Why are physical disabilities dismissed?

Sianl · April 18

Hi, I have just lost my enhanced mobility rate and now have to hand back my motability car. I understand that mental health problems have to be taken into consideration now but what I don't understand is why physical disabilities do not matter now? The assessor agrees that I cannot follow a journey and go out unaided due to physical reasons but because I am mentally stable I no longer qualify for the enhanced rate.

janer1967 · April 18

Hi and welcome

I think that is a generalised opinion based on your own
Experience and I am sorry you have lost your enhanced award

I get enhanced for pure physical disabilities as do others

You can challenge the decision and submit a mr

Sianl · April 18

I have challenged it and I got my MR back yesterday. I've been online and it says that the planning and following a journey is about how you are affected mentally not physically, hence my question. I used to get the enhanced based on physical but the rules have changed.

joethebear · April 18

Totally agree my physical disabilities make it impossible to plan and follow a journey but because it's not a mental disability you get no points for planning even though it's traumatising , I know you start at the bottom of Everest to climb it but couldn't do it ! Is that planning and following a journey ??

janer1967 · April 18

Physical disabilities are covered in the moving around walking descriptor

woodbine · April 18

i get enhanced mobility but not for MH issues.

Sianl · April 18

So did I Woodbine but I no longer receive it now because I am "mentally stable"

cupcake88 · April 18

I get enhanced for daily living and lower for Mobility i do have a mental illness I don’t get pip for physical disability for mental illness . The mobility descriptors are in two parts . I don’t think dwp favour mental illness disabilities over physical disabilities. Plenty of people get pip enhance mobility for physical disabilities. I would suggest appealing if your not happy good luck with it ,

Sianl · April 18

Janer 1967 I'm not talking about the moving around/how far you can walk question. I'm talking about the "being able to plan and follow a journey unaided" it has been changed so your physical disabilities do not matter, they are only interested in how it affects you mentally.

Sianl · April 18

joethebear said:

Totally agree my physical disabilities make it impossible to plan and follow a journey but because it's not a mental disability you get no points for planning even though it's traumatising , I know you start at the bottom of Everest to climb it but couldn't do it ! Is that planning and following a journey ??

Exactly. It makes no sense, they have changed the rules so people with mental health problems aren't discriminated against yet they are now discriminating against those who struggle due to physical issues.

cupcake88 · April 18

I think you are entitled to your opinion but I find what you just said very offensive I’m entitled to pip as much as any one else with a physical disability

calcotti · April 18

Sianl said: Exactly. It makes no sense, they have changed the rules so people with mental health problems aren't discriminated against yet they are now discriminating against those who struggle due to physical issues.

The planning and following journeys descriptor addresses mental health.
The moving around descriptor addresses physical difficulties.
It would make no sense for the planning and following journeys descriptor to also take into account physical difficulties.

mikehughescq · April 18

Sianl said:

Janer 1967 I'm not talking about the moving around/how far you can walk question. I'm talking about the "being able to plan and follow a journey unaided" it has been changed so your physical disabilities do not matter, they are only interested in how it affects you mentally.

The descriptor has not been altered at all. It remains as originally written. This, if you have lost the rate of benefit to which you were previously entitled when nothing has changed then that will be because of the quality of evidence submitted and not the law itself.

joethebear · April 19

The quality of evidence is right but I could submit the same to three different assessment s and get different results ! What the original question was I think was why people with physical disabilities are getting no points on planning a journey even though it's impossible to go out without help , and vice versa I would think you are entitled to points on both ?? The telephone assessment worked for me but I was reviews by a lovely person who genuinely cared about my disabilities , pretty rare by the reports on here

mikehughescq · April 19

And the answer is that there two mobility activities as has already been stated. One aimed at physical impairment. One not. Fairly simple. Always been that way. Absolutely not rare that assessment are fine. It occurs in the majority of cases. If, as you say, you have subsequently had your benefit reduced then that has nothing to do with the descriptors and everything to do with quality of evidence.

Is there some other explanation you have to hand?

OverlyAnxious · April 19

As someone with both mental & physical issues that make it near impossible to get out, let alone travel far or stay out for long, I don't qualify for ANY mobility... There has to be a cut-off somewhere, some of us will always slip through the net when they have very specific descriptors. It's not about mental vs physical, it's far more restrictive than that.

Sianl · April 19

cupcake88 said:

I think you are entitled to your opinion but I find what you just said very offensive I’m entitled to pip as much as any one else with a physical disability

Where did I say you weren't entitled to pip?

joethebear · April 19

I must be reading comments from a different site then , people saying ,very abrupt , wouldn't give me time to answer , sniggering in background , not listening , loaded questions and assumptions ! I bow to the experts on here and feel sorry for the people this is happening to ! It's easy knowing how to prepare a case when used to it but I find it patronising saying your evidence isn't good enough to someone maybe in this minefield for the first time and struggling , I have already said I had a good outcome and had a lovely person interviewing me but I still say it was my lucky day as many just go through the motions box ticking and are pretty much desensitised end of that's me done !

Why are physical disabilities dismissed?

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