How Disabled people are all going to lose out when we switch to Universal Credit

despondent

Hi I've just been checking the government website, which shows you how much you get now, and how much you will get when universal credit starts. The difference for me will be £410.66 per month. I will get a transitional payment each month for this. When the universal credit goes up the following year say for example it rises by £20 per month, this amount will be taken off my transitional payment. What has started to worry me is that basically everyones money will be frozen for over 15 years.

This means each year your rent goes up, you have to pay the difference. each year the council tax goes up you will have to pay the difference. Your PIP will rise, it is separate, but it will in no way cover the constant rises we will all be facing. Basically the care component worth £95 per week has been taken away.  I am worried that i will struggle to pay my rent, and be made homeless.

Here is a link to the government calculator I used. it shows you what you get now, and what you will get on universal credit.

https://www.betteroffcalculator.co.uk/#/calculator/new/step1

The government are slipping this in, and people dont realise how worse off they are going to be. We can't get a pay rise until the £410.66 has been absorbed by the universal credit. We really need to do something about this, before we are even more stressed than we already are.

Waylay

Yeah, they've scrapped the disability premiums. (politely refrains from writing the swear words I just yelled) For people who get migrated over from legacy benefits to UC, there will be those top-up transition payments, but as you said, they're essentially going to be worth less and less over time. I took a day-long class on UC a month ago so I can help people I live with when it rolls out here. The guy running the class pointed out that the DWP/gov't haven't said how long the transition payments will last. He said that his best guess is between 3 and 7 years.

CockneyRebel

I am not sure if the transitional legislation has been written yet or even if migration will happen in 2019
As UC is made up of different components, it may be that the transitional payments will only be affected by a rise in the standard allowance with the other elements like HB and CT still receiving any annua lincrease

CR

despondent

Let's hope so, but as the Government is saying that the PIP is giving the sdp and edp element, and they want to save money I doubt it.

despondent

Hi Waylay, if in your own discussion you could impart some of the knowledge you acquired on your UC course that would be very helpful. Yes, it does seem that we are going to be struggling for quite a while on the same money.

whistles

I think it's going to affect some and not others. 
It's going to depend on whether your area is live, full service and if you naturally migrate or not.

The transitional payments from what I could gather in effect freezes that persons benefit. They have too much money and would need to wait for non transitional payment people increases to catch up? 
You don't get UC plus your sdp, sdp gets changed to "transitional" each April one side goes up and the transitional down. Sneaky way of taking your money!!

There is a thread somewhere where a benefits advisor worked out the maths.
I have to say I don't care anymore, I have gone to the bank and there is £140 less in it because of moving from DLA to PIP. 
I couldn't care less about next year I am trying to sort the here and now. 

CockneyRebel

Having asked the question elsewhere of people far more clued up than I they consensus of opinion is

I )  The final legislation is unknown re transitional protection
2) It is thought that only the increases in the LCWRA element would be affected

So as nothing has been decided by our wonderful government anything else is speculation and scarmongering

CR

despondent

Really Cockney, your reply has made me extremely angry the government has said on numerous occasions that PIP gives all the benefits of sdp and edp and therefore should not be included in the UC. How can you say this is scaremongering. It is better be informed and know what may happen to you, than to just wake up and find that your money has been eroded. You sound like the DWP quite frankly.

debbiedo49

Do you think the government will scrap UC if the public protest?

whistles

I don't think CR has made you angry Despondent, you have made you angry.

This tells people that IR ESA is being replaced with UC. So the sdp add on is gone, because the benefit is.
However if you work out the sums for yourself assuming you get the standard benefit plus the limited capacity for work. 
It's more than the current ESA IR amount.

https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit

CockneyRebel

despondent said:

Really Cockney, your reply has made me extremely angry the government has said on numerous occasions that PIP gives all the benefits of sdp and edp and therefore should not be included in the UC. How can you say this is scaremongering. It is better be informed and know what may happen to you, than to just wake up and find that your money has been eroded. You sound like the DWP quite frankly.

It was not my intention to upset you, sorry. However, I only try to bring facts and not rumours.

Fact, if you make a new claim under UC  you won't get the disability premiums.
You may still be entiled to other  IR element payable under UC

Fact, If you are currently in receipt of the premiums and have a change of circumstance in a full service UC area, you will lose the premiums as things stand. Other IR elements

• Child Tax Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Working Tax Credit

Will be replaced by UC.This is termed natural migration.

Fact, Sometime in the future everyone with an IR element will have their IR element moved to UC. This includes the premiums, HB etc. The premiums will be subject to transitional protection which means that at the time of the change you will be no worse off. Your CB element remains outside of UC. This in managed migration.

Fact, The legislation covering how the transitional potection will work has not been completed, so nobody knows what will or will not be affected

Telling people that their housing benefit will be frozen and they will be made homeless is scaremongering

Yes, it is much better to be informed, but be informed with the facts

CR