Just been reading this document from our beloved Department of Work and Pensions:
Personal Independence Payment myth buster
So, confirmation that they are going to redefine disability (to better reflect today’s understanding of disability) in other words to reduce entitlement to save money. Further that ‘Entitlement will not depend on what health condition or disability we have’,Ehh? And no one will ‘lose out’ but some people will ‘leave the benefit altogether’.
When we apply we have to provide proof as to how our disability affects our everyday life and provide supporting evidence (photo copies) of other significant tests, results, medication and reports none of which can be more than two years old, (so does that mean we will need to be reassessed every couple of years just to keep proving that ours is actually a lifelong disability even though it may be obvious? It looks like it to me. I wonder how our creaking NHS is going to react to pointless regular and repeated requests for reassessment and how hard pressed parents, carers and especially vulnerable people without supporters are going to achieve all this?
Strange, they don’t say if we are entitled to see proof of the assessors qualifications.
So rather than being a myth buster this document actually confirms many of my fears. I will have to apply for PIP on behalf of both my wife and son both of whom have significant lifelong disabilities and have been dreading it ever since the first announcement.
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