Advice Regarding PIP

Today i got an email form work regarding the new PIP (Personal Independent Payments) system that is coming in to play to take over the current system of DLA (Disability Living Allowance).

In 2012 three million people claimed DLA. It is expected by 2018 that 600,000 less people will be eligible for PIP. This statistic is scary; those who con the system and claim DLA in a fraudulent way will no longer be able to do so. But it also means the cases that are genuine will have to work harder to prove they are genuine.

http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/personal-independence-payment-pip

Above is a link for a guide by Disability Rights UK that explains the PIP form and application process in a non alien way. The guide is detailed but easy to read and is broken down into sections.

the booklet itself is in PDF format to read online however, they can do a paper copy and post it out to you for a cost of £4. It is a handy guide to have and one i will be obtaining for myself.

Positive Thought Of The Day (06.09.2013)

"I can chose not to put 'dis' in my ability." 

Robert M Hansel

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION :)

PLEASE SIGN THE BELOW LINK TO STOP DISCRIMINATION!

http://action.sumofus.org/a/cross-country-disabled/4/13/akid=2129.1261329.2sByxj&rd=1&sub=fwd&t=2

Photo from the link above. Image not owned by me in anyway.

CrossCountry Trains forced special needs children to sit on the floor besides the toilets for hours. In an otherwise full train, the conductor allowed standard-fare passengers to use empty business class seats, but the special needs children were excluded from this, so that business class travellers were “spared” from having their journey “spoiled by the likes of [those] children”.

This isn’t the first time CrossCountry has been caught treating disabled passengers abominably. In another incidence, CrossCountry insisted that a woman with Parkinson's must not be helped on the train by a friend because there was not enough time for the friend to board the train and get out again.

To add insult to injury, the conductor blamed the woman living with Parkinson's for the delay, ostracizing her publicly. As her friend stated, “Can you imagine how this must have felt to any human being, let alone a grieving human being who used to be active and mobile and now needs help with getting herself seated on a train?”Not only did it take CrossCountry months to reply to complaints about this incident, it even defended its actions, making it clear it would do it again.

Positive Thought Of The Day (29.09.2013)

"I still find it strange, i suppose, when i say 'can you just pass me my leg?' But i don't ever think about my disability." 

Oscar Pistorius

Timetable For PIP Replacing DLA

As many of you will know the government are slowly moving people off DLA (Disability Living Allowance) over to PIP (Personal Independence Payments). Below is a timetable of the time scale the UK government would like to complete it over. (The information was published June 2013)

April 2013
New claims to PIP started for people living in parts of the North of England.

June 2013
New claims to PIP started for the remaining parts of Great Britain (Except Northern Ireland). There are NO longer new claims to Disability Living Allowance for people aged 16 to 64.

October 2013
Reassessment to Personal Independent Payments starts for fixed Disability Living Allowance awards coming up for renewal, young people turning 16 or where DLA claimants report a change in their health or disability.

October 2015
Department for Work And Pensions begin selecting the remaining Disability Living Allowance claimants and telling them what they need to do to claim PIP.


More Answers To Questions
On my previous post about Personal Independent Payments there are were still a few questions i was looking for answers for and now i have finally found them.

What about existing Disability Living Allowance claimants? 
There are no automatic entitlements to PIP, even where an indefinite or lifetime Disability Living Allowance award has been made.Existing DLA recipients who were aged between 16 and 64 years old on 8 April 2013 (the day that PIP was introduced) will need to decide if they want to make a claim to PIP. Department for Work and Pensions will write to individuals from October 2015 to let them know when their DLA is due to end, and explain how they can make a claim to PIP.

 Existing claimants do not need to take any action now!

From October 2013, anyone with a DLA award coming up for renewal, young people turning 16 or DLA
claimants reporting a change in their health condition or disability, will be invited to claim PIP. Department for Work and Pensions will write to the remaining individuals at some point from October 2015 on wards to let them know when their Disability Living Allowance is due to end, and explain how they can make a claim to PIP.

All existing Disability Living Allowance claimants invited to claim PIP will be told what they need to do, and by when. If an existing DLA recipient makes a claim to PIP then their Disability Living Allowance would normally continue until a decision on their PIP claim is made. If PIP is not awarded or not claimed then DLA will stop.


How are other benefits and services affected? 
PIP is not taken into account as income when assessing entitlement to any means tested benefit and may even help claimants qualify for extra benefit. People receiving Attendance Allowance will not be affected by the introduction of PIP.

Like Disability Living Allowance, receiving PIP will provide access to other help. This can include Blue Badges, concessionary travel passes or a Motability vehicle.

Carers may also receive Carers Allowance because the person they are caring for is receiving the care component of DLA or the daily living component of PIP.If claimants are subsequently not eligible to PIP then these benefits and services may also be affected

PIP: Personal Independence Payments. (Helping Towards Some Of The Extra Costs You Might Have Because Of A Long Term Health Condition Or Disability) UK ONLY

The system for the PIP payments has once again changed in the UK and i have recently been given information from my work about the changes. I have detailed  PDF documents with more information that can be obtained by sending me a message via the contact section of this blog; or simply by commenting below. I have split the information into easy to read sections; if you don't wish to read all the information simply look at the sub-headings for the information you require.

PLEASE NOTE MOST INFORMATION IS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE INFORMATION LEAFLETS THEMSELVES

The information in the leaflet given to me is for people aged UNDER 65. You can't get Personal Independent Payment if you were aged 65 of over on the 8th April 2013 or UNDER 16. However, if you have been getting Disability Living Allowance or PIP payments until recently ring the contact number at the end of this post.

If you're UNDER 16 you may be able to get disability living allowance for children. If your aged 65 OR OVER you may be able to get attendance allowance instead. Visit... www.gov.uk

What is Personal Independence Payment?

Personal Independence Payment is a benefit to help you with some of the extra costs you may have because of a long-term health condition or disability. Personal Independence Payment replaces Disability Living Allowance for people who are aged 16 to 64 when they claim. You cannot get Personal Independence
Payment and Disability Living Allowance at the same time.

The amount of Personal Independence Payment you may get is based on how your health condition or disability affects you, not on the condition you have. You can get Personal Independence Payment whether you are in or out of work. Personal Independence Payment is a tax-free benefit and is not affected by
your income or savings.


How is Personal Independence Payment Made Up?
There are two parts to Personal Independence Payment:
•  Daily Living
•  Mobility.
If you qualify for Personal Independence Payment, you will get money for one or both parts. The amount you get is based on how your health condition or disability affects how well you carry out the ‘everyday activities’ shown below, the difficulties you face and the help you would need to do them - even if you
don’t actually get any help. For each part of Personal Independence Payment there is a list of activities.

Daily Living part activities include:                       Mobility part acitivties include:
* Preparing food                                                *Going out and moving around
* Eating and drinking
* Managing your treatments
* Washing and bathing
* Managing your toilet needs
* Dressing and undressing
* Communicating
* Reading
* Mixing with other people, and
* Making decisions about money.


How Is Personal Independence Payment Worked Out?
For each activity, there is a list of ‘descriptors’. Descriptors are sentences which describe how much support, and the type of support, you need to do the activity. Each descriptor has a point score.

You will get the most points if you can’t do the activity at all. You will get some points if you need special equipment, or if you need prompting, supervision or help from another person to do the activity. You won’t get any points if you can do the activity without any help.

The number of points you get will depend on how much help you need. Your scores for the activities are added together to give a total for each part. If you qualify, you can be paid for each part at either the
‘standard rate’ or the ‘enhanced rate’. For each part, you will get the standard rate if your scores add
up to 8 to 11 points. For each part, you will get the enhanced rate if your scores add up to 12 points or more.


Can I Get Personal Independence Payment?
Questions to help you decide if you might get Personal Independence Payment.

Do you have difficulty doing daily living and mobility activities because of a health condition or disability?
By this we mean how much does your health condition or disability affect how you carry out the daily living and mobility activities?

How long have you had your health condition or disability, and how long do you think that your health condition or disability will last?
You can claim Personal Independence Payment at any time if you need help doing daily living activities, or have problems with your mobility (or both), because of a health condition or disability. However, to be paid Personal Independence Payment, you must have needed help with these activities for at least three months - although you can put in a claim during this time. You must also be likely to need help with daily living activities, or have problems with mobility, for at least another nine months.

These rules do not apply to people who have a terminal illness and are not expected to live for more than six months. If you have a terminal illness you should apply straight away.

Are you in a care home?
If you’re in a care home when you claim, we can usually pay the Mobility part of Personal Independence Payment but not the Daily Living part. However, we may pay the Daily Living part if you’re paying for your care home privately and none of your care is paid for by the council or from public money.

Are you in hospital or a hospice?
If you’re in hospital when you claim, we won’t usually pay Personal Independence Payment until you leave. However, we may pay it if you’re a private patient and you’re paying without help from the NHS. We may also pay Personal Independence Payment if you’re claiming because you are terminally ill and you are in a hospice.

Are you living in Great Britain?
To get Personal Independence Payment you must normally live in Great Britain. You won’t usually be able to claim Personal Independence Payment if you’re subject to immigration controls, although there are a small number of exceptions. Check your passport or other travel documents from the Home Office or UK Border Agency to see if they say you’re subject to immigration controls.

What if I am living abroad?

You’ll need to have spent a minimum of at least two out of the last three years in Great Britain before you can claim Personal Independence Payment. However, if you’re living in another European Economic Area state or Switzerland, you may be able to get the Daily Living part of Personal Independence Payment.

What if I go abroad for a short time?
You must tell us if you go abroad for more than four weeks. We can pay Personal Independence Payment for the first 13 weeks that you’re temporarily abroad (or up to 26 weeks if you’re abroad specifically for medical treatment).


How Do I Claim?
To start your claim for Personal Independence Payment:
Phone: 0800 917 2222
Textphone: 0800 917 7777

Someone else can call on your behalf to make the claim but you’ll need to be there too.  We’ll only ask for some basic information at this stage, including your:
•  National Insurance number
•  full address, including postcode
•  date of birth
•  bank or building society account details, so we can arrange any payments if you qualify for the benefit
•  daytime contact number, and
•  GP or other health professional’s details.

We’ll also ask if you’ve spent time abroad, and whether you are in a care home or hospital, or have been recently.


What Happens After I Start My Claim?
We’ll send you a form so you can tell us how your health condition or disability affects your daily life, both on ‘good’ and ‘bad’ days and over a range of activities.

When you post the form back to us you should also send us any information you have that explains your circumstances. This might be information from your GP, or the professional that you see about your health condition or disability, or from anyone else who supports you.

Only send in copies of things you already have or can easily get hold of. Don’t ask for other information which might slow down your claim, or that you might be charged for (for example, a letter from your GP). If we need something like this, we’ll ask for it ourselves.

When you send in the form, we will pass your claim to a ‘health professional’. The health professional works for an organisation that carries out assessments for us - the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).They may be an occupational therapist, nurse, physiotherapist, paramedic or doctor.

The health professional will look at the information you’ve provided. They may ask your GP or other contacts you’ve given on the form, for extra information they need.

Sometimes we can make a decision by using just the written information, but most people will be asked to go to a ‘face-to-face consultation’ with a health professional. If a face-to-face consultation is needed then the health professional will contact you direct to arrange it.

The consultation will give you the chance to explain your needs in your own words. You can take someone with you for support and they can take part in the discussion too.

Once the consultation is finished we consider all the information, including the advice from the health professional and any information you’ve sent us. We (not the health professional) will make a decision on your claim and write to tell you how we made the decision.

If you qualify for Personal Independence Payment, we will look at your claim regularly to make sure that you are getting the right support. We will look at your claim if we think it’s likely that your health condition or disability will change, or you might need more or less support.

You must tell us straight away if you need more or less help to look after yourself, or if you find it easier or harder to get around.

If you are not sure whether to tell us about a change, do it anyway. If you don’t, you could lose out on money you should get. Or you could be paid too much and have to pay it back.


What If I Am Terminally Ill?
We have special rules for people who have a terminal illness and are not expected to live for more than six months. These rules mean that your claim will be dealt with more quickly, you will not need to go for a face-to-face consultation and you will get the enhanced rate of the Daily Living part straight away. You may also get the Mobility part, depending on your mobility needs.

You can make a claim for someone who has a terminal illness without them knowing and without their permission. However, we will write to them with the results of our decision on the claim. The letter will not include any details about either the person’s health condition or that the claim was made under the
special rules.

To claim under these special rules for terminally ill people, you’ll need to Direct Gov on 0800 917 2222. It’s important to send a DS1500 form from your doctor, specialist or consultant to support your claim (unless you have sent one for this or any other benefit in the last six months). The DS1500 is a report about your medical condition. You won’t have to pay for it. You can ask the doctor’s receptionist, a nurse or a social worker to arrange it for you. You don’t have to see the doctor.

"Is Autism A Disorder? An Alternative View" by Luke Beardon

Luke Beardon is a senior lecturer in Autism at the Autism Centre, Sheffield Hallam University.

When looking at the disorder of autism Luke asks the following:

We are told people with autism...

• Lack a theory of mind
• Have a lack of executive functioning
• Have poor central coherence
• Have developmental delays in communication and social understanding

When people talk about those with autism they focus on the negatives of the disorder. When in fact there are many positives.

What about the positives?

• The honesty
• The straight talking
• They say what they think as opposed to making it up
• The genuine nature found in so many individuals with autism
• The extraordinary qualities within the population
• The attention to detail
• The perfectionism
• The drive
• The focus

Luke Beardon is well known for speaking the truth and letting others see autism in a different light.

"I would say that the only reason we use the term disorder is because there are more neuro typical people than there are people with autism."

"What we should be talking about is difference not disorder; we should be recognising that just because a person with autism develops differently is not automatically a negative state but a difference that needs acknowledgement".

"One of the best ways of supporting an individual with autism is to change behaviour not of the person with autism but the behaviour of those around them."

"If the world was more organised, better structured, if people actually said what they meant, then surely this would better suit the individual with autism."

Factfile on Luke Beardon
http://www.the-expert-witness.co.uk/luke-beardon/

Positive Thought Of The Day (25.08.2013)

"The world worries about disabilities more than disabled people do." 

Warwick Navis

An Introduction To Autism And Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Many of us have heard of the term ‘autism’ and no doubt have people in our lives who are autistic. Although many people have heard of it not everyone knows what it is and what is involved. So first i will give a basic definition of what autism is.

What is autism?

Autism is a developmental condition affecting the way that the brain processes information. It occurs in varying levels of severity and is a lifelong condition.

When doctors try to diagnose people as autistic or on autistic disorder spectrum they have a list of criteria to test for. Sometimes this can make it difficult for some children and adults to get a diagnosis if they do not show all the ‘common’ traits and signs of someone who is autistic. The main points that the doctor has to look for are based on the triad of impairment.

Triad of impairments

In 1978 Lorna Wing and Judy Gould undertook the Camberwell study; a year later the ‘triad of impairments’ was introduced. And since then it has been the ‘backbone’ of the diagnostic criteria for autism.

The social interaction part of the triad focuses on the following things;

·         The individuals lack of social instinct.

·         Having little or no understanding of unwritten social rules.

·         It also looks at showing little or no empathy for other people.

The communication segment of the triad focuses on the following things;

·         Difficulty understanding verbal and non verbal communication

·         Difficulty using verbal and non verbal communication

·         Difficulty understanding messages from others when not said verbally

·         Difficulty in conversation

The social imagination part of the triad focuses on the following things;

·         Difficulty in predicting the consequences of actions

·         Inability to imagine what goes on in other peoples minds.

Although we have ideas on how to work with and handle autism and how to diagnose it; it is very hard to know exactly what causes autism. So it often leads people to ask how and what causes autism.

What causes autism?

·         The truth is no one really knows exactly why but the brain develops differently in people with autism.

·         Finding the cause of autism is one of the most challenging areas of medical science.

·         The absence of a clear understanding about what causes autism makes finding effective therapies to combat it very difficult.

·         It is now widely accepted by scientists that there may be a mild link to autism being inherited through the family; however this has not been fully proven. It is unclear as to why it affects some family members and not others and why it can skip some generations all together.

·         Autism is no longer seen as a result of lack of affection from carers/parents.

·         The levels of autism are on the rise but this could simply be due to the advances in diagnosing autism as we are now more aware of its signs.

·         There aren’t currently any biological tests to confirm a diagnosis of autism.

How common is autism?

With the numbers of people diagnosed with autism on the rise the statistics speak for themselves to show just how common autism is within the UK.

·         1 in 100 school children are affected by autism

·         Autism is four times more likely in boys than in girls

·         4 out of 10 children with autism have no friends

·         4 out of 10 children with autism are bullied at school

·         A quarter of children with autism are excluded from school at some point

·         Only 6% of people with autism are able to obtain full time employment

As part of my work i am often asked by parents, volunteers and other staff members alike what sort of things can be put in place to make an ‘autistic spectrum disorder’ friendly environment. What sort of things can be done to build on the skills the individual may have and what can be done to knock down any communication barriers that are in place. I always offer very simple advice.

1.       Keep language simple

2.       Allow the individual time to process the information you have given them this could take seconds or minutes

3.       Give out any instructions one at a time

4.       Say exactly what you mean; be literal!

5.       Avoid dependence on the individual understanding what you mean via your facial expressions and any gestures you may give

6.       Minimize distractions within the space to allow the individual to concentrate

There are many support services available locally and nationally to help families, friends, teachers and individuals get advice and help with autism. One that i would recommend to anyone is the

“National Autistic Society”

It is running purely to provide information on autism; the website has a vast amount of resources that can be used and there is a helpline you can ring for advice. Although it is a national service they can give you contact details for local services in your area.

Positive Quote Of The Day (18.08.2013)

"It is not our disability that is the problem, but it is rather the way out disability is viewed by others" 

Drexel Deal