£975 Income Gap for PIP Claimants After Payments Replaced with Vouchers
See the newest PIP report: Beneficiaries Face £975 Income Gap When Payments Replaced with Vouchers. DWP proposals to modify the Personal Independence Allowance have alarmed claimants and campaign groups.
Using vouchers instead of PIP costs beneficiaries £975
UK government proposes to revamp disability and long-term health benefits. PIP applicants must be assessed for how their health affects their lives. Payment is split every four weeks.
PIP covers disability costs up to £737 per month. The new proposal may replace cash contributions with equipment and therapy vouchers and grants. Critics fear this shift could leave disabled people with a big income gap.
PIP beneficiaries face £975 income gap
Scope's Disability Price Tag study found that disabled families need £975 per month to live as well as non-disabled households. Disability-related costs such adaptive equipment, therapies, and everyday living expenses total £11,700 per year.
Disability's high costs have been highlighted by EnableAll founder and CEO Mike Adams. Accessible online marketplace EnableAll encourages disability accessibility. These costs affect travel, insurance, and specialized delivery, not just mobility aids.
Reason for PIP Voucher Over Cash
Adjustments reduce claims and save money. This may hinder impaired persons. It may increase paperwork in complex systems. Labor and pension secretary Mel Stride misquoted monthly pay as thousands of pounds. He fixed it annually.
Complex health issues make applications difficult, and the Department for Work and Pensions communicates poorly with applicants. This idea ignores lifelong disabilities. It eliminates options and implies disabled people can't manage money or choose wisely.