#disability pension

[cy-cyborg]

Hey just a heads up for my Aussie disabled people (or anyone on centrelink) I just got a fake notification from someone claiming to be MyGov saying there was an issue with my dsp. Be careful and check the app if you get a text, don't click the links they send you.

This one was pretty obviously fake, the sender was "MyOv" instead of MyGov and called my DSP an allowance - also it wasnt that definitive MyGov brand of ominously vague lol, but I get the scam messages a lot anyway and they usually get better with time. Be cautious and make sure your less tech-savy relatives/friends know about it!

[thedenofravenpuff]

Retired

Now Officially retired on disability pension. 

Went through much faster than expected, thought I had two months to get used to the thought and instead was approved in only two weeks. 

Still stings losing my dream job that I worked so hard for, all my exams and papers now useless as my time now is to be focused on my health. To be functional in my everyday life without sacrificing that for work instead. 

Next big hurdle is to plan the move back to my home region. To get closer to my family. Only moved to this region for my workplace, which is a moot point now. Now I just wanna be near family, especially my nieces and nephews. To be the best auntuncle I can be! 

Building up a new life around not working gonna take some adjustments, but got my hobbies, friends and family to help fill out that void. All for the better, I just never planned to retire at age 34, ya know?

Welp, just an update on life and stuff. 

[naerwenia]

Soon, I'll be a pensioner! Disability pension, let's goooooo! Also, I'm getting a larger diagnosis done next week to see if I have something other than depression, anxiety, and other specified dissociative disorder (OSDD) (Finally! finally I get autism diagnosis on the papers).

[bathask]

学生免除手続きせずの特別障害給付金制度で無く紹介状利用2院目の初診日記載ある受診状況等証明書で20歳前傷病判明,市役所で年金生活者支援給付金請求手続き書類1式再説明も訳若芽。大人の発達障害やアスペルガー等自閉症スペクトラムASD概念ない昭和より自閉スペクトラム症でも誤診で40年間精神科通院

[cassolotl]

UK government planning to scrap a major disability benefit

I'm only just scraping by and the government are proposing to take away PIP (a disability benefit), which would be HALF of my income wiped out.

"Reforms to personal independence payments (PIP) could include stopping regular cash payments, and instead offering claimants one-off grants for things like home adaptations." -- "Disabled people face end to monthly benefits cash", BBC News, 29 April 2024

And:

"The plans, which will be consulted on over the coming months, also include proposals to “move away from a fixed cash benefit system”, meaning people with some conditions will no longer receive regular payments, but instead access to treatment if their condition does not involve extra costs." -- "People with depression or anxiety could lose sickness benefits, says UK minister", Guardian, 29 April 2024

That's what the NHS is supposed to be doing...

Genuinely absolutely terrifying.

Can anyone living in the UK join in with an (hopefully!) overwhelming cascade of unique emails to their MP opposing this? WriteToThem.com makes it very quick and easy.

They're proposing to replace it with one-off grants that the individual can apply for, which is absurd and horrifying, so feel free to point out how that won't work as well!

Here's what I'm writing, and do not just copy-paste my letter/email, because that makes it less legit. Do your own thing, even just one sentence telling your MP that you're opposed is enough if that's all you can manage. Whatever you want to say is what your MP needs to hear.

Dear [MP's name], Today I learned that the government plan to scrap PIP, and maybe replace it with something like a one-off grant application process, before the next election. ("Disabled people face end to monthly benefits cash", BBC News, 29 April 2024: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0ry09d50wo) PIP is about half of my income (about 44%). I don't spend it on occasional large purchases, I spend it on countless things that are more expensive for me than they are for other people. PIP is in place to acknowledge, as it says in the above article, that disabled people's lives are more expensive than non-disabled people's lives by hundreds of pounds per week. ("Previous research from Scope suggests households with at least one disabled adult or child face an estimated average extra cost of £975 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households." That's £225 per week, and the maximum amount of PIP you can get is £184.) So firstly, it could be argued that PIP doesn't even cover the additional expenses of the average disabled household. And next, the cost of implementing an alternative system would be worse for disabled people, totally unsuited to its purpose, and more expensive to run. Worse for disabled people: Currently PIP acknowledges that being disabled takes a lot more work to maintain a comparable standard of living, and as it's an amount of work that the claimant cannot sustainably do, they are given money so that they can pay someone else to do it. These costs are distributed across all living expenses, in addition to occasional one-off purchases of e.g. mobility aids. Having to apply for one-off payments for expenses would be more work on top of that, so if the disabled person isn't able to do it (which is very likely) they will either have to work less in their day jobs in order to spend more time applying for one-off grants, or they will have to also apply for one-off payments to pay someone to apply for more one-off payments. This is self-evidently a waste of energy and time, and totally impractical, as well as being counter to the entire point of disability benefits. It would also be extremely undignified for the disabled people, and arguably against human rights (right to private life and dignity), to have to justify each purchase to the government. Totally unsuited to its purpose: One off-grants are not suited to ongoing higher expenses such as having to buy more prepared food (e.g. carrot batons are more expensive than raw carrots and go off much more quickly). Does this policy assume that disabled people's PIP is only for things like wheelchairs and walking sticks? More expensive to run: The system for PIP applications is already fairly backlogged, in that my last application took over 6 months to complete. I was awarded PIP for 10 years. If every application for a one-off grant had to be accompanied by an application of a similar scale that wouldn't be workable, so presumably an initial PIP application like the current system's would still be required to qualify for the system in the first place, and then following that, numerous smaller applications for money (e.g. for taxis, pre-chopped veg, painkillers, specialist clothing, etc.) would be carried out per person per month. The disability benefits system would have to be scaled up significantly, and it would be much more expensive. It is far cheaper to give people a set amount of money based on their needs; it's the same money that you would be giving them in grants anyway, but without having to process each purchase/one-off application. I implore you to oppose this proposal. It is blatantly unworkable to the level of absurdity, but more importantly it is inhumane. I look forward to your reply detailing your stance. Many thanks in advance. Yours sincerely, [My name]

But, again, if you can't manage anything long or complicated like that, your best is good enough. Even if they're not all perfectly written and detailed, we want to bowl them over with sheer quantity of emails.

[kandidandi]

A day late and dollar short but I'm HERE and I hope you're ready for some QUESTIONS cause I GOT EM

So their grandfather's loaded, yeah? Like you gotta be to custom order two wholeass bots. I know astronomers make like an annual of 120k but that depends on certification and location etc etc. All of this to ask, is Y/N filthy rich and just living a modest life or are they scraping by while doing their job in the middle of nowhere?

Sun and Moon's freckles are SO CUTE. Has y/n ever considered painting over them to make stars?

I'm so glad y/n is autistic about space and I'm ALSO so glad to hear they're infecting Sun/Moon with that brand of autism too. This isn't a question I just thought that part was really cute.

Are/were the boys at all bitter about their job? Did/Do they resent being made to do these things or was it just par-for-the-course? What about their appearance being tailored to someone else?

Followup question: did this opinion change once they developed a love for space? Did they want to know more about the very thing they were built to resemble? I can't imagine being made to look like the sun or moon and not being invested in learning everything about that.

I looooove how clever they are, proven by the charging cord ploys. Gotta get your human their daily dose of vitamin d and social interaction one way or another! Does y/n actually realize what they're doing, and is just too enamored to refuse them? Or are they really that dense (affectionate)

THE FLOOR PLAN IS SO COOL KANDIIIIII. I LOVE YOUR WORLD BUILDING

Here comes a bunch of unimportant questions: What kind of stuff is kept in the mini fridge? (What are sun/moon's feelings on food?), how often (if ever) does the whiteboard get cleared? How many mugs are on that desk at one time?

Do the boys help y/n up and down those stairs (Does y/n actually Let Them??) or do they just Stand By in case of a fall?

I see those book shelves!! Being an astronomy requires a lot of studying, but is y/n more of a bookworm (goes through novels like candy) or a bookdragon? (hoards books but never actually gets around to reading them)

The boys' sense of fashion looks pretty similar to y/n's. Did they come with those outfits (and do they have multiple to change into), or did y/n get them an upgraded wardrobe after a while?

Where do the boys stay when y/n is sleeping, and what do they do to keep themselves entertained?

Can I send you pictures/music/HCs for this au 👉👈

WUAH THATS A LOT OF QUESTIONS HDSG ok alright *cracks knuckles*

(So their grandfather's loaded, yeah? Like you gotta be to custom order two wholeass bots. I know astronomers make like an annual of 120k but that depends on certification and location etc etc. All of this to ask, is Y/N filthy rich and just living a modest life or are they scraping by while doing their job in the middle of nowhere?)

technically they're just one bot with two personalities but yeah their grandfather is loaded, he was an astronaut and has had many jobs so he's saved up a bunch of money. y/n is an amateur astronomer and earns about $110,000, thats $9,167 a month. (i am NOT going into the nitty gritty of tax and other stuff for my mental wellbeing lmfao) i'd say they're pretty well off, they're not loaded but they're also not scraping by.

(y/n did go to school for astronomy but is mostly self taught, they'd be classified as a professional astronomer instead of an amateur astronomer but isn't since their training wasn't formal)

(Sun and Moon's freckles are SO CUTE. Has y/n ever considered painting over them to make stars?)

HI YES i like to think further in their relationship but not dating yet y/n would look at them and say something like "your freckles kinda look like consolations if you squint hard enough..." and then it turns into y/n drawing on their face with chalk lolol

(I'm so glad y/n is autistic about space and I'm ALSO so glad to hear they're infecting Sun/Moon with that brand of autism too. This isn't a question I just thought that part was really cute.)

WOO thank you hehehehe yes yes the space brainrot must spread! no one is safe hehehe

(Are/were the boys at all bitter about their job? Did/Do they resent being made to do these things or was it just par-for-the-course? What about their appearance being tailored to someone else?)

It was pretty normal though they we're a bit disappointed when they learned they're a care bot, they could've been working some cool job but instead they're stuck with this random person in the middle of nowhere.

About their appearance, just like how humans are born without a choice on what they look like sun and moon don't really mind as well, however, being made to look like something specifically for someone else did feel a bit weird to them but not enough for it to be a huge issue.

(Followup question: did this opinion change once they developed a love for space? Did they want to know more about the very thing they were built to resemble? I can't imagine being made to look like the sun or moon and not being invested in learning everything about that.)

YES IT DID! they didn't care about their look until they got infected with space brainrot and began to read books and search up information on the sun and moon! lolol they were both very pleased to learn theres many many more suns and moons in space and not just the ones in our solar system.

(I looooove how clever they are, proven by the charging cord ploys. Gotta get your human their daily dose of vitamin d and social interaction one way or another! Does y/n actually realize what they're doing, and is just too enamored to refuse them? Or are they really that dense (affectionate))

at first y/n didn't know it was a ploy to get them outside but over time they caught on but pretended not to know because they thought it was funny. after sun and moon learn y/n's known for a while the phrase "our cord is broken" became meaning for "you wanna go outside?" for them hehehe <3

(THE FLOOR PLAN IS SO COOL KANDIIIIII. I LOVE YOUR WORLD BUILDING)

AWWAAAH THANK YOU!!! <3<3<3

(Here comes a bunch of unimportant questions: What kind of stuff is kept in the mini fridge? (What are sun/moon's feelings on food?), how often (if ever) does the whiteboard get cleared? How many mugs are on that desk at one time?)

the minifridge has things like soft drinks (y/n is a fanta kinda guy), many snacks including canned fruit and leftovers from cooking!

sun and moons feeling on food? they dont need to eat so they dont really have an opinion dsjgs but they do like the look of foods like watermelon and lollipops.

the whiteboard only ever gets cleared if y/n doesn't need those specific calculations anymore (the whiteboard gets cleaned about every 4 months)

HOW MANY MUGS. muzzle you've got the best questions lmao /pos LOTS. THERES LOTS. way less now that sun and moon are there tho lol. y/n usually has two or three separate mugs with different drinks in them cuz they get sick of drinking the same one all the time so they alternate.

(Do the boys help y/n up and down those stairs (Does y/n actually Let Them??) or do they just Stand By in case of a fall?)

y/n has grown used to using the stairs so they don't need much help getting up and down. though sun and moon do insist they help y/n anyways (y/n doesn't let them). the only time y/n would need help with the stairs is if they're really really sleepy and cant focus on not falling lolol.

(I see those book shelves!! Being an astronomer requires a lot of studying, but is y/n more of a bookworm (goes through novels like candy) or a bookdragon? (hoards books but never actually gets around to reading them))

y/n is definitely a bookwork! if they're not working in the observatory they're probably downstairs reading the same astrophysics book for the seventh time. they not only have books on space but they also have childhood books like the little prince and the velveteen rabbit

(The boys' sense of fashion looks pretty similar to y/n's. Did they come with those outfits (and do they have multiple to change into), or did y/n get them an upgraded wardrobe after a while?)

When y/n first met sun and moon they had the pants they've got now but a different shirt with the company logo on it! it's made of pretty uncomfortable material tho.

They did indeed come with different kinds of clothes like the vest and undershirt! tho y/n has offered sun and moon their clothing to wear if they get sick of their usual ones (sun and moon will usually wear these clothes if they don't need to go out that day or want to feel cozy).

(Where do the boys stay when y/n is sleeping, and what do they do to keep themselves entertained?)

When y/n is sleeping sun and moon spend time in the observatory looking through the telescope and like to spend time on the internet as well! aside from that they go into town to explore and meet the people living there :>

(Can I send you pictures/music/HCs for this au 👉👈)

YES OF COURSE!!!!!!

[albatris]

actually it's fucked up that you can get multiple letters from multiple specialists saying "this person is disabled and cannot work" and the government can still just go "hmmm nah"

[gallusneve]

boring stuff but I found out I inherited an old oil rig that's still generating a shit ton of revenue and two random wind-mills lmao

I can officially call myself a sugar mommy now

[thestevensblog]

How the fucking hell are Vouchers going to help the Disabled?

I'm just curious about how can a Voucher pay for food, bills and medical expenses?

They just want us to die faster.

[cy-cyborg]

I'm finally going to be able to start working again!

Bad news is the reason I couldn't before was because I messed something up with centrelink for my disability pension. I have a meeting next month to get it sorted out (ill talk more about it after that), and the lady i spoke to insisted it wasn't a big deal, stuff like this happens all the time, but I'm almost definitely going to owe them... a lot of money 🫠

[try-and-try-and-try-again]

The government is demanding nearly £700 from me in benefits overpayments because I forgot to tell them I was hospital for 4 months in 2021 and for some reason the government thinks you don’t have any expenses at all when you’re hospital. I’m sorry I didn’t stop to think about you DWP whilst I was trapped in a terrifying hospital ward and too busy wishing to not survive it.

[dnfnoodles]

one day maybe I will accept my disability and illness disabling be from doing sometimes even the most basic things. Not today though :))))))

[iwanttorundirectlyintothesun]

fuck the ndia

no, seriously, these bastards are so incapable of admitting that they don't actually care about the Australian people that they want to blame people who don't follow their (self-admittedly) complicated instructions to the dot on the i's for "wasting money" by accruing aids that they actually need. they punish people by refusing to help people buy clothing accommodations, mobility aids, transport and then making them wait for replies. a kid died. a 19 year old on an ndis plan died in their home because the ndia didn't help, didn't give them the support that they needed to the point that the last thing the kid communicated to anyone was a text asking if the ndis responded to their request for 24 hr support.

Menstruation products are only available as a support if they are deliberately and specifically required by the disability, not if your period is affected by your disability, not if you have a particularly difficult menstrual cycle that is exacerbated by your disability, only if you have an issue that is specifically and evidentially caused by your disability.

They want thousands of dollars worth of reports that list each thing wrong with you and the way you live, they want several years worth of doctors visits and personal accounts and bank statements. All so someone that doesn't even have a medical degree can tell you that it's not cost effective. Can tell you that under rule 34 of the 2013 ndis act they can legally say, "sorry, you're not worth the money".

And then when you give them that truly unnecessary number of personal details and evidence they don't even look at it. They don't read the letters from the specialists. They ignore evidence and say that it doesn't matter that that recommendation came directly from a professional/specialist. They don't look at the receipts and testimonials and papers you've found and researched on your own time to prove that this aid will help, this prescription will help you live a better, calmer, happier life not marred by as much pain and suffering. A life that's living and not just surviving.

All because they don't care, because the government made some stupid decisions decades ago and every time they get an opportunity to change they dig themselves deeper and say don't worry about the inflation, don't worry about the cost of living, don't worry about how your body and your country are failing you.

People on a disability scheme like the ndis according Australian Institute of Health and Welfare are twice as likely if not more to commit suicide than the general population. Men who are disabled are more likely to commit suicide and more likely to consider it (doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdy197).

They hire lawyers that call in soft voices to tell you that you need to resubmit years worth of evidence, that "that's not what the agency is for" when you ask for the recommended number of hours. And legal aid is no help, they want you to wait until you're booked until you ask them for help even when you've been told specifically to ask them for help. And because this is happening all over, the support workers and advocacy groups are overrun and overworked.

The ndia only cares if it will make them look good on paper. The ndia will tell the general population "look how much money we saved" while the disabled looks on in agony, while they are denied medication, support, aid, transportation, therapies and god knows what else.

[ineffectualdemon]

Reminder if you need send back a reconsideration notice on your PIP or any paperwork to the DWP:

1. Send it so they have to sign for it so you get notified when they receive it

2. If you do not get notification that they have received the paperwork within 48 hours call them. They will backdate it to the day they received. So you need the delivery notification so you can say "you received it on [Date]"

[waterandsilver]

glad my niece exists because the concept of me being alive to retire is absolutely ludicrous so i basically view my work pension as a little money i save for her each month... <3