Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is currently one of the most effectively targeted benefits and makes a real difference to the daily lives of thousands of blind and partially sighted people.
However, the Government is proposing to replace DLA with a new benefit - Personal Independent Payment (PIP) - designed to save the treasury over £1 billion by 2014/15.
Steve Winyard, RNIB Head of Policy and Campaigns, explains: "RNIB has serious concerns about the effectiveness of the proposed assessment for a Personal Independence Payment.
"The proposal would have blind and partially sighted people meeting with assessors who lack specialist knowledge, to answer questions that cannot provide an accurate picture of their daily needs.
"It is particularly distressing when in many cases objective medical evidence could clearly demonstrate these needs".
Squeezed until the PIPs squeak
Personal Independence Payment, the replacement for DLA, will have no automatic entitlements.
Instead the government's consultation says that each individual will be looked at individually after 2013. The link between your medical record of disability and your benefit will be broken.
Other key proposals include changing the qualifying period for Personal Independent Payment and periodically reviewing all awards:
People with severe sight loss will be eligible for DLA higher rate mobility component from April 2011, as planned.
A united response to the DLA consultation
The government's consultation on these proposals closed on 18 February 2011. RNIB was joined by
Action for Blind People,
Deafblind UK,
Guide Dogs,
The Macular Disease Society,
The National Blind Children's Society,
The National Federation of the Blind of the United Kingdom,
The National League of the Blind and Disabled,
SeeAbility,
Sense and
Visionary in calling for any changes to Disability Living allowance to take into account the needs and views of blind and partially sighted people.
You can download our full response to the government's consultation here:
Act now
We really need you to get involved by sending an email to your MP to let them know how unfair the proposals are:
Act now: send a message to your MP directly using our simple online tool:
Act now! - if you receive DLA
Act now! - if you don't receive DLA
Further information
For further information or to discuss the implications and what we can do as the leading UK charity for blind and partially sighted people, contact the campaigns team on 020 7391 2123 or
campaigns@rnib.org.uk
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