Passing the buck
I was speaking recently to a friend, whose wife has a long-term, incurable condition, and whose original lifetime award for DLA has recently been reassessed. The outcome of her claim is that she has received a two-year award for PIP. Which means, she keeps her car meantime, and can keep working, as long as she is able. It also means that in two years, she will have to re-apply, and start jumping through a fresh set of hoops.
In two years’ time, we are supposing that a package of existing welfare benefits, including PIP, will have been devolved to the Scottish government. So, by handing out short-term awards, is Westminster simply passing the buck? All the existing, temporary awards that have recently been made are going to require reassessment – unless they are also lifetime awards – when they expire; and one result of awarding PIP even for a short time, is that no “parachute payment” (awarded when a claimant who qualified for a vehicle under the old DLA scheme loses their entitlement under PIP) is paid.

If the outcome of my reasssessment is that I lose my car, then at least I have one major comfort: When benefits are devolved, I can reapply to the Scottish Government and see what happens. Whatever their decision may be, I’d rather have decisions about my benefits entitlements taken by an independent expert – not ATOS or AWOL please – and emanating from a political administration with which I have some sympathy. Sorry to say, but I’ve never voted conservative, and I don’t think I ever will: I am just too aware of the undeclared value of “social capital” – “good” education, “privileged” up-bringing etc – to suppose that it has no effect on our democratic processes. Although, if current political developments are anything to go by, there is evidently no guarantee that even with social capital, we obtain sound governance.
I’ll keep you updated on the progress of my PIP application.
Meantime, thanks so much for listening.
Please share:
August 6, 2019 @ 8:55 pm
Fran, I don’t really follow all these acronyms, but I understand enough to know that you and many others have things that give you quality of life as a result of certain benefits and that those benefits are being systematically withdrawn. I so hope you get the result you need without having to jump through too many hoops. I can only imagine how hard that must be!
August 7, 2019 @ 11:02 am
Dearest Val
Thank you so much for reading my blog posts and for leaving your comments – I appreciate your understanding! The only thing to do is to carry on as normal – better than normal! – or the system “wins” twice, by not only reducing my circumstances, but by making me unhappy too. So I go on being me :-))) and counting my blessings, because these are many and varied. Besides, I’m moving away from “victim” perception which helps no-one. I know you have sympathy with this. If things get too bad, I can always dream of emigrating to the EU! 🙂 xxx
August 15, 2019 @ 8:23 pm
Your comment to Val makes so much sense. Even so, I’d want to punch the you-know-what out of ‘them’ — which might be accomplished by (even dreaming of) emigrating to the EU!! 🙂 In the meantime, here’s to carrying on at BETTER than normal….which, it seems to me, you already do so very well. And yes, at great cost.
Cheers!
Elouise
August 16, 2019 @ 4:23 pm
Dear Elouise
Things happen to everyone, all the time, it seems to me, and the best answer to all of it – all the time – is to do one’s best. You’ve always attempted that, and it is the only way. My daughter the other day said, at something that cropped out of no-where, “Yes, but why does it have to be anyone’s fault?” and the answer is, it doesn’t. Wise kid. I hope you are enjoying life. ((xxx))