Carers UK warns of âwider family impactâ of disability benefit changes

Date: Friday, April 19th 2013
Categories: All Leicestershire

Carers UK has warned that the start of changes to disability benefits on Monday 8th April, marks the start of ‘years of anxiety’ for families caring for disabled people, as hundreds of thousands face losing support.

For people of working age, the Government is replacing Disability Living Allowance, the main benefit for disabled people which gives support for the extra costs of disability, with a new benefit – Personal Independence Payment. The changes are being rolled out gradually and will not be complete until 2018.

The new benefit will include a new, tougher assessment, and Government figures estimate that this would lead to 600,000 fewer disabled people receiving support by the time the changes are complete in 2018.

The Government has committed to review the changes in 2015, but even the first stage of implementation of Personal Independence Payment will mean that 300,000 fewer disabled people will be entitled to support by 2015.

Carers UK has also highlighted analysis published by the Government in February, which shows that almost 10,000 fewer carers will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance because the person they care for will not have entitlement to support under the new system.

To help, Carers UK has produced essential advice resources including a plain-English guide to the benefit changes and new Factsheets for carers and disabled people on the new shape of disability benefits.

You can read the story in full on the Carers UK website