Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are designed to make a contribution towards the extra costs caused by long term health conditions and disabilities. They’re very important to blind and partially sighted people who face a wide range of additional daily living costs. These include, for example, higher food bills due to difficulties cooking, higher heating costs, the cost of house cleaning and maintenance and the purchase of a wide range of aids and appliances.
The help provided by DLA and PIP towards these additional costs makes a real difference to people’s independence and quality of life.
Unfortunately this looks set to change. The Department of Work and Pensions is currently seeking views on PIP eligibility. The DWP’s consultation is specifically looking at whether to make changes to the current policy on aids and appliances, in the context of the PIP daily living component. If any one of the five proposals go through it would mean a dramatic reduction in the amount of help provided or, in some cases, no help at all.
We need your help in protecting PIP. Write to your MP to alert them to the consultation and ask them to contact the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith MP.
Source: RNIB