Category: bi
DLA to PIP Benefit Plans
posted: 10/05/2011
The benefit called Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will be replaced from 2013 - 14 with a new benefit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The government has just published their detailed proposals for how this new benefit will be assessed and asks for public comments.
Disability Living Allowance some people with HIV now recieve comes in two flavours - the care component (with 3 rates of payment), and the mobility component (with 2 rates of payment). The top rate of the mobility component is converted by many people into a leased car from Motability.
The government intends to cut 20% from the benefits bill when they make the change from DLA to PIP, so the rules for Personal Independence Payment are tougher than the DLA rules, so PIP will go to people ‘with the greatest need’. This means some people will no longer get the benefit or will get less than now.
Most people get DLA after simply filling in a claim form. Everyone getting PIP will face a medical assessment as well as filling in a claim form.
Most people will want something simple to read and understand. The Disability Alliance has a useful factsheet page which is kept updated.
The official explanation and consultation documents
Comments by 6 June
The deadline for public comments on these proposals is 6 June. Leading HIV organisations will be making comments on these proposals.
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Hardest Hit March - Wednesday
posted: 09/05/2011
1 in 6 people living with HIV have lived in severe poverty in the past three years. On Wednesday 11th May there is a national march in London and mass lobby of MPs at the House of Commons to protest against the government's planned cuts and changes to benefits.
The cuts and benefit changes will make matters worse for the many people living with HIV who rely on Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance.
National march and lobby of MPs
People from across the country are coming together on May 11th in London to protest against these cuts and changes and to the cuts to local services which provide key services for people living with disabilities including HIV.
People with HIV will be joining the march and lobbying of MPs and if you'd like to be part of this and walk alongside the THT and NAT and other banners, you can find out where and when to meet up by contacting Guy Slade at THT (020 7812 1631). Also register and find out more details on the Hardest Hit website.
Once you've registered, you can email your MP to ask to meet with them as part of the lobby at the House of Commons after the march.
If you arrange a meeting, tell THT, who can advise on what you could say to your MP and ask for.
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HIV and Sickness Benefits
posted: 03/05/2011
Before the May Day holidays the Department of Work and Pensions got a lot of press coverage by claiming that its reforms of sickness benefits were working. It claimed three quarters of the people applying for the new Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are either fit for work or stop their claim before they’ve had the medical assessment. They claimed this proved the need to urgently reform benefits, and that Ministers are right to reassess everyone on incapacity benefit.
Don't give up on benefits with HIV
People living with HIV who are claiming benefits for sickness – either Employment Support Allowance or Incapacity Benefit - should not feel intimidated. Benefit experts and the National AIDS Trust point out that the system isn’t working properly for people with HIV. But people with HIV very often win if they don’t give up, stick with their claims and get expert help. Very many people with HIV win if they appeal.
False logic
The Department of Work and Pensions is wrong to claim that lots of refused claims and high rates of drop outs from medicals prove the new system of ‘Work Capability Assessments’ is working. For people with HIV these show the system is seriously failing. People with HIV can and do win with help.
HIV and long term conditions
Research by NAT shows that people living with HIV are being found ‘fit for work’ despite medical evidence showing a range of serious physical and mental health problems. These include severe immune deficiency, co-infection with pneumonia or TB, fatigue, depression and debilitating side-effects from essential HIV treatment.
Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), commented:
‘The refusal of 39% of ESA claims is not conclusive evidence that Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is effective. These claimants may be found ‘fit for work’ under the rules of WCA, but many face very real health-related barriers to work which have been overlooked during the assessment process.
NAT is also extremely concerned by the high drop-out rate of 36% before a decision on the benefits is made. Dropping a claim does not prove someone is not eligibile for Employment Support Allowance. NAT continued ‘An independent review of the Work Capability Assessment revealed serious problems with decision-making and administration, and real failures in the way the DWP communicated with claimants. Stopping a claim halfway, points towards fundamental flaws in the system – which are yet to be resolved.’
More information
If you live in NW England with HIV and and have problems with benefits please contact our support team
DWP statistics can be found here
NAT’s report ‘Unseen disability, Unmet needs - A review of the impact of Work Capability Assessment on people living with HIV’
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is the test undertaken to determine whether a person is eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The WCA aims to identify claimants who have ‘limited capacity for work’ or ‘limited capacity for work-related activity’, so that they may receive the right support to help them live well and (where appropriate) return to work. Those who are found ‘fit for work’ are not entitled to receive ESA. The test contains a series of questions, called ‘descriptors’, which relate to physical and mental functions, and from which claimants score points.
The report of the Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment
In October 2008, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) was introduced to replace Incapacity Benefit and Incapacity-based Income Support as the primary income support benefit for people who are unable to work due to disability or illness.
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Search HIV Conference Papers
posted: 18/04/2011
The Global Forum on Men who have Sex with Men and HIV (MSMGF) have produced a useful searchable online catalogue of all the papers presented at the last International AIDS Conference, held in Vienna - AIDS 2010 - concerning men who have sex with men (MSM) including transgender people.
Searchable catalogue of conference abstracts - you can search by global region, sub-populations (groups affected), and themes.
Here’s the list of search categories to make it easier to find what is available.
Sub-population (affected groups)
• Bisexual / MSMW
• Ethnic Minorities
• Incarcerated Individuals
• LGBT
• Migrant, Immigrant
• MSM
• Older Sexual Minorities
• People Living with HIV
• People Who Use Drugs
• Rural Populations
• Sex Workers
• Transgender
• Youth
HIV issues
• Access to Services
• Care & Treatment
• Condom Use
• Education
• Epidemiology
• Government AIDS Programs
• HIV & AIDS
• Prevention Interventions (ARV-Based)
• Prevention Interventions (Behavioural)
• Prevention Interventions (General)
• Resilience
• Risk Factors
• Testing
Cross-Cutting Themes / Issues
• Advocacy
• Capacity-Building Assistance
• Civil Society
• Funding
• Gender
• Health (Non-HIV)
• Human Rights
• Mental Health
• Policy and Legislation
• Recreational Drugs
• Religion
• Research
• Self-Identification
• Sexuality
• Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Stigma / Discrimination
• Structural Interventions
• Tools & Trainings
• Violence
Searchable catalogue of conference abstracts
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Gay Businesses - HIV Prevention
posted: 18/04/2011
Gay venues and businesses, like saunas, clubs, bars, profile and other gay websites, travel agencies and hotels, can either help reduce, or may increase the numbers of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) among gay, bi and other men who have sex with men (MSM).
There’s a new guide which sets out for businesses standards that will help not hinder HIV prevention called Everywhere. It comes from the University of Brighton.
Persuading gay businesses to help reduce the numbers of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) needs more than persuasion skills, it needs HIV prevention organisations to have ways of selling the advantages of HIV and STI prevention to these businesses.
Sex sells, so how can HIV prevention help these businesses sell themselves? The answers and training for HIV prevention organisations are provided in a training manual to go with the prevention standards manual for gay businesses.
One part of the training manual is called ‘Incentives for MSM business to be socially responsible’ and another is about working with hostile businesses. The training manual for helping HIV prevention organisations work with gay serving businesses to reduce HIV and other STI transmissions, is the Training Workbook on Social Mediation with Gay and MSM Businesses regarding HIV/STI prevention.
Both the standards for businesses and the the training manual are the work of the Europe-wide Everywhere Consortium for HIV prevention and their website has sections for gay men’s HIV and sexual health organisations, for businesses serving gay and bi men, and for gay men a section of the website lists venues and businesses which meet these HIV and sexual health prevention standards. So far few businesses are listed as meeting these standards - in the UK there are some in London and Brighton; in France some in Paris, in Spain some in Madrid, for example.
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