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5 April 2011
It is crucial that as disabled people get moved over from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment, that they continue to receive the same level of financial support to meet their additional care and mobility needs.
Disabled people are already far more likely to live on low incomes, to experience problem debt and to face fuel poverty, and any cuts to the amount they receive could have a devastating impact. If the new benefit reduces the amount of support people receive and the number of people who can receive it, then there is a real risk that disabled people will lose out on the independence and opportunities non-disabled people take for granted.
We are pleased that the Personal Independence Payment, which is set to replace Disability Living Allowance, will be a non-means tested, non taxed benefit which people can choose how to spend.
We do have a number of concerns.
For example, the length of time people will need to wait before being able to claim for support will be extended from three months to six months. Many people already find themselves in debt during the existing qualifying period, and there is a risk that lengthening this will leave people even worse off.
How individuals will be assessed for Personal Independence Payment is also a concern. At the moment the Government is saying the new test will look at just the bare essentials, such as “washing” - things that everybody expects, rather than on enabling people to be as independent as possible.
The Government plans to take some account of aids and adaptations when assessing people for Personal Independent Payment. The use of an aid or adaptation does not mean extra costs go away, such as the need for accessible transport to get out and about or additional heating or care costs.
Finally, the last few months have been extremely distressing for thousands of disabled people living in residential services. Surely the Government has all the evidence it needs to see how important DLA mobility is to the daily lives of disabled people – without this support people in residential care will simply be trapped at home, unable to afford to get out.
Although the Government has said they are reviewing DLA mobility in the context of the wider reforms, we want a very clear message that disabled people living in residential care will continue to support through the mobility part of the new benefit.
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