Re: disability living allowance
 

Yep lobbying your local mp and council memebrs is about the most that the majority can do and are doing increasingly on this issue. Sorry Carol but you don't know me and you don't know the majority of people in this country so please stop acting as though you do.

Unless of course you actually have some independently verified research to back up your claims (in which case you can give us some links) many of which are offensive to many in this country. Whether you believe it or not your the sort of person with the sort of approach that does more harm to defeating issues like this then good although i know you don't think so.

This is not a "them and us" issue this is something that will affect nearly all people in the UK at some point directly or indirectly and all that needs to be done is for this to be bought to their attention to get them moving as they are doing now.

I still believe and see some evidence day in and day out that the majority of people in the UK are as they have always been fair minded, considerent and caring people who will always support those in genuine need and do what they can to help them once they are aware of a situation.

Re: disability living allowance
 

It really is quite saddening to see that you don't really know what you are up against in these issues. It is very much a case of us and them. Sadly so many people find this out all too late.

If you cont like my direct approach, based upon many years as a professional care advisor, and caring for my own, and helping many people secure and retain DLA then I will gladly bow out and leave you to find out for yourselves.

Meanwhile take a peep at this you may find it helpful, it may even wake a few up to the harsh realities of the real world of the DWP.

Government Fears The Worst

The UK government have today (Wednesday) shown us at www.dwpcorruption.co.uk how much they fear us after using government legislation to remove video content from both DWP CORRUPTION and DEAD BEAT DADS sites after complaining to You Tube about government censorship.

The truth is the content removed from site shows the CSA and CEMEC staff on tape recordings acting unethically and giving corrupt advice to single dads who are put in to a serious situation of extortion and almost threatened by ***** style staff and behaviour.

This a well known fact and witnessed by Kitty Usher and James Purnell government ministers who refuse to answer corruption allegations at DWP headquarters.

Our site www.dwpcorruption.co.uk as been shut down three times using censorship regulations without any explanation.

Of course we understand the panic which the government officials have when they become close to having the corruption uncovered by members of the public.

The good news is in less than ten hours the original videos are back on site.

Why? Because the truth always gets out and hurts and you can’t argue with truth and facts can you?

We at www.dwpcorruption.co.uk ask you send this information out to every one you know and listen to the recordings that have been a threat to government enough to blackmail You Tube to remove them or it could be a case of government having a Common Purpose graduate working in the You Tube Company?

DWP CORRUPTION and DEAD BEAT DADS work hand in hand as sister sites.

Dead Beat Dads has been a great help to DWP CORRUPTION in helping us uncover corruption in government departments including the corrupt CSA.

You the general public would never believe what has been uncovered. Examples of this are DWP and Job Centre Plus staff based in London working in the massage industry as working girls along side there own job at Job Centre Plus during working hours.

We at www.dwpcorruption.co.uk shall be providing a new video with lots of facts about corruption in the DWP departments giving it to you right from the horse’s mouth.

We can even provide names of the Job Centre Plus staff that engage in this sort of activity.

The evidence will be enclosed with the ID of the person involved in the uncovered scam.

What’s the worst that can happen? The government will attempt to shut us down again under sensitivity legislation.

Alongside this the corruption in the CSA is still a problem to one parent dads who are suffering from corrupt behaviour involving ministers within government who engage in fraud and collusion with money taken out of the hard earned salary of fathers who are treated like idiots by CSA and CEMEC staff.

Watch this space.

Martin

www.dwpcorruption.co.uk
.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Will you please quote only part of the text that you're referring to, then provide a reference to the remainder of the article/text so that people can follow it if they wish.

Please do not continue to full quotations of your sources as it is often difficult to follow exactly where your post ends and your quote begins.

Thank you.


---------- Post added at 10:25 ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 ----------

For your further information the [quote] and [/quote] tags will allow you to indicate quoted passages.

Re: disability living allowance
 

I DO know what I'm talking about thank you.

Now why not try and discuss what's happening properly, can you do that?

I see you didn't bother replying to either my or Paul M's questions either.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Is there any reason as to why you're so desperately spamming the thread with your URL?? Is it that you're desperate to inform people or more desperate to increase your revenue stream??

I wonder sometimes :rolleyes:

Re: disability living allowance
 

Oh dear. Now I know you really are quite amateurish at this business.

My post was in response to a person that stated that it is not "an us or them" situation. Those of us who have been at this for years know different, and know of the human suffering caused by our very own DWP.

The DWP are acting illegally and ignoring many laws that are there to protect you. There are now actually ignoring the ECJ and if anyone wants proof of this, direct to me from the EU just email me carolwhitie@yahoo.co.uk

I came here to help but your last comment indicates to me that your parent will be glad when the school holidays are over. If I am wrong then prove you post...... as in what revenue stream?

I have never taken of asked for a bean to help people. I cant help you have a warped mind, can I?

Re: disability living allowance
 

Nobody comes on these forums and abuses any of the membership and the team which manage these boards - Also check out the age of the person you are talking to before coming out with a load of stupid nonsense.

Life begins at 40 eh Kymmy? You will be going back to school soon according to Carol.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Oh gawd I hope not!!!! had enough of that in the '80's!!!

Re: disability living allowance
 

As I can't be bothered to read through that womans poor writing, what did I miss?

Re: disability living allowance
 

You missed her being told off for accusing someone of "poor writing"!

Re: disability living allowance
 

Rants, lots of Rants.

Re: disability living allowance
 

HHHmmm I have had problems when applying for DLA and had to appeal at one point. But I guess it's like anything there are good AND bad on both sides.

The only thing that I'd say is I don't trust the social services enough to let them spend my money for me.

Re: disability living allowance
 

All she has done in this thread is detract from the Green paper which was highlighted here.

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/20...ts-page-2.html

Re: disability living allowance
 

they are but shes doing a good job of making them look normal compared to her

Re: disability living allowance
 

Good Morning one and all.

I have been reading here for sometime and finally I decided to post. My reason for this is that there are many here under the misconception that obtaining DLA is not like entering into a war zone.

Well you are all fully entitled to your opinion. However a carful scrutiny of the DLA application form will reveal that it is rather full of trick question. One inconsistent answer will disqualify you immediately. And that is just for starters.

I would urge all new applicants to seek specialist advice from disabled charities or the Citizen’s Advice Bureau or even a solicitor specialising in DLA applications.

Kindly remember please one and all, that the DWP are currently in open breach of an ECJ ruling of 18 October 2007, and are steadfastly disregarding EU law despite pressure from many to do the right thing and observe the law as they are required to do.

I have been involved with this action and I am fully aware of cases in this particular matter where people have suffered badly from stress related illness, and these people are already ill and were on DLA. (If any one wants further information just do a Google Search for Exporting DLA).

I strongly fee that when we have our own DWP who openly ignores the ECJ then they are capable of just about anything

Therefore always be on your toes in your dealing with them. Forewarned is forearmed to combat those whom would cause you harm.

There is excellent progress being made on the opposition to the Green Paper. This paper indicates to me an intention to see the beginning of the end of social benefits as we know them. Fortunately, there has already been the threat of a back bench revolt over this issue.

Good luck one and all. I doubt if I will have anything further to useful contribute to these matters, but will be a keen observer.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Perhaps anyone who doubts the onerous nature of the DLA forms and claims process should download a set and work through the questions as if, say, they were the parent of a severely disabled child or themselves disabled.

Of course this will only give an insight into what the disabled have to go through on a regular basis (in addition to coping with their disabilities of course) but it might just open a few eyes... Having said that, very few people who aren't disabled and reliant on DLA will really appreciate the stress, pressure and often emotional 'pain' involved in claiming, knowing that a slip-up or omission might cause severe delays to a claim or even the rejection of it.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Good suggestion Osem and one i recommend everyone on this forum to do as it will give you a chance to see how badly worded the claim form is and how easy it is to slip up and lose your entitlement. This is what we have to do we have to help people who are not afflicted yet (sorry but anyone can become disabled at anytime not that i am wishing it on anyone) and don't understand how hard the process is or how easily it can be rejected for genuine people.

Despite what the government says at times this is not and never has been about cutting fraud it is about cutting the number of claims and reducing the amount of money that is paid out because it is easier to hit benefit claimants and less risky poiltically then to do something really useful like cut tax fraud.

Re: disability living allowance
 

One of the infamous problems is the DWP's (deliberate?) misinterpretation of the "main meal test". This according to the DWP's own Decision Makers Guide, evidence given to a Commons Select Committee and even a House of Lords ruling, is that it is a hypothetical test.
Evidence given to a Commons Select Committee:-
Whereas the DWP treat it as a direct test of ability to use a cooker and not the test of the activities involved. An example would be that if you had problems standing for a period of time then would say that you could use a stool(even if that is even more painful/difficult). The law says that the problem is not standing just to use a cooker, but standing in order to perform any household task. Similarly with bending down to use an oven, the DWP just say that you don't have to use an oven. The law says that it is the activity of bending down that is being 'tested', not just use of an oven.

Re: disability living allowance
 

A bit more information here, about eligibility for DLA - Linky (for those, like me, who didn't know much about the details before this thread raised my interest).
From people I have spoken to at DWP/DCS, and support organisations, people don't get DLA because they have a disability, DLA is given depending on the impact of the disability - how much help is needed.

Re: disability living allowance
 

very true but thats not what the forms tell them asking if they cope isnt the same as seeing how much pain and or medication they need that isnt normal

when asked if i had a good day in no way equates to a well persons good day

the forms are designed to make people think that they should put down the best they can do and not the norm of what they can do

Re: disability living allowance
 

I can' speak for anyone else and don't expect those not in a sitituation like ours to understand but I can say that when we've filled out the DLA forms we've always found it a very painful and emotionally draining experience, made worse by the fact that we're acting on behalf of our child and therefore responsible for securing an entitlement he will come to rely on in time.

Describing in great (often repetitious), graphic, detail all the physical/mental problems and limitations of a vulnerable loved one is an extremely depressing and taxing affair. As parents of a disabled child we try to remain positive at all times, knowing full well that if we can't look after him the only option will be him being taken into care - something which fills us with dread! At the same time however, documenting all the things we have to deal with on a daily basis is extremely depressing and upsetting. It also forces you to acknowledge all those painful emotional issues and realities you try to bury deep inside the back of your mind in order to make the load bearable. I'll be honest and say that at times we've both felt we'd be unable to cope with his needs as he grows up... That's a horrendous thought believe me!

When we go to see his paediatrician we see a file several inches thick, full of test results, medical reports/correspondence relating to all his problems. These problems are not the subject of debate, they are medical fact! His annual school reviews are the same - there is no doubt about the extent of his needs. His whole life seems to have been a series of serious medical and other problems and when we can bear to think about it we know that what the future holds is more of the same. Frankly, living with this sort of thing is hard enough without having to fill out onerous DLA forms which greatly test the will of genuine claimants like us and make us feel we're fighting to justify what little help our loved ones get. Frankly we often feel like we can't carry on fighting but we have no choice do we....

In any system of welfare there will be those who cynically and selfishly abuse that system. People like us aren't asking for carte blanche to do and claim what we want, we're just asking not to have our considerable burden added to and not to be made to feel like we're spongers, having to justify everything - as if there was any doubt about the numerous problems we already have to live through and cope with.....

Re: disability living allowance
 

Osem

I know it probably won't make you feel any better, but you are not alone in your feelings about filling in the form.

There was a research paper on this - Linky and it repeats what you have said (on page 6)
Have you had any help filling in the forms? I don't know the details of your son's disability, but various disablity support organisations have support workers, who deal with the DCS on a day to day basis, and know what is required to fill in the form (as they do it frequently), and more importantly, what "language" to use.

As the report linked to above states (page 3)

Re: disability living allowance
 

Well if the whole lot gets handed over to social services as set out in the green paper this all may well become moot..as social services are notorious for being understaffed and underfunded and at times very ad hoc in their arrangements I forsee a lot of people slipping between the cracks...:(

Re: disability living allowance
 

Yes we were lucky to get help when we filled out the forms and were very grateful for it. Due to the nature of our son's special school we come across very many parents in exactly the same position and to be honest their lives are quite difficult enough without having what is the trauma of claiming DLA loaded on top. We also know that the complex nature of the process also means that some of the awards are more 'appropriate' than others, the losers often being those who had no help with the claim process and simply didn't make the best job of filling out the forms for whatever reason.

Of course were it so daunting a prospect for the benefit fraudster we'd all be a lot happier but for those feigning illness/disability it's all just a callous deceit not their entire soul destroying, strength sapping day to day experience.

Re: disability living allowance
 

I think you'll find if social services end up handling everything Maggy MOST people will fall through the cracks. Hell in my home town they can't even safeguard the welfare of at risk kids and i am expected to have faith and confidence in them dealing effectively with my daily needs, yeah right. This is as far as i am concerned the disgusting start of a far more wide ranging and disgusting campaign against benefit claimants that this government would love to go on. Only the support of the majority of the british public turning round and saying "no you get your hands off and actually help the genuine" will stop this bunch of lowlifes and their personal agenda. How i wish we could have a government of any persuasion that truly represented the fair tolerent approach that most british people have and is it any wonder that as more and more governments come and go and degrade those qualities that we seem to have a growing number of normal people also representing those qualities less in our communities.

Re: disability living allowance
 

I usually only visit this forum when in need of help so was not aware this thread was on the go.

As part of a group of online family carers,we have been campaigning over the last few months to protect the disability benefits. I will post the links but not sure if they are allowed so understand if mods need remove them.

Campaign to protect benefits

covers several months so its a lengthy read over many pages.Comments have been added along the way too. Feel free to add your own.

Also, as regards the problems with the new ESA take a look at this , again a lengthy read

Last but not least there are a group of people fighting against some of the measures passed in the Welfare Reform bill. A few details are shared here

Hope this of use to some of you.

Re: disability living allowance
 

It would help, TakeCare, if you briefly explained how the new bill is going to affect claimants with mental health issues.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Hi Flyboy,

Am I allowed to add these links? Not sure of the protocol here.

Hope this helps.I cover mostly the disability benefits but asked someone I work alongside to do this.Just holler if any more questions.Its not just those with mental health problems but some with severe autism too.

PDF file on this link from CAB that is well worth a read

This is re Cancer patients too

ESA

I’ll try to explain ESA a bit better. To campaign to improve it is so hard basically because no one understands it and it confuses people.

The principle is that everyone should be helped back to work. Now that would be a good principle if you said everyone can have maximum help to get back to work if this is what they want. It is a great idea that all people, however ill can try and get back to work if they want to.

But the government have linked the help to the bullying. You can’t have help without accepting sanctions. This linkage is artificial and unnecessary. It’s because they don’t have any new ideas to make it really possible to get sick people in to real work so they are making it all a problem in the mind of the sick person and giving them CBT to get better motivated. It’s not in their mind – they face real problems.

The government tell the charities that the private contractors won’t bother to help people unless they have the control of sanctions over them. They imagine people coming along all enthusiastic and then backing down when it gets too hard. Probably and hopefully so. Sick people should have the courage to have a go and the safety of knowing they can back out. Private contractors can’t be bothered with this. Too frustrating for them. Most of them used to be salesman. Imagine selling double glazing and then people having second thoughts. Slap a sanction on them.

Obviously the sick person under this system would be far better claiming not to be able to do or try anything. It just isn’t safe to take a risk and sign up if you might not be strong enough to follow through.

So when it gets to the crunch – who is to decide if the sick person wants to back off from something if they are not trying hard enough? The government gives all the discretion and decision making to bureaucrats. This decision has to be returned to the sick person. What is the point of giving them dignity and control over care packages and then bullying them in to back to work activity they feel they can’t cope with.

Re: disability living allowance
 

TakeCare, first of all the links are fine. I think the only objections are to links of an inappropriate nature or blatant advertising for commercial gain.

Secondly, is there any information you can give us on what the differences are between the old system and the new and why the new system is a bad thing?

Re: disability living allowance
 

Perhaps I can help here. I manage the blog on mental health and ESA that TakeCare posted.

What do you want to know? Ask any questions and I'll try and answer. ESA will replace IB for all sick or disabled people as it comes on line. At the moment it is only for new applicants so there isn't much experience of it.

The whole philosophy of ESA is different from IB. It's no good your own health profesionals or doctor saying you are too sick to work. The only people accepted as unfit to work are people with less than six months to live or undergoing current chemo or radio therapy. There are very few other exceptions.

Every one else has to undertake activity to get a job. The theory is that you will have a combination of support and conditionality. Conditionality means threats and bullying and sanctions of loss of benefits. This is done by DWP officials or their private contractors and not a court and there is a question as to whether it is against Human Rights.

We argue that Mental Health is a special case and just as people with mental health problems get special treatment under the law - they should have it in this pseudo legal process. Baroness Meacher makes the case brilliantly. She says that you can't ever fairly sanction someone with a mental illness for behaviour because it may always be due to the illness.

They did accept some of our arguments and agreed that if someone with a severe mental illness is sanctioned for not turning up or something like that then their illness is a 'good cause' to put at their appeal. But that just isn't good enough. Peopel with mental illness do not need to be threatened and sanctioned and then have to appeal. They may have paranoia.

Basically every one with any kind of illness has to go to meetings at the DWP and agree programs of back to work activity. If they fall down on them they get sanctioned.

We think back to work help is wonderful but not under threat. We don't think this is fair in 2009 and we think all people with serious illness should have the choices about whether they accept back to work help or not returned to them as individuals.

We want to get a campaign together on this supported by the CAB and all the disability charities. If you are involved with a disability charity please e-mail them and ask them where they stand on the conditionality and therefore bullying of the most seriously sick that they are supposed to represent.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Are you classing depression (be it reactive or other) as part of your mental illness portfolio ?

Just to make you aware the above is a leading question.

A very close friend of mine's wife is heavily involved with ESA claimants (works at DWP) and having read this thread it's rather sad how many people would prefer to cast aspersions as to actually know the facts. (Not that I claim to know all of them but I can find things out from a DWP point if people want to know)

Re: disability living allowance
 

This is a very leading question.

The government are determined to halve the number of people on sickness benefit and to make life unbearable for the rest unless they go to work.

Our campaign has been to protect people with the severe and enduring mental illnesses of schizophrenia and bi polar and people with very severe physical illness. We have concentrated on them because we think the case for allowing them to be in charge of the decisions about their own lives is so obvious and shouldn't even need to be made.

We aren't ignoring all the other less severe or more transitory illnesses because we agree they should be bullied. Just that as the public doesn't understand the Welfare Reforms at all is seems best to start with an easy case.

The only new thing in the Welfare Reforms is pressure/sanctions/fear/psychological warfare/ threats and bullying. There is no new magic help with problems.

I don't think any one should be treated like this. But a lot of people are cheering the government on and telling them to go out and catch all these mythical scroungers and cheats.

Most people who get an illness get perfectly natural reactive anxiety and depression. The government think CBT and/or pressure will help here. Where and if any fear and pressure is helpful and where it is counter productive is a matter far too complex for me or I suspect the government and the DWP. My instinct is completely against it. Does pressure ever help with depression? I just don't know. I would be happy to join a working group but I can't make the case myself.

Whereas the case against pressurising very sick people makes itself so that is where we are starting.

Re: disability living allowance
 

1)That's very nice, but you haven't actually answered my question so I will ask again.

Does your organisation class reactive or otherwise depression as part of the mental illness portfolio?

2) Please provide the statistics that prove that contraction of an illness leads to reactive depression in the 'most' part. Otherwise that's pure conjecture and speculation on your part

3) Perhaps you would like to explain why so many people we're on the old IB to the people of this forum. Hence now why the current government has introduced this process. I'll lead you into it by saying that it's political rather than medical.

4) 'Just that as the public doesn't understand the Welfare Reforms at all' Based on your last two posts I would say that IF the general public has a poor knowledge of the process then your scaremongering and general lack of knowlege on the subject is complicit in this.

5) 'mythical scroungers and cheats.' And you're basing this sweeping statement on what figures exactly?

It's people such as yourself who do more damage than good.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Ok, let's keep this nice and friendly shall we?

Re: disability living allowance
 

Sorry you feel like that.

Re: disability living allowance
 

No need to apologise. A mere yes or no answer to my question would suffice

Re: disability living allowance
 

Does your organisation class reactive or otherwise depression as part of the mental illness portfolio

The question doesn't make sense to me. Who is saying otherwise? We are a group of unpaid family carers. We don't have official opinions on medical matters or any special knowledge.

The main problem we see is that the government is going to put sanctions on almost all people applying for ESA. We are fighting to try to get at least some sick people exempted. We would like to see all sick people free of sanctions but that is a bigger and harder fight. If we can't get the most seriously sick exempted then we aren't going to reverse the whole thing overnight.


The government and the newspapers have taken a very hard line on this. They are the people causing this problem and theya re the people we have to convince.

Re: disability living allowance
 

]

Ok, Ill try again,

Does the organisation that you represent class any form of depression as one of the mental illnesses that you're organisation lists? Is that simple enough.

I have a family member, who amongst other things has learning difficulties, a condition that leads to random seizures (not epilepsy) and she was assessed as a test case for ESA and was told (and I was there when she was told it.) That she was exempted from looking for work. But would need to revisit a Dr. every five years (I think)

Would you like to know something? She got a job, she works as a carer in a nursing home. not content with claiming benefits she wanted to do something despite living with a rather nasty illness.

The most seriously ill people are exempted from this. Yet again, you have little or no knowledge whatsoever of the subject in hand.

The key point you miss is this, there are levels of sickness someone can be blind in one eye or blind yet is perfectly capable of working.

The government have taken a very hard line because in the late eighties or nineties they wanted to get the unemplyment figures down, transferring people over from 'the dole' to the then 'IB' was the easiest way of massaging the figures to show a reduction in the unemployment rate.

Oh, do you know in the past what the secret tick box on a IB form was for?

Re: disability living allowance
 

Lisa, although you are clearly very passionate and committed to your particular cause and I am sure that this is a subject very close to your heart and that it means a great deal to you, but I am sorry, I stopped reading at "Conditionality means threats and bullying and sanctions of loss of benefits." What I was looking for was a brief independent and unbiased analysis of the two systems and how the changes affect those who suffer mental health issues. Are there such articles available?

Re: disability living allowance
 

I'll leave you all to find out more about it from sources that you trust. The DWP website explains how well they think it will work. They explain conditionality and the very few people to be exempted from it.

If you want to see why we don't like the 'condionality' being applied to very sick people you can read the CarerWatch website.

At the end of the day it is up to everyone to make up their own mind how they think very sick people should be treated. You may think a person with a serious illness - diagnosed so there is no question of fraud - should be given unconditional benefit and support and help to work if and when they want it or you may think however bad the illness they should only be given a conditional benefit and be subject to sanctions.

Re: disability living allowance
 

I was really hoping for some proper information. My son is autistic and this will affect him as he gets older. Is there really no independent information?

Re: disability living allowance
 

Come and join the CarerWatch discussion group. We are all unpaid family carers and everyone is welcome.

http://carerwatch.com/

and then click on the discussion group

The NAS are running a pilot study of new people with autism going on to ESA so there is more information about autism than most conditions. Come and join CW and we'll talk about it. I'll send you a message when you get there about how to get the information.

See you soon.

Re: disability living allowance
 

But then the NAS don't use such emotive language, when giving people the information they need.

Is there really no independent study, or analytical data, to explain how the change in the benefit system is going to affect those suffering from mental health issues?

Re: disability living allowance
 

Not independant no but the first place I'd be checking with is my local autism charity.

Same with me, I'm keeping an eye on what's happening by checking with my local sight concern charity.

Re: disability living allowance
 

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has released statistics in respect of ESA medical examinations. Out of 189,800 assessed, 130,500 were found fit for work (69%). The Secretary of State has not given the medical conditions of those denied allowances...if this is repeated for the 2 million (estimated) on IB, DLA etc only 625,000 will continue to receive an allowance.

The Atos Healthcare medical examination may not be carried out by a doctor. The examiner does not have access to NHS medical records. The examiner runs through a few simple physical tests. The examiner does not specialist knowledge of mental health, cancer etc.

I was emergency admitted to hospital having been revived by the para-medics. After 10 days in hospital I was discharged home with a primary brain tumour about the size of a squash ball. I was underwhelmed by my treatment by the DWP and Atos Healthcare and decided to publish all my correspondence (which still continues)http://www.whywaitforever.com/dwpatos.html.

Judge for yourself whether the DWP and Atos Healthcare are running a "benefit denial factory". The "fit for work" approach has been discredited in legal cases in the US and the Minister is considering the findings of the Parliamentary Inquiry. The DWP has stated error and fraud is under 2% and is the lowest on record. How does this equate to 69% denied allowances? If people (and political parties) feel the state does not have a duty of care to the dying, the sick, the disabled and their carers, they should say so and pass legislation. It seems to me people are being denied allowances by subterfuge. I am not even allowed a handgun to blow my own brains out....I have to see a consultant on my mental health if I put this forward as a rational option. The state is happy to leave me at home to be cold and starve and without food. I just wish the DWP would be honest and write to me and say you are surplus to the needs of the state and the DWP wishes you die quickly rather than say if you want 90 quid a week I want you to perform like a circus animal and then we will cut off allowance at any time. Humans should expect dignity. For shame.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Hi Flyboy,

Hope you dont mind me singling your post out, but like you I am interested in all this from the autism angle too.My brother is 42 yrs old,severe autism with numerous other physical/mental health problems.He is one of the lucky ones wherein his situation means he will be exempt from any new rules and regulations.However, others are not fairing as well and the pressue that some families are being placed under is simply wrong. We have elderly family carers who are struggling to ensure their loved ones are treat right and fighting so their sons/daughters receive the correct benefits.

I need go out just now so this is only a quick link..

NAS stories

Paula was recently diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Her diagnosis helped her to understand why she was having difficulty finding a job, and why she couldn’t work in noisy or busy environments. She had to fight to receive Employment and Support Allowance, taking her claim all the way to a tribunal, because the doctor who carried out her medical assessment disregarded the information from her psychiatrist about her Asperger syndrome.

Watch here There are other stories too.

Its a nightmare out there and as much as it is right that those who can work should be made to work, by same token we have to protect the ones who cant protect themselves.

Re: disability living allowance
 

You have to do what is best for you. If you don't think the new system is right and want to fight for something better then join a campaign group like CarerWatch. Some of us think it is wrong and want to fight it and get it changed.

But if you want to look after yourself or someone close to you then go to a benefits advice service like Benefits and Work who will help you through the process as best they can.

The Disability charities have been campaigning quietly to try and make this system better but after three years of talking with government the government has gone ahead as it always intended to do and ignored them. The charities can't stop the government and now it has been brought in they will advise you how to cope with the system as it is.

Re: disability living allowance
 

At the moment, won't any figures based on ESA, be for new claims, not long term existing claimants?

Link to DWP website:- Decision Makers' Guide
Chapter 42, Appendix 1 gives details of 'Disabilities which may demonstrate a claimant has limited capability for work'

Re: disability living allowance
 

Yes mostly. It's mostly untried. It's going to be rolled out in pilot areas soon and people moved across from IB. Which is why no one can argue against it with evidence. It's going to be one big social experiment.

Re: disability living allowance
 

One thing that puzzles me at the moment it seems that, if you can't do activity X without help from another person, you get points towards the total, but if you can't do activity X at all, even with the help of another person, you get nothing. Surely if DWP deem it ok(ie no points) not to be able to perform activity X at all, why should requiring assistance matter as they effectively think it's ok not to be able to do the activity at all.

Re: disability living allowance
 

I must say that I am a bit concerned by the use of ATOS, they don't seem to have much of a good track record in these matters. But then that doesn't seem to have changed things very much.

At the moment, long term IB claimants are exempt from transferring to the new benefit and I don't think it affects majority of DLA claimants yet. I do remember some scare stories being bandied about earlier this year, these were quickly denied by many of the disability charities in the UK at the time.

Does anyone know of the guidelines that ATOS should be using when determining someones eligibility for ESA.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Do you mean the point system listed here and here (pdf).

Re: disability living allowance
 

Only for now as you say - apparently they (including me ;)) will be transferred starting from April time next year.

Re: disability living allowance
 

That is part of what I am enquiring about, but what about the guidelines for the free written assessment and the consultation documents, which I believe ATOS medics need to complete as well?

Re: disability living allowance
 

Does anyone know if there is an equivalent to the "Incapacity Benefit Handbook for Approved Doctors" for ESA/WCA?

Re: disability living allowance
 

I've asked the person I know and they're getting some information for me regarding several of the queries that have been raised. I should hopefully be able to post some info up here at some point today.

Re: disability living allowance
 

Thank you.