women with visible and invisible disabilities
Pamela* in Yorkshire writes: I’d really like my PIP story to be included on your website. Things are just so dire with benefits and I want to share my experience to try and help others as much as possible and publicize the ME Association meeting with the government minister. I read the PIP stories on your website … Read more
On Tuesday 3 December 2019 – International Day of Disabled People at Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL Court case starts 10.30am. Go into court room 73 to support the claimants, TP and AR. Court times to be listed here. Continues Wednesday 4 December (afternoon only), Thursday 5 December, support in court needed. … Read more
We want to share this news from the Benefits Training Company about someone who was told to claim Universal Credit (UC) but should have stayed on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). As far as we understand it, the Benefits Training Company is saying that although Mr B split up from his partner, his ill-health remained … Read more
Reviews are happening now of people’s PIP claims. This follows several legal wins challenging benefits discrimination, including Ms R F, whom we supported at court in 2017 (see the report by Public Law Project). Because of these successes, the government had to agree to check 1.6m PIP claims on whether we are getting our full entitlements. But … Read more
We got this message about our self-help information on exemption from face-to-face benefit interviews: “Hi, I’m emailing about the story you have online from June 2017 about the guidelines protecting people with severe mental illness getting a face to face assessment when applying for PIP. I’m from Northern Ireland and have a 20-year severe mental … Read more
Women battling for paper-based assessment have won PIP, including Mrs X. Here is her story and how she won: My horrible PIP experience and 16 letters of complaint! “I am a 65-year old woman who lives in Essex. In 2012 I had a stroke caused by excessively high blood pressure (I had no idea). That … Read more
Scope’s report ‘The Disability Price Tag 2019‘ shows how disability benefits are much too low to live on (as well as the DWP cutting off and sanctioning people like Jodey Whiting). At the same time, councils and other authorities are wildly undercounting people’s disability expenses, and making people pay more charges for homecare and support services from … Read more
We’re supporting the petition to Amber Rudd to STOP the DWP telling GPs not to issue sick notes for patients who are wrongly found fit for work. Sign the petition here. See petition updates from Zacchaeus 2000 here. Sick and disabled people are being deprived of vital benefit while they appeal, leaving them destitute and risking their … Read more
Several legal challenges at tribunal and then High Court have forced the government to repay around £1.67bn in benefits to an estimated 180,000 low-income sick and disabled people, which they were wrongly denied since 2011. Well done to Ms H, a woman who was wrongly found fit for work, one of those who went to tribunal. She challenged being … Read more
This page covers: Response to Universal Credit (UC) What is UC? When will I be affected? ESA claimants ‘Transitional Protection’ Before starting your UC claim Ways to start your UC claim Getting paid immediately Vulnerable claimants and first interview (claimant commitment) Other reasons why you should be exempted from work conditions Work Capability Assessment interview … Read more