Worried sick

miss_saxby

Is anyone else terrified about what was said yesterday regarding the disability benefit cuts? I'm on lwrca for my OCD but it very much sounds as though they are going to make it impossible to claim pip for mental health reasons alone. Requiring 4 points is absurd. I struggled to get onto pip in the first place they kept denying me and took two years & a tribunal before i got it. A few other things that concerned me:

-they say they are going to use the impossibly difficult pip assessment process to determine eligibility for disability . So basically if we can't pass pip assessment we can't get the UC health element either?

-they have made it pretty clear anyone on mental health disability won't be getting pip. Needing 4 points would be practically impossible, especially as there are NO questions relating to mental health on the pip assessment form

-they have mentioned NOTHING about changing the pip assessment form. Only that they will change Eligibility. If the form stays the same, all mental health claimants will be denied as there are no questions and therefore no points to gain for mental health disorders on the current form

-they keep going on about supporting people back into work, there was no mention of exactly what this is going to entail yesterday however it implies pressure and possible trips to the job center will become mandatory. However if someone is unable to work what is the point? They are literally wasting everyone's time because no one is going to take on a job if they can't work! I am going to have to refuse this as I am cleaning for 6-8 hours a day and literally won't have the time or energy for anything like this. So what happens if I refuse?

-its quite clear the whole point of this is cutting costs. They don't give a damn about the repercussions this will have on people who are already struggling with life. Expecting people who are already unable to pay all their bills to live on less has got to be a joke?

I'm suicidal at the thought of this and I'm sure many are feeling the same 😥💔

Holly_Scope

Hi @miss_saxby bless you, you're not alone with the worries of the recent announcement. Please know that this is just their initial proposal, and we're about to enter consultation allowing us an opportunity to respond which this community is very much ready to do 💪

Please don't let this get the better of you. You have a community here for support. I'm going to pop you an email imminently, please keep an eye out for it. 💛

DonCamillo

I think Miss Saxby speaks for so many with mental health conditions. We support our adult daughter who after many years was

able to live independently. There will be a substantial number whose progress will be undone by this. Heaven knows it's so difficult to get professional mental health support from the NHS. Liz Kendall hasn't a clue of real world experience of mental health conditions unfortunately.

LouCie61

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/131457/worried-sick

Big virtual hug coming your way (for what its worth).

This is making us all ill. I didnt sleep last night, I've felt sick all day and can't focus on anything.

They haven't got a clue what the impact will be. Do they they think we're all just suddenly going to get a job? It's just unbelievable.

I do understand how you feel. Let's just hope and pray it doesn't get through in its current state (or hopefully at all).

I know it's a silly thing to say but try to stay strong and we can all get strength from each other and keep our fingers crossed x

Lostandconfused

I'm also worried sick. I went and looked at the points I scored. I got 2 on 4 of the different sections within daily living but not the 4 I'd need in one section. Apparently, the proposal is that we would need 4 points on one aspect of daily living. I scored 10 points on Moving Around/Mobility.

I am a solo parent to a traumatised child. We both have PTSD due to domestic violence. My child has sensory processing difficulties also.

I have a long list of chronic physical health issues and have been ill/disabled since I was 10. I kept trying to work up until I had my child. From 2009 until 2018, the only way I could work was from my bed and by doing my own hours. I couldn't earn a full-time salary.

Even if I could work from my bed, I'd need to stay on benefits as I wouldn't earn enough money to come off them. I'd also need to pay for wrap around childcare, a cleaner, help to do the washing and would have to rely on even more ready meals etc. I don't see how I'd be able to financially afford this.

Just the thought of it is making me feel extremely vulnerable.

Passerby

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/131457/worried-sick

What's insane is that Liz Kendall said to Andrew Marr on LBC Radio that "PIP was never set up for people with mental health issues." Yet they want to assess people with mental health issues on PIP!

If you want you can google it and listen to her saying this.

miss_saxby

I have read a few times on here that the last government was trying to remove the mental health element from pip. But it was ruled as going against the equality act so they dropped the idea. I don't think they ever wanted us to claim for it either. If you look at the form it's purely set up for people with physical disabilities. I really struggled to gain any points as there was no question for my condition! It is totally unfair and I thought they might focus more on improving the assessment to include questions for people with mental health issues. Instead they are going to try and make it even harder to pass the assessment so that people like us with mental health issues have no chance!

😥

Loulou82xx

I am so sorry you are feeling so much stress over this. I have always felt that a doctor is the expert when it comes to your health conditions and issues of disability not the government. If a doctor decides you are disabled by your illness whether physical or mental health then it should be respected by the PIP assessors.

I would rather they reduced all PIP by say £30 per month for all claimants to make the savings they need rather than exclude people with mental health conditions. My disability is physical but I have also suffered clinical depression due to extended hospital stays and being in severe pain and know how vulnerable it makes you feel.

All I hope is that this can be challenged in some way, I really worry that this is going to cause serious harm to people.

Holly_Scope

Hi all. I'm going to have to close this chat now and refer you to The Green Paper Discussion.

We'd prefer to keep the conversations regarding this all in one place, so as to protect the mental health of all on the community, so we will be closing this discussion. I hope you understand.