Petition to secure DLA and AA Response from Number 10

sharmaine

Many of you signed this petition and this is the response:

The Government understands that disability benefits provide an important means of financial support for severely disabled people who have extra costs as a result of their disabilities.

We also know that the care and support system that we have at the moment is not sustainable. By 2026, population estimates show that there will be double the number of people aged over 85 that there are now, and the number of people over 100 will have quadrupled. In 20 years’ time, we expect over 1.7 million more adults to have a need for care and support. We need to reform the care and support system radically to meet these future pressures.

In a reformed social care and support system, which offers more support to older and disabled people, we are looking to see if bringing together the new care and support system and some disability benefits into a single system may be a better way of providing support. However, we will only do this if we can better support the needs of older and disabled people, and we have ruled out bringing Disability Living Allowance for those under the age of 65 into the National Care Service.

Whatever the outcome of the consultation, we want to ensure that people receiving any of the relevant benefits at the time of reform will continue to receive the same level of cash support under our new and better care and support system.

If consultation shows that integrating some disability benefits into a simplified system is the right approach, we would want to ensure that the future care and support system retains and builds on the main advantages of the current disability benefits system. We know that disability benefits are popular because they provide a universal entitlement which does not depend on where a person lives, they provide a cash budget which can be spent on the services someone wants, and people often use them in ways that help them to stay independent and well for longer.

These three aspects – a universal system that is consistent across the country, flexible methods of payment through personal budgets and investment in prevention – will all be important components of the new system.

...........
It appears changes will take place and services intergrated. I have my doubts about it's success especially as so many folks are being turned down.

Sharmaine

sharmaine

Hi delboy

It sounds about right. I think we should all continue to voice our concerns about this otherwise we'll be faced with a system that simply doesn't work.

Sharmaine

delboy wrote:

Whatever the outcome of the consultation, we want to ensure that people receiving any of the relevant benefits at the time of reform will continue to receive the same level of cash support under our new and better care and support system.

In other words it is likely to be integrated into local social services and the ensuing chaos will leave claimants floundering without money, without hope and without a cats chance in hell of being in the same position before the 'reforms'.

No doubt means testing will be involved somewhere too as I didn't see that excluded in the statement.

frogmorton

Got an email with that link on too Sharmaine.

Not good eh??

What next?

Toni x