Tag Archives: PIP
Disability benefit backlog is making symptoms of Parkinson’s sufferers worse
Torfaen MP tells parliamentary debate
DELAYS in claiming the Government’s new disability benefit have failed Parkinson’s sufferers, causing them stress and anxiety which has made their symptoms worse, an MP has claimed.
Torfaen MP Nick Thomas-Symonds criticised Personal Independence Payments during a parliamentary debate on Wednesday.
The benefits which replace the Disability Living Allowance were introduced as part as wide ranging welfare reforms last year.
Disabled people ‘pay penalty’ on everyday costs
Spending an average of £550 a month extra
Disabled people have to buy specialist equipment and also pay a premium for everyday items, Scope says‘Disabled people pay “a financial penalty” on everyday living costs, spending an average of £550 a month extra, according to a report by Scope.
They needed specialist equipment and had to pay out for things like taxis instead of public transport, it added.
Disabled people were, on average, £100,000 worse off when it came to pensions and savings, the charity said.
Personal Independence Payments: a failing system is trapping disabled people without benefits
Bills still have to be paid and food still has to be bought.
By Frances Ryan Published 17 February 2014 13:34
Since the new Personal Independence Payments began to replace Disability Living Allowance, fewer than one in six people who applied have had their claims decided. While assessments drag out over months, bills still have to be paid and food still has to be bought.
While waiting for their claim to be decided, people are losing out on vital support.
Paul Richardson* has just got off the phone with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It was another phone call trying to check on the progress of his daughter Jennifer’s application for the new disability benefit, the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), but it was another conversation that got them nowhere.
Jennifer has borderline personality disorder and has made two suicide attempts since she left school. She’s now 22 and this year moved back to live with her parents. She finds it difficult to talk to strangers and her mum and dad have been dealing with the PIP process as much as they can on her behalf. The process has been difficult from the offset when they had their first meeting at home in November.
