ACT NOW - Fight For Your Independence #PIP

12/17/2012 12:29:00 pm BenefitScroungingScum 3 Comments



 Guest blog by Beth Morris on behalf of WeAreSpartacus, originally posted here

One for all and all for one…

When I listened to Esther McVey make her commons statement with increasing horror my first thought was – Do I have the strength to fight this!

I’m tired, ill and facing another bleak winter in the sure knowledge that I will be bed bound again very soon – Just like every winter.  That knowledge hangs like a black cloud over our house, my husband gently reminds me when I make plans for January – we like to pretend I will be well enough, knowing full well the chances of me making it to the bathroom unaided become the highlight of my day.

BUT – like you I can’t simply lie back on my pillows and hope someone else will fight for me. That’s not fair because I’m asking other sick and disabled people to do it for me.

There are two massive scary things in the new PIP (Personal Independence Payment) proposals
2 people have written about the 20 meter moving around criteria better than I ever could:

Read them here

Secondly the reliably, repeatedly, safely and timely emphasis has not gone into the regulations – which means they are not legally binding and if anyone had to appeal its could not be used as a point of law to show the decision was not fairly made.

The DWP have said it’s inherent and will be in the guidance, but well we know how easy it is to change policy.

The PIP proposals and criteria have to be agreed by parliament – it’s likely to happen in January – so we don’t have much time.

So what can WE do?

We can show our MPs just how short a distance 20 metres is – I bet Esther Mcvey and her DWP cronies are relying on MP’s and the general public not having a clue how short that distance really is and far from promoting independence it will take it away.

Send your MP an E-card before Friday

Here’s how



Use one of these images 





Or



with the wording -  
Please make my Christmas and do 2 things in January
Don’t vote to take my independence away – Insist the DWP go back to using the 50 & 100 metre distances – like ESA and Blue Badge do

Vote to embed the Reliably, Repeatedly, Safely and Timely into the regulations so I’m not left stranded by the whims of future policy

If you have a few spoons and want to make it personal follow these simple instructions to show your MP local places they should know well to highlight just how appallingly bad the 20 metre criteria is
I’m not techy at all if I can do it so can you J

Step 1 – use google map to look up places in your local area
  • Your MP’s constituency office
  • Distance from your house to your car
  • Distance from your house to the nearest bus stop, shop, GPs, Work etc

We need to show our MPs that having a very short distance means we won’t even make it out of our houses to be independent let alone get to important places.

Step 2 – use this link and follow the instructions http://support.google.com/maps/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1628031

Step 3 – Once you have found your house on the map change the google map view to satellite and zoom in til you have a clear picture like this one – make sure you start your measurement from inside your house. 



I spend most of my day in the conservatory – which is why I started from the white bit J  - I have blocked out my road but you don’t have to as your MP needs to know you live there in order to reply.
As you can see – If I reached my car even taking into account of the repeatedly, reliably, safely and timely policy I would FAIL the 20 metre Criteria and therefore would NOT be entitled to enhanced PIP = no access to the Motability Scheme

 Step 4 when you have got the image – press the Print screen button on your keyboard – its is usually on top row of your keyboard says PrtSc

Step 5 open the paint tool and press paste – the image will be there – I cropped the image – save it as a Jpeg and then you can add it to a email

You have both options – of course you could also

Take a photo from your front door and tell your MP 20M wont allow you to have an independent life and to please insist the DWP go back to accepted 50 Metre and 200 Metre criteria ESA and Blue Badge assessment use

Make it personal and the ask is for them to not Vote to take away our independence

We have 3 Days til the MPs break up for Christmas – ACT NOW please don’t just leave it thinking someone else will act for you

You can find your MP here http://www.theyworkforyou.com/

Thank you

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The lack of legal protection around the "repeatedly, reliably and safely" issue worries me. This could apply to the ESA descriptors as well. I will write to my MP regarding this angle and would encourage everyone to do the same. This is a shameful act by the Government as it is they who set the ethos that the DWP then act upon.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to publicise a point that few people are aware of, If you are on betaferon or glatiromer acetate injections for MS, as my wife is then you attend annual checks, in our case at SRH. We always ask for a copy of the letter they send to her Dr. It always begins by stating if you were accompanied or not & then reports your timing for a 25mtr walk! If you are going worse on this walk yearly you may be taken off these disease modifying drugs. Hence we make sure we don't have to rush there, make sure she's not over warm and been too loo. All so if she can't walk all year she must do this to keep her therapy! Now we always send this and any other medical reports we get along with ESA & DLA forms which we think gets her fairer hearing. But this 20mtr rule will sweep away all MS SUFFERERS who are on these drugs! Have the consultants who send the letters been made aware of this I wonder?

Anonymous said...

I am currently on highest rate of both DLA (and was reassessed just last month to confirm this is right) but I looked at the PIP criteria which are very specific and I don't think I am going to get anything under PIP!

"Secondly the reliably, repeatedly, safely and timely emphasis has not gone into the regulations"

This is what will cause the problem for me. I am very seriously ill, but I can walk as I am not paralysed, however it is very painful and physically harmful for me to do so.

It seems like PIP doesn't take account of physical safety which will leave me without any support. I need care as I have frequent seizures and joint instability which means I get seriously injured and need assistance, but I don't think this will score me any points for PIP. There isn't a criteria for "You need help not to be seriously injured or die". Basically it seems as long as you can put food in your mouth and wipe your bottom, they don't care what else happens to you!