PIP

PIP: locking chronically ill people out of disabled benefits

PIP isn’t supposed to be about diagnoses. But even with my diagnoses, I have major difficulties getting benefits assessors from a range...

Learning to live with chronic illness without independence

Recently I failed a PIP appeal. I get standard rate mobility - which at one point the Tribunal were minded to take away - but was...

PIP: maintaining poverty, removing choice

The point of extra-costs disability benefits is to meet some of the costs experienced by people with disability, in order to raise them...

How is PIP expenditure high, when disabled people are struggling?

The Office for Budget Responsibility has recently reported that spending on PIP, the Tory’s new extra-costs disability, was 20% higher...

PIP appeal – overprepared fraud?

I had a PIP appeal today. I’ve been waiting for it for ten months. I don’t think it went well. There are some points in my favour: the...

Governments have no right to be ignorant

The government still doesn’t know what its talking about. But this time it’s almost seven years on from when it gained power, and its...

The government’s rationale for PIP shows it doesn’t understand disability

On Thursday the government released its response to the consultation on Personal Independence Payments (PIP), the successor to Disability...

The importance of medical evidence for disability assessments

When it’s their word against yours, medical evidence is what proves you’re not the one lying. Medical evidence is what says that you are...

Conservatives have ignored their history on disability benefit reform

A new disability benefit should reflect the policy intent that the important factor is not the medical condition but the effect that it...

Mobility scooters aren’t an adequate replacement for legs

A couple of weeks back I wrote about a recent experience using trains as a disabled person. As one reader pointed out, part of my problem...

The government doesn’t understand disability

On Monday the government started the roll-out of its new disability benefit, Personal Independence Payments. According to the government,...

Disabled man is not a fraud

Yesterday, the Daily Mail ran the astounding story that a disabled man qualified for the benefits he received. Their surprise was great...