Following the GMWRAG post about the latest consultation regarding the replacement of DLA with the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) GMWRAG members met in Stockport in January 2012 and agreed we needed to put together a formal response. A meeting is scheduled for Salford in April 2012 but the closing date for the consultation is the 3oth of April 2012 so it was felt GMWRAG needed to start putting something together well before then. This page is that opportunity. Indeed we have tweaked the whole site temporarily to make it clear just how important we think this is right now. You will see that we’ve even added a clock to the right panel of the site to act as a countdown!
Read the latest information about PIP thresholds and consultation. If you or your organisation want to then contribute your comments (no matter how large or small) to a GMWRAG response you can do so via “Contact GMWRAG” or via the “Comment” button below.
Please note the following:
- The intention is that all comments will be published on this page to inform and perhaps inspire. The “Contact GMWRAG” form or “Comment” button ask for your details. There’s no way around that but we are happy to publish anonymously if you ask us.
- If you don’t say otherwise we will publish your name and/or organisation if it’s a personal response but just the organisation if it’s an organisational one. It’s up to you to tell us.
- If you wish to contribute but don’t want it published until the final document we are happy to cater for that although a running score of comments received will be published and we really want to encourage people to come forward with comments that can be published as it helps avoid duplication and encourages others.
- All comments will be moderated. Offensive or inappropriate comments will not be published.
- We could of course fall flat on our face doing this but there may be equally pressing matters to discuss at our April meeting given the pace of welfare reform. If we can’t get enough comments now this agenda item for that meeting will probably take up more time than it could have.
PIP CONSULTATION COMMENTS:
Just to start the avalanche of comments, here are a few things that were raised at the Stockport meeting :
We were wary of being asked to comment on the criteria for components, when the rates are not yet known. Will they be less than current equivalents?
Supervision needs appear to have been written out of significant awards, apart from when they relate to specific activities.
The case studies do not appear to have been scored realistically, given the descriptions of health conditions/limitations.
It was surprising to see points available when activities could be completed with the use of aids and adaptations.
Will it be possible to combine points scoring activities for mobility between activities 10 and 11?
Teh
What stood out for me (apart from the inability of the DWP to score their own examples accurately) was that specific disabilities appeared to attract awards that made no sense whatsoever whereas a DLA award was both predictable and made sense. PIP awards for people with epilepsy, for one example, were all over the place based on differences that ultimately were arbitrary and would be on the verge of inexplicable to claimants. This in the context that one of the alleged flaws of DLA is its inconsistency! I do think it would be useful to pull specific case examples of disabilities where the DLA award was clear and the PIP award shows inconsistencies; provided the latter are unjustifiable. Time to pull on the expertise of specialist WROs re: mental health; cancer; learning disabilities and sensory impairment for example?