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Epilepsy discriminated by unfair PIP assessments

This news post is over 4 years old
 

​People with epilepsy are being treated unfairly when it comes to assessing their disability

A petition calling for the PIP assessment process to be fairer for people with epilepsy has been launched.

Epilepsy Scotland says people with the condition are significantly disadvantaged when applying for personal independence payments, the benefit which replaced disability living allowance (DLA).

An early day motion submitted by the charity has been backed by 34 MPs across the political spectrum.

It now needs 10,000 signatures to its petition for the government to debate the issue.

PIP was introduced in England, Scotland and Wales in 2013, replacing disability living allowance (DLA). The benefit is supposed to cover some of the additional costs of having a long-term health condition, and is available to people in or out of work. It is worth up to £87.65 a week to meet daily living needs, plus up to £61.20 a week for the mobility element, depending on assessment.

Of those with epilepsy who previously received DLA, 54% were denied PIP, the second highest rejection rate out of all health conditions and double the national average.

Additionally, 65% of new claims for PIP were denied the benefit. However, of the third that appealed the decision 78% were granted PIP.

This, says the charity, is evidence that a review must be undertaken into how people with epilepsy are assessed for PIP to make the system fairer.

In June Frances Brown, Epilepsy Scotland’s welfare rights officer, said: “About 70% of my work is PIP-related. Since 2017 we have had to double our workforce to cope with demand and have recovered £1m in unpaid benefits, including PIP.

“We’ve had numerous people tell us that they don’t want to be here anymore – that they have had enough.

“It’s that feeling of not being believed – of not being listened to.”

The Scottish government intends to reform PIP when responsibility for the benefit is devolved in 2020, with changes coming in 2021.

Scotland’s social security secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “We will be replacing PIP with disability assistance for working-age people, a new person-centred benefit. We will be working to get decisions right first time, supported by a reformed assessment process, delivered by Social Security Scotland, not the private sector.

“We will reduce the need for face-to-face assessments, but, where these are necessary, we will provide people with choice and flexibility over their appointment. Our new system will also provide for the needs of people with fluctuating conditions like epilepsy.”

 

Comments

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Fiona whyte
over 4 years ago
Epilepsy is a lifelong condition that can be life threatening if treatment doesn’t work my 8 year old daughter lives with this cruel brain condition. All epilepsy cases should be treated more fairly after all drug abusers and alcoholics get more support than my little girl who has epilepsy, she never had a choice in the matter addicts do !
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Laura Philip
over 2 years ago

I am also an epileptic and I also suffer with psychogenic seizures epileptic seizures and psychogenic fits are not a Choice like a drug or alcohol abuser has crack smack and heroine addict has the option of a needle or sticking it up there noses we don’t have the choice of taking tablets or having fits unlike these so why is it I have had to appeal my pip and Ella assessments everytime I get one yet they get higest rate of everything wiv no question asked also I gave several other problems surrounding the epileptic seizures including burns nearly dying and near miscarriages although my children servived and so did I I’m still not able to do everything I want and cannot be left alone due to this I also had meningitis fluid on my brain and a stroke as a baby and I’m left although I can walk and stuff I have limited movement in my right hand side and I’ve been told I can’t carry all daily tasks out due to all this I think it’s absolutely ridiculous I have to be put through this all the time and the dwp should be stopped from dragging people through this all the time there a disgrace to society and if they think someone is in more need of a bag of smack then someone with a long term medical condition then they need to go on first aid courses and back to college if they even went to one and do a doctors course idiots

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Laura Philip
over 2 years ago

I am also an epileptic and I also suffer with psychogenic seizures epileptic seizures and psychogenic fits are not a Choice like a drug or alcohol abuser has crack smack and heroine addict has the option of a needle or sticking it up there noses we don’t have the choice of taking tablets or having fits unlike these so why is it I have had to appeal my pip and Ella assessments everytime I get one yet they get higest rate of everything wiv no question asked also I gave several other problems surrounding the epileptic seizures including burns nearly dying and near miscarriages although my children servived and so did I I’m still not able to do everything I want and cannot be left alone due to this I also had meningitis fluid on my brain and a stroke as a baby and I’m left although I can walk and stuff I have limited movement in my right hand side and I’ve been told I can’t carry all daily tasks out due to all this I think it’s absolutely ridiculous I have to be put through this all the time and the dwp should be stopped from dragging people through this all the time there a disgrace to society and if they think someone is in more need of a bag of smack then someone with a long term medical condition then they need to go on first aid courses and back to college if they even went to one and do a doctors course idiots

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maureen cairns
over 1 year ago

worse still if the epilepsy was caused by lack of an anaesthetist at the birth of baby -and therefore to blame but refused PIP

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