that but I'm not holding my breath as few people seem to understand you can have good and bad days.
    Look forward to hearing any thing else you find out and will keep you posted on how things go from my end.
    Helen
  • SteveE
    SteveE Community member Posts: 88 Pioneering
    We are both on the HIGHER componant of both parts of DLA and were awarded life before the BIP 12 years ago. We were having medicals for these however we have a neighbour who is a self infliction caSE as if he stopped sm,oking years ago he would not have the problems he has today.
    Just this year he was refused DLA after a medical. However after having Age Concern visit hiom and filling in jhis forms he has got Attendance Allowance without a medical this time. Talking about someone who goes out in the weather whatever it is 7 days a week for a pint.

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