Upcoming changes to benefits

personally I’d rather they freeze pip then bring in the new criteria . Though every small victory is a relief. I’m sure I remember descriptors changing after to going to court in the past and then claimants had their money back dated. They surely can’t be seen to be discriminating against ppl with certain conditions. I think MH, hidden disabilities such fibromyalgia and ME ( which I have both ) even deaf people wouldn’t score enough points .

I agree, not freezing PIP is a good start but to me the reduction in LCWRA & tightening restrictions on PIP are even more essential.

I’ve seen it mentioned that ‘a number of MPs broadly supportive of welfare reform have told the BBC they have received assurances that severely disabled people would not be expected to work and would not lose entitlement to benefits’ - But the problem is what those benefits look like if they’re cut for everyone?

They could be on the top rate for everything and still on less than they are now if everyone else is downgraded too.

Also, what is the definition of ‘severely disabled’ anyway when there is the tightening of the restrictions?

You could actually have someone who is currently on full enhanced PIP for their disabilities suddenly go to zero, with no actual change in their health.

What does that even mean? Are you suddenly not disabled, or miraculously cured of your lifelong conditions? Even worse, imagine actually being told, “sorry, you’re suddenly not disabled enough!”

The pip freeze is the least damaging part about these changes! as its only a freeze of the inflation increase for a year so you'll lose about £30-£40 in future calculations from next year but it'll be the same as what you get now. Its the change of criteria and most crucially the potential 34% cut of the £416 on LCWRA. These are payments to the poorest and deemed unfit for work! After inflation that could be as high if not higher then -£128 gone each month! That cannot be allowed to happen. I know people who will no longer be able to afford rent if that happens!

Am missing something or are far to may people seemingly more concerned about the supposed changes such as PIP being frozen than the changes to LCWRA? Surely the cuts and changes to LCWRA are far worse than PIP being frozen when it comes to getting less money money?

If a person was getting enhanced rates for both living and mobility and interest rates were 4% each year for the next 3 years it would still be a smaller amount compared to a 25% cut to LCWRA over that same time period? So why the seemingly major uproar especially coming from the Labour MPs rooftops about PIP changes and not LCWRA?

Also forgetting the money changes what about the looking for work changes that could force people who should never be made to look for work have to do so?

The supposed changes to LCWRA are far worse than frozen PIP imo but apologies if I am misreading all this.

Also some people have made a very good point on regards to carers, I do think as I'm sure many others do that carers seem to be maybe being forgotten about when benefit changes happen. In my case I am my partners carer, I do all the money sorting such as bills etc so that she doesn't even have to worry about that, so along with the stress of seeing my other halfs health deteriorating among many other things I stress about I also now have to deal with the stress of possible changes to our income which will have a major impact. I do not claim anything other than carers allowance even though my mental state is seriously messed up, loosing my mother last year didn't help and to say the past 3 years or so haven't been good is a massive understatement. I went to the doctors the other week and started crying in the room, when I logged into my NHS account she had put down anxiety disorder lol, that was it nothing more! She did give me links to help I could get as another doctor did last year and even arranged for people to talk to to ring me but my mind cannot focus on looking after me yet as its way to worried about my partner and was about my mother.

Anyway I'm rambling so my point isn't me feeling sorry for myself its again in regards to all carers who are also going through similar stresses as they figure out how they will deal with these issues if they do come about. I am NOT taking a simgle thing away from anyone who will be affected by saying this I just wanted to mention that some carers will be as stressed as the actual disabled person as they are in some cases the ones who have to figure out how to make things easier for the person they are caring for.

One final point is I've noticed a few people falling out over what seems to be either a miscommunication or some other stupid reason and this is NOT what anyone should be doing here, we should all be standing side by side even with our different views on other things to help stop this madness, this includes some mentioning pension rates going up as if its a bad thing, so they are basically saying why cut us but give them a raise even though its another BENEFIT! So you want help preventing them from cutting your benefit but dont care about others benefits aslong as you are not affected as that how it comes across? This is literally what TPTB want, everyone fighting among themselves saying dont cut us cut them so that they can get enough people to agree with their decisions, its so stupid its maddening!

I was going to rant on about politics and Starmer and people thinking he does a good job in regards to other world things but I wont as I want my focus to be on trying to point out a few things that really do matter in regards to whats possibly about to happen.

Sorry if none of this makes any sense and its all!