DLA to PIP

[Nick]

Gosport Nancy,

 

We have all paid into the NI/taxation system, in my case for over 37 years and I never expected to need any assistance of any kind.  I didn't expect it and I didn't begrudge the UK system which states that welfare is free at point of need, meaning a child needing hospital care, one who has never contributed has entitlement, or a middle age man who happens to have paid little and who suddenly need unemplyment support, gets it. This is an incredible achievement for us as a country. Another point is that you should never feel guilty in asking for benefits that you are entitled to.  

Today the assessment processes for both disability claims and employment support are extremely complex and not user friendly and while there was a very low statistical level of fraud with disability claims, and a somewhat higher problem with unemployment benefit, previous governments saw fit to reduce overall spending (cutting the deficit) by targeting the welfare system. 

At point of diagnosis I was working a 84 hour week in a high paid job, paying both Tax and Insurance at the highest rate. This ceased immediately when MS hit me like a train. The  government deemed I was permanently unfit to work due to MS and my government held qualifications were removed. Job and career gone in a flash and I was reduced to needing a wheelchair.  This does tend to make you angry!  All that was followed, in my case, by suddenly discovering that I was not entitled to employment and support allowance! I was fully paid up class 1 NI contributions, had never been out of work in my life and suddenly another rug gets pulled out from under me. That makes you even more angry!! 

What do you do?  as a (then 54 year old) you look around for what work you may be able to do. Then you discover that not may people want to take on a 50'ish something bloke in a wheelchair who gets fatigued very very easily. 

What do you do then ?  

In my case I volunteered to work at my local MS Society branch and helped set up a drop in centre. I started to learn a lot more about MS and about myself. I found out what I was capable of and what I should avoid. All the above taught me a couple of things. Stress makes MS worse and that you should always fight for how you want to be treated, that  I'm the same bloke as I was before, just a little bit further down the road.

I don't get angry at the injustices in the world, living is all about having to put up with things, whatever they are. 

Edited 2 Jul 2020, 11:38 am by Nick

[Gosport Nancy]

I have never felt guilty about claiming for benefits on occasion. I claimed in the past because I had children at home and they weren't old enough to go out to work to provide for themselves.

The money is there if I qualify but I don't have to claim and no-one should feel pressured to claim or not claim.

I choose to provide for myself but I don't judge others who choose to do something else.

 

Back at about 2002 my GP declared me permanently unfit for work, but I wasn't able to claim incapacity benefit as I was a carer for my children at the time. 

 

My circumstances have changed since then as I decided around 2008 that as I would be unemployed when my daughter left home, that I needed to fend for myself so started a business. Since then I have been self employed. My family doesn't claim any state funding apart from my carers' allowance and my husband's P.I.P. I would prefer not to claim  carers' allowance but it pays for my medication and blood tests since the NHS doesn't pay for them..lol

 

I was 48 when I started my own business as I am not able to go out to work full time. Going out to work full time won't be an option again for me. My life...so my choice. I don't meet the current criteria for P.I.P. so it's really a moot point for me.

 

I have just posted off the mountain of paperwork needed to ask about a carer's assessment. That time spent could have been spent on many more worthwhile things but I just did the paperwork to stop my husband nagging me to do it

 

[Nick]

That's fine Nancy,

 

It sure is a moot point regarding criteria for PIP! , and I couldn't agree more.