Rules “force disabled woman to choose between love and social benefits”
Image source, Qays Najm/BBC
- Author, Rachael McMenemy, Katy Prickett and Richard Daniel
- Role, BBC News, Suffolk
A woman with chronic pain said she was forced to choose between love and life due to limitations in her performance.
Rose Kindred, from Ipswich, has hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and wants to move in with her partner, but current benefit rules would mean her payment would have to be drastically reduced, making life unaffordable for both of them.
“I think it is a cruel system that forces disabled people to choose between the security of a life and love,” she said.
‘Nonsense’
Ms Kindred, 26, has been declared unfit for work by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) because her condition causes a genetic mutation in the body’s collagen, resulting in hypermobility in the joints and problems with balance and coordination.
She receives Personal Independence Payment (PIP) of £405.40 per month and £809.64 of Universal Credit every four weeks.
Ms Kindred said she found it “nonsensical” that her parents’ income was not taken into account, yet according to a government benefits calculator she would lose her Universal Credit payments if she moved in with her partner, who earns around £30,000 a year.
“I would like to move in with my partner of five years, but unfortunately that is not possible because the Department for Work and Pensions allows us to live as if we were married.”
“That’s £405 a month to live on, and that doesn’t even include private physiotherapy to make up for what the NHS can’t give me.”
“I basically have to live with my parents because that’s the only option I have.”
The charity Ehlers-Danlos Support UK raised concerns about the proposed changes to PIP.
A statement said: “EDS is misunderstood and diagnosis can take decades, making it difficult to document the daily struggle with this disease.”
“We are concerned about the proposed changes to PIP and have reached out to our members to better understand their experiences.
“We encouraged them to participate in the consultation.
“In addition, our Adviceline has seen a significant increase in the number of members seeking help with benefits, which is indicative of the growing issues facing people with EDS in the UK.”
What the parties say
The Liberal Democrats want to give disabled people and their representative organisations a greater say in shaping benefits policies and processes. They want to bring work ability assessments in-house, reform PIP assessments to make the process more transparent and stop unnecessary reassessments, and abolish informal assessments.
The Greens want to restore the value of disability benefits by increasing them by 5% immediately. They want to reform intrusive eligibility tests such as PIP and the unfair discrimination against carers and the disabled. And in the long term they want to introduce a universal basic income to give everyone the security to start a business, study, train and live a life of dignity.
Labour will work with local authorities to develop plans to help more disabled people and those with health problems into work. They will decentralise funding so that local authorities can design a coordinated work, health and skills offer for local people. While they promise to tackle the backlog of access to work applications, they say nothing about benefits such as PIP.
Reform UK says PIP and work capacity assessments should take place in person. They will require independent medical assessments to prove eligibility for payments. People with severe disabilities or serious long-term illnesses would be exempt from regular checks.
The Conservatives say they would reform benefits to stop a predicted rise in PIP payouts. But the manifesto gives no details of the changes other than promising a more “objective” assessment of an individual’s needs. They say they would make the assessment process simpler and fairer for the most seriously ill.
What really matters to you in this general election? What issue will influence your vote? Click the button below to submit your idea and it could be heard on the BBC.
Your voice, your choice
Chris Russo attacks Giants’ editorial control over “Hard Knocks”
Book signing for the third edition of “Remember that time…” on June 27th – The Atmore Advance
Post Malone regains first place on the song list with “I Had Some Help”
About The Author
