Disability Benefits

 

 

 

Here are some of the conditions that don’t make you “really disabled.”

 

Have you seen this article above? Clink on the link and have a look. Or if there is too much confusing text mingled with the entirely unrelated advertising then just listen to the video. It’s very short, I promise. I’d love to hear what you think. Maybe I’m cynical because a) the Tories aren’t known for their love of supporting disabled people and b) I take anything attacking disabled people quite defensively.

 

Twenty seconds into this video, you can hear George Freeman almost grimace when he says “disability benefits.” It’s like he’s saying a dirty word. Ironically, this man was a carer as a child.

 

I try my hardest to maintain a silence on my political beliefs but this article and all the subsequent ones relating to this massive gaff really hit home about how the politicians making decisions and creating policies really do not know what they are talking about. I would absolutely love for this man to come and live my life for a day or so. Perhaps then, when he drifts back to his mansion on a cloud of oblivion, he would have a thing or two about reality to contemplate.

 

In his statement about the governmental TWEAKS to disability benefits, he mentions that “We want to get the money to the really disabled people who need it.”

Now whilst many would agree, yes we want money to go to disabled people who need it, is there not a slight fear of the government blanket out-ruling many who are desperately in need. Oh and by the way, just to make it look a little bit more guilt-ridden, they snuck this policy change out on by-election day, meaning it didn’t hit the news as soon or as forcefully as it could.

 

In a nutshell, the Department for Work and Pensions is tightening the rules on who is eligible for disability benefits, equalling a cut of up to £3.7billion and meaning people with certain psychological disabilities are potentially no longer included. At present, you need eight points from a list of criteria to gain the basic rate of support or additional four points for the enhanced support. There are two areas of Disability Benefit so for example, Jude receives the basic level for mobility but the enhanced rate for daily living.

 

There are two tribunal results that the Government is choosing to reject: the first tribunal suggests that more points should be available in the Mobility section for people who suffer “overwhelming psychological distress”  when travelling independently. This equates to around 143,000 receiving support who previously had nothing.

 

The second tribunal recommends additional points in the Daily Living section for those needing to monitor a specific health condition or who take medication. It is thought that around 1000 people would have gained support from this.

 

I’m going to be honest here and say that a lot of the media has turned the word “benefit” into something to be ashamed of. How often do you hear the term “disability cheat” bandied around suggesting the people living on the pittance handed out by the government are living in absolute luxury. The government are playing on people’s assumptions and fears by saving money and stopping these “scroungers” (another term used regularly by the lazy journalism crew) from receiving the help they so often need.

 

Just my opinion but I’d love to hear what you think.

 

A x

Accidental Hipster Mum

4 Comments

  1. Jenni 27/02/2017
  2. Emma Reed 02/03/2017
    • admin 02/03/2017
  3. Accidental Hipster Mum 02/03/2017

Leave a Reply