Upcoming changes to benefits
Comments
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Respectfully as someone that had no choice but to sign onto benefits at 17 due to being mentally ill and has never been able to work because of it now at 26, its not always something you can work through or does get better and having battled the system for help there is none and has got worse with age.
People go onto benefits for mental health because it’s disabling, and it has to be disabling to get PIP. Its not signing themselves off of life’s responsibilities it is being unable to cope with life. It’s not a better option to punish people for being mentally ill and take the support they need away in favour of others. Do a very small minority see it as a life choice? Maybe but that’s not fair to punish people with mental illnesses by excluding them from help they need.
If eligibility is changed to exclude mental illness then that’s me absolutely screwed aswell as I’ve never been able to work because of it, and if they cut my support from LCWRA and force me into jobs or training then thats the end of it I won’t cope. It didn’t work the first time under Osborne when he cut LCW payments and shafted me, and it won’t work again now to force mentally unwell people into jobs or training by removing their support, despite their age. They need to sort out the root of the problem.
I know you’re only expressing your opinion on what might happen and I don’t mean any harm or disrespect with my reply, but young people are really suffering at the moment, they need to fix the system that’s causing the problems and not helping people when they first show symptoms as young teens, not punish people by switching criteria when they’re too unwell to work whether that’s from mental illness, physical illness or any other form of disability.8 -
I really hope anything to do with engaging with work is voluntary as everyone is different. I knew someone whose depression was worse when they didn’t work but most I think wouldn’t stand the added pressure. One minute is MH , then it’s fibromyalgia and invisible disability. One disability isn’t more important than the other . If they do concentrate on the young to give them a chance in life fantastic but it must be voluntary.
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Yes I 100% agree there are people out there that it definitely does help them to be in work and when I was younger I would have jumped at the opportunity to get some qualifications and have been able to have kept my benefits whilst I studied in case I couldn’t cope but that’s not possible under the current system, but after years of getting no help etc unfortunately things for me have got worse and I know I wouldn’t be able to cope now and there’s others that just never will be able to study or work as they won’t cope.
Would be good if they can incentivise young people and anyone that wants to into jobs training etc as it can set them up for a better life but it has to be incentives and voluntary, and support for those who do want to try working, what worries me is them stripping support away from people under the guise of ‘helping’ when it’s actually just going to make things way worse.1 -
The previous Government introduced an extra criteria to receive Warm Home Discount, based on property size and age.
Labour are currently consulting about removal of that criteria and going back to means tested benefits only to qualify.
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oh, thank you very much for that information :)
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reeves needs money asap so not sure how cutting benefits will help . It will surely have to go through parliament and the court system. I think the only way to make savings is a freeze on pip payments next year .
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Just a quick question has anyone had their April financial statement from PIP yet?
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No, only ESA
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Same here.
it might be nothing but….1 -
I don’t think I have yet but my reviews due next year so I could receive my form anytime .
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They mean the annual benefit increase letter.
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mind you I heard they’ve been employing more case managers and doing assessments on paper if they have enough evidence. Surely they wouldn’t of started that if they intended to stop or change pip criteria to make it even harder to claim .
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No, sorry not a review we have to receive a statement before the start of the financial year (April) regarding different benefits and I was wondering if anyone had gotten their PIP yet x
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I totally empathise with what you've said. I'm a bit older and was diagnosed with mental health based illnesses 20 years ago at the age of 16. None of my diagnoses have ever been considered lifelong even though they still effect me now. The support quite frankly over the years has been a joke, its just constant CBT. I have worked for periods but not consistently. I was also caught up in the Osbourne LCW shafting at the time.
The whole thing is a ridiculous mess which they just want to make even worse.
I do think it's very unfair for media/ politicians to target particular blame at mental health conditions/ young people regarding claim rises. I think this misery island is just making people more ill!
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I do Kim :)
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@kimmy87 I’m a she and have no pronouns x
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Apologies - you have not understood what i was trying to say at all there. My fault for not putting it across well at all.
I do NOT think anyone at all consciously sits down as a teenager and thinks "life's hard. I am anxious. I am going to stay in my bedroom for years"
And i KNOW life is hard for young people. I have a 17yr old that took an overdose and a 22yr old on anti depressants. My use of 'sign off from life's responsibilities' came across as flippant and i am sorry about that.
But, with the right support, there must be so many young people who can be put back on track before they reach crisis point.
Some illness and disability in our young folk (i think) must be worsened by socio-economic factors which leads to failure in education, lowered self-esteem, mental health issues and then the withdrawl from the very activities that can improve mental health.
I do know it is absolutely impossible to work when in mental health crisis (and i myself had a severe psychosis in my 20s and needed ECT)
If you read to the end of my post, you'll see we are on the same page - i did say i can't see them stripping benefits off existing claimants and they need to get these teens on track.
Finally, nothing in my post was aimed at you personally or anyone on the forum. I don't know you at all.
I hope your current difficulties are not life long and you can recover. All the best.
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No need to apologise - I’ve seen a lot of arguments of mental health vs physical illness recently so it’s a bit of a touchy subject but thank you for clarifying! And I’m sorry to hear about the struggles you and your children have faced/are facing.
I definitely agree with you that there are teens out there that need interventions and I hope they do get the help they need and early help before it becomes a life long issue, it’s a sad state of affairs for a lot of young people and the current state of the country especially after covid can’t be helping and I do agree that a lot could go on to live fulfilling lives with the right support.
Absolutely no animosity towards you at all - I just wanted to put things across from my perspective as someone that’s had experience as a young person on benefits. But I appreciate your comment all the best to you as well :)2 -
I usually get the ESA annual up rating letter before the PIP one arrives. No cause for alarm if you haven't got it yet & no need whatsoever to call the DWP about it.
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I pretty much wouldn't call the DWP unless I had to. I have only learned since being here, that the call handlers aren't well trained, only reading from a screen.
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