'Just before Christmas, the Government announced a consultation on the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) process, in particular on aids and appliances in the context of the PIP daily living component.

Aids and appliances, such as wheelchairs and walk-in showers, help people live independently.

This is only two years after the introduction of PIP to replace Disability Living Allowance, so has the Government suddenly found out that it doesn’t work?

Do the 105 claimant cases that the Government’s consultation is based on really reflect the 611,121 current PIP claimants? Apparently so'.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/iain-duncan-smith-already-slashed-7217871

More information here >> https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/personal-independence-payment-aids-and-appliances-descriptors

An MP is writing about this here >> http://www.debbieabrahams.org.uk/2016/government-plans-to-slash-support-for-disabled-people

Also picked up here >> http://locumtoday.co.uk/article.php?s=2016-01-12-government-consultation-on-aids-and-appliances-for-pip&catTitle=allied%20health%20professionalshome%20page%20featured#.Vq1ApiZWI2w

Thoughts anyone?

Personal Independence Payment: aids and appliances descriptors for this please see here >> https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/personal-independence-payment-aids-and-appliances-descriptors

I don't quite understand why all the tinkering in the first place ? If you deny people access to the funds to enable them to be mobile, how can you then expect them to be able to go to work ?

It may not be an entirely popular view, but I actually agree with some of the concerns over people who qualify solely on the basis of needing appliances. PIP is intended to cover some of the additional costs associated with being disabled, so where those costs are mostly one off purchases of relatively low cost items it doesn't really make sense to provide a weekly allowance.

That said, no doubt the whole exercise will turn into a cost-cutting penalise the workshy exercise as always, with the end result being a system entirely biased toward denying benefit to anyone.

This hasn't been thought through at all:

I am partially sighted and have learning disabilities and we're currently querying a hearing impairment. (I'm not deaf) I can't just go into Argos and pick up the first microwave I see. Mine cost me about £100. You, as a non disabled person, can pick them up for about £30, I think. It's like that with any technology - I tend to need something a bit more expensive to ensure I can use it.

My parents made that mistake years ago. The result? One melted microwave door...

Some of us have ongoing costs. A lot of things aren't covered within the PIP forms. One of the tablets I take, causes a lot of problems with my nose, especially at night. This means having to wear a strip at night to open my nasal passages. They're not cheap. Especially when having to wear them every single night. And then there's things like coloured paper, if I want to print something out, it has to be large print (meaning more paper and ink) and then there's human cost because of the things I can't do. But neither parent is entitled to carers allowance for me because of the 35 hour rule and because they both work full time.

Some aids do have ongoing costs, such as the cost of having to charge them or having to replace parts.

And why am I being told what I can spend my benefits on; but no-one else is?

And what will happen with carers allowance? Has anyone thought about that?

I don't see how this will save any money either because they're going to be (as I understand it) constantly writing to people to find out what they need for the month or whatever.

Nystagmite Just like you I too am disabled ( Brain, mobility, Right side weakness, memory, much more, this is getting very concerning TBH. We as disabled persons do have issues with every day items that most people take for granted.

I am new to being disable (6) years nearly. I hate it as my mind and body have yet to fully adjust to the new me. I live in an adapted ground floor flat, this is from a 9th floor 2 bed flat. So I too have to adapt and overcome. It wasn't till I had moved in that I realised that the cupboards were at a normal height, therefore some 20 months later I am going to have to ask for them to be lowered. Normally this is a cost to the normal household, but in my case its free due to it being an adaption. I have been to scared to ask for it until a large item fell on my head because I could not grip it fully, this is something I overlooked till recently.

Also the lack of work surfaces to allow me to use is severely restricted, sad to say this was rejected by the LA. The result was for me to buy 2 units and ASK to install them, although permission was granted it was an expense I could not afford, £150.00 in total. But saying that I have been badgering my LA to upgrade the remaining properties under the decent homes deal. This now will be done within 3 years or so.

If this does get applied to the benefits system they will have to send the appropriate person out to see if this is indeed true. I.E. do they really need this! But I think an argument could be used when the claimant has their interviews. What is also of concern are those of us on indefinite awards under the DLA rules. As far as being told what to spend my money on this will be challenged under the discrimination Act. (I hope) In as much as a claimant on DLA/PiP could be given vouchers to use. My argument is why pick on us and not the others on benefits, if we get to be told you will get vouches then EVERYONE on benefits must be told this!!

More later as I am looking for new aids on eBay lol....

There is a serious problem with vouchers imo - there's a piece of equipment I bought a few years ago, which you can buy anywhere. If you buy it from Amazon, (there are other shops!) it costs, I think a few pounds. If you buy it from a disability shop, it costs far more. That, in general, is true for most things.

I sometimes have to buy more expensive items, such as my magnifer. (NHS don't supply the type I need. The ones they supply don't work for me) I'm happy enough (I'm aware not everyone can do this) to use my credit card and use my DLA to pay it off in chunks.

And how are they going to define need, exactly? Either way, this is going to work out very expensive and probably going to cost more than giving us a lump sum to do what we wish with it. I prefer it that way - it means I can spend it on what I know I need.

There are claims that we all get too much, it should be vouchers and we all spend our disability benefits on holidays. I remember someone asking last year just how exactly does being Autistic mean you have extra costs and then saying "my child doesn't have extra costs". I then explained that at the time, I was attending a social group which charged. I couldn't attend the local one because I couldn't manage there and it was the only way I could actually socialise. And because I can't drive, I was having to pay train and taxi fare.

I hope that someone does challenge this. It seems as though, for whatever reason, we're being singled out.

Rather than start a new thread I am tacking this here unless a new thread is needed for more information about this see here >> http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2016-02-01/stroke-survivors-expect-to-be-the-latest-victims-in-council-cuts/

I think I now have a new campaign and to see from my LA WHAT cuts they are making with this particular area. Then remind them in words of consideration that they waste so much money on taxis for able bodied people to attend meetings. Currently this runs into thousands of pounds...

This gets right up my nose!!!! Time for a FoI request I think...

I sort of remember when they announced PIP, they mentioned this. But I was hoping we'd have the choice - either we'd get the equipment we need instead of PIP or we'd get the cash to spend how we wish. At least this would mean people like a friend wouldn't have to had fundraise to get the computer her daughter needs. (she can't talk or use her hands and has a computer to communicate which NHS doesn't supply)

I'm waiting for my LA to announce how much more council tax we're going to be paying.

I don't quite understand why all the tinkering in the first place ? If you deny people access to the funds to enable them to be mobile, how can you then expect them to be able to go to work ?

Then you have this >> The bad news see here >> http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/disabled-woman-told-shell-lose-7092414

I don't quite understand why all the tinkering in the first place ? If you deny people access to the funds to enable them to be mobile, how can you then expect them to be able to go to work ?

There is Access to Work. But I think there's cuts there too. And you have to pay the public transport costs for that. (because it's a cost a non-disabled person has)