Motability

[philellis546]

almost sorry to post this but ordered my car through Motability 3 days before the AP increase,The car came exactly on the date that Nissan said it would the handover was on the day that was specified I only had to pay the AP that was stated before the rise.Only had the car 2 days but found it to be a very comfortable ride quiet etc only done 100 miles. Had at the moment great service from Motability [3rd car"]] and Nissan Warrington

[Proac]

Hi guys I am new to this forum having just ordered my mobility QQ but saw this today from the disability news service, The Motability car scheme has won praise after announcing that it will hand £2,000 to every disabled person who has their vehicle taken away after being reassessed for the government's new personal independence payment (PIP).It is one of a series of measures designed to ease the pain of those who will be assessed as no longer eligible for the higher rate of mobility support, and so also no longer eligible for the Motability scheme.The Department for Work and Pensions is to reassess about two million disabled people aged between 16 and 64 who currently claim disability living allowance (DLA) over the next five years.Motability believes that a€“ as the reassessment process only applies to working-age claimants a€“ about 360,000 of its 620,000 customers will be affected.Because the reassessment process does not start until later this month, the first cases of customers losing their vehicles are not expected until early next year.One Labour peer has estimated that 180,000 disabled people could have their Motability vehicles repossessed in the transition from DLA to PIP, while Motability has suggested that up to 100,000 existing customers could lose their eligibility in the three years to 2016.Among the package of measures announced by Motability is a one-off "transitional support" payment of £2,000 to anyone who loses their vehicle after joining the scheme before January 2013, which is aimed at helping them buy a used car as a replacement if they want to do so.Those who joined the scheme this year, and were therefore aware that they could lose their Motability eligibility because of the PIP changes, will receive £1,000.DWP has already announced that DLA payments will continue for four weeks once the PIP decision has been made, but Motability says it will allow customers to keep their vehicles for an additional three weeks before they need to be returned to a dealership.It is also working with its suppliers to ensure customers have access to information on services such as insurance, breakdown cover and buying a car.Customers will be offered the chance to buy their existing vehicle, and if they do not want to do so will be given help with the cost of transferring any adaptations from their Motability vehicle to a replacement.Any customers with wheelchair-accessible vehicles a€“ who are less likely to lose eligibility because of their high support needs a€“ will be dealt with "on a case by case basis" and will be able to keep their vehicle for up to six months, with Motability "where appropriate, enabling them to retain their current vehicle".There will also be a "package of support and advice" for customers leasing a scooter or powered wheelchair, with "the objective of allowing them to retain their current product wherever possible".Helen Dolphin, director of policy and campaigns for Disabled Motoring UK, said it was a "very generous package" and would provide a "buffer" for any Motability customers who lose their higher rate eligibility in the move from DLA to PIP.She said: "Motability didn't have to do what they have done at all. I think they have understood the impact of losing their car allowance to disabled customers."They have pulled out all the stops to make the changeover as smooth as they can. I think they have calculated what they can afford without having any detrimental effects on current users."A Motability spokeswoman said the organisation planned to fund the support package by drawing on some of its capital reserves.She said: "We have spent the past two years analysing and researching the impact of PIP and consulting with customers, disability organisations, suppliers, as well as DWP."In particular, we have considered the degree to which we can assist those customers who will lose their eligibility to remain on the scheme when they are first reassessed for the new benefit."Most of these former customers will have relied on the scheme for many years and expected to continue to do so into the future."The unexpected loss of benefits and eligibility to use the scheme, even though their disability remains the same, will present them with a difficult transition."She said customers should be able to buy a used car that is about seven to 10 years old, for between £1,750 and £2,000, while the extra three weeks should allow them "some time to make alternative arrangements".She added: "The purpose of Motability is to support the mobility of disabled people and we are pleased that we can offer this support and advice to our former customers as they leave the scheme and look to make alternative arrangements in the wider market."But she warned that Motability would have to keep the support package "under constant review" during the five-year PIP reassessment programme, "taking account of economic developments, any changes which the government may make to PIP following their review during 2014, as well as feedback from all of our stakeholders".3 October 2013

[Proac]

Thought motability users would like the disability news service site http://disabilitynewsservice.com/

[Proac]

Watch this video from a disabled lady, http://janeyoung.me.uk/2013/01/01/how-w ... ependence/

[Proac]

11Jul 2014 PIP 20 metre battle nears conclusionBy john pring A disabled campaigner has asked a court to rule that a government consultation on plans to tighten eligibility for its new disability benefit was unfair and unlawful.The judicial review has been brought by disabled activist and blogger Stephen Sumpter, while the cases of two other disabled claimants have been put on hold.Sumpter, who can only walk a few metres with a stick, and otherwise uses a wheelchair, has been assessed as eligible for the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA), and used that to lease a car through the Motability scheme.Under DLA, someone is eligible for the higher mobility rate if they are "unable or virtually unable to walk".Claimants are considered virtually unable to walk if they cannot walk more than 50 metres, but under rules for the government's new personal independence payment (PIP) a€“ which is gradually replacing working-age DLA a€“ this walking distance criteria was set at just 20 metres.Sumpter fears he will lose his higher rate entitlement when he is transferred to PIP and will have to return his car to Motability, drastically curtailing his independence.This week, during a two-day hearing in Birmingham, his lawyers challenged the fairness of the government's consultation process. The judge indicated that he will try to give his judgment later this month.The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) consulted on PIP in 2012 but did not mention its plans to cut the criteria from 50 metres to 20 metres until after it had closed.After the judicial review was issued, the Conservative disabled people's minister Esther McVey a€“ since replaced by fellow Tory Mike Penning a€“ was forced to carry out a second consultation, which was limited to just looking at the change to 20 metres.Sumpter says this meant there was no realistic possibility of a change to the PIP scheme, because the rest of the details had been decided and resources allocated elsewhere.Responding to the second consultation, DWP claimed the budget that had helped people with physical impairments with their mobility had been reallocated to support people with learning difficulties and mental health conditions.Sumpter said in a blog written before this week's hearing: "This pitting of one impairment against another is fundamentally unfair."Rather than address inequality by bringing everyone up to the same mobility level, they have chosen to help one group by seriously disadvantaging another."It would seem that the government has seen the word equality but has not understood what it really means."Only five individuals out of the 1,142 organisations and individuals who took part in the second consultation agreed with the government that the walking distance criteria should be set at 20 metres.Respondents said that losing their Motability vehicle would "give them a significantly reduced quality of life", increase their social isolation, prevent them working and have an impact on their family life and their mental and physical health.But when Penning published his response to the consultation, he made it clear that the walking distance criteria would remain at 20 metres.Government figures predict that, with the criteria set at 20 metres, the number of people receiving higher rates of mobility support a€“ and therefore eligible for a Motability vehicle a€“ would plunge from 1,030,000 (if DLA had not been reformed) to just 602,000 by 2018.They also predict that 548,000 of the 892,000 working-age people who were receiving the higher rate of the DLA mobility component in February 2013 will not receive the enhanced mobility rate of PIP.Karen Ashton, Sumpter's solicitor, from Public Law Solicitors, said: "The higher rate of mobility benefit can make an extraordinary difference to a disabled person's life."Imagine not being able to get to the shop to do your own shopping or visit friends because you have no way of getting there but to travel by taxi and you can't afford the fare."Penning said in a statement: "Under DLA, the vast majority of people got the higher rate mobility component for physical impairments."PIP more broadly reflects the impact of an impairment on an individual's ability to get around, by also looking at whether they can plan and follow a journey."Furthermore, the higher rate mobility component was always meant to be for those people who are unable to walk or virtually unable to walk."However, individuals who can walk more than 20 metres will still automatically receive the enhanced rate of the component if they cannot do so safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period."10 July 2014

[phaedra]

It's almost a joke. My friend applied for PIP in November last year, finally got his decision 6 months later in May but only after badgering them.Despite having a failing heart with a collapsed chamber, necrotic tissue and already having had a triple bypass he got 10 points, not enough for the higher rate. We asked for a mandatory reconsideration (which has to be done in 30 days) and it took 7 weeks to get the Atos report!.Again refused higher rate as the Atos report states he was "observed to walk 50m from the car park" and can therefore walk 20-50m. This is a complete lie, he never walked from the car park, I dropped him off at the reception doors. We measured the total distance he walked to the assessment room, 16m. Even with two stops to rest they were unable to start his assessment as he was, as noted in the Atos report "seriously out of breath, grey faced with blue lips and shaking badly"Looks like we're off to the appeal tribunal.

[conno]

Thats why they are stopping people getting DLA on the hope that they wont want to go through the appeals and all stress that goes with it that way they save money!!

[phaedra]

Indeed, the target is to get 24% of people receiving DLA/PIP off it. A bit unfair to say the least considering that out of all the various benefits being paid out DLA has the lowest fraud rate at 0.8%.

[Proac]

http://www.youreable.com/forums/showthr ... -scrap-PIP I found this if any one is interested I think something should be done it is a disgrace how disabled people are being treated by this so called government.

[Proac]

One of the companies responsible for assessing disability benefit eligibility failed to make its own workplace accessible for a disabled employee for more than three years, and then sacked her when she became too ill to work.Sharon Dickens is the latest disabled whistleblower to speak to Disability News Service (DNS) about the discrimination they have experienced working for Capita.They have described how Capita a€“ already under fire over its performance in assessing claimants of personal independence payment across Wales and central England a€“ appears to have no proper policies in place to manage staff protected under the Equality Act.Dickens worked as a customer service advisor for Service Birmingham, a joint enterprise that is two-thirds owned by Capita and one-third by Birmingham City Council and aims to "transform" the council's public services, including its IT services and call centre.Capita managers make decisions on PIP claims on the other side of the office, just yards away from where Service Birmingham staff work.Dickens was dismissed earlier this month, nearly four years after she started working for Service Birmingham, when the company decided she was not capable of doing her job because of the amount of time she had taken off sick.She says she only took that time off sick because of the company's failure to provide reasonable adjustments for her in the workplace.She is now taking Service Birmingham to an employment tribunal, claiming disability discrimination and unfair dismissal. She says the company made her life "hell" while she was working there.Dickens had told Capita about her health condition, but says it was a battle from the start to secure the adjustments she needed, including a specialist chair to support her with her chronic abdominal pain.She was not seen by an occupational health assessor until she had been in the job for more than two years. It then took another eight months for Capita to arrange a meeting about her assessment, and when it did, her managers told her the assessment was out-of-date and would have to be repeated.She gave Capita access to her medical records and her GP provided a full report last August, but her managers failed to arrange a meeting to discuss it.As a result of the treatment she experienced at the hands of Capita, she was diagnosed with stress, depression and panic attacks, which she is still being treated for.But despite the diagnosis, the company refused to allow her to sit on the edge of the workspace, forcing her to work instead in the middle of the busy, open-plan office.On one occasion, she passed out and had to be taken to hospital by ambulance. A colleague who accompanied her was forced to take the time as unpaid leave.Although Dickens was eventually provided with a suitable chair in January this year a€“ one that was already being used by someone else in the office a€“ she never received the other equipment she needed, including an anti-glare keyboard and computer screen.She said: "They have pushed me out and discriminated against me. It is still going on there. A lot of people are waiting for referrals to occupational health."There are several internal grievances that have been lodged, including at least three for disability discrimination. All of them are people with health conditions who are complaining about the lack of adjustments."She added: "If they cannot deal with their own employees who have disabilities, how can they be trusted to deal with thousands of people's [PIP"]] claims?"The public don't get to see first-hand the attitude of these managers towards people with disabilities, yet this very same company is responsible for assessing and making decisions on people across the nation."In March, DNS reported how four other disabled employees of Service Birmingham had raised concerns about the way Capita was treating its disabled staff.One whistleblower raised concerns with the Labour councillor who chairs Service Birmingham, Dr Barry Henley a€“ copying his email to the council leader, Sir Albert Bore a€“ after failing to persuade the company to deal with the issues internally.Disabled employees said they had asked repeatedly for the support they needed, but their requests had been turned down or equipment took months to arrive.Staff who were denied reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act were then handed warnings for taking time off sick, or were demoted.Henley told DNS in March that there was an ongoing "independent" investigation into the whistleblowers' claims.A Capita spokeswoman, speaking for Service Birmingham on behalf of both Capita and the city council, said this week of Sharon Dickens' concerns: "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on individual cases."Service Birmingham is committed to providing all of its employees with equal opportunities and putting in place reasonable adjustments for employees with a disability."We will investigate any complaints robustly and take the appropriate action."So far, neither Capita nor the city council has been willing to say what has happened to the "independent" investigation that was ongoing in March.Capita was criticised last autumn after Service Birmingham's pre-tax profits leapt by more than half to £21 million.31 July 2014