How physio might make me bankrupt

How far can you walk?  One mile?  Three miles?  Five miles?  Let's say you can walk five miles.  A reasonably fit and health person should be able to do that on a good day.

How would you feel if the government took your car away because if you can walk five miles you obviously don't need it.  And by five miles you must mean ten miles because if you can walk five miles you must be able to walk another five miles back again.

That's just crazy!  It would never happen, right?  But that is exactly what's happening to disabled people who claim Personal Independence Payments.

I'm physically disabled.  I have a condition called Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.  Walking is difficult and painful for me and I can only walk a few metres using crutches.  When I go out I have to use a powerchair which I had to pay for myself out of my disability benefits.  I'm not eligible for one from the NHS because I can walk a few metres indoors on crutches and it's not deemed essential for me to be able to move about outdoors.

I do physio every day to try and keep my body strong and maintain what little mobility I have.  My physio suggested I try and walk a little on the pavement outside my house.  I'm determined to be as healthy as I can be but I had to say, no.  Why?  Because I can't afford to do that.

I currently receive Higher Rate Mobility component of Disability Living Allowance but I am due to be migrated to Personal Independence Payment, which has a much stricter eligibility criteria.  The amount of money you get each week depends on how many points you score.  You must get at least 8 points for standard rate and 12 points for enhanced rate.  For people like me with a physical disability this means if I can walk:

• less than 20 metres = Enhanced Rate - £59.75 per week 
• more than 20 metres = Standard Rate - £22.65 per week
• more than 50 metres =  NOTHING.

So if someone sees me walking outside my home I could get reported for benefit fraud and lose the money I use to pay for my powerchair and wheelchair accessible vehicle.  The thought of losing my independence is terrifying and I realised...

I can't afford to try and walk because the government would financially penalise me and I would become housebound.

I know it seems a bit over-dramatic so I tried to think about it logically.  There has to be some kind of criteria for deciding who gets disability benefits.  Could a person be truly independent if they could only walk 60 metres without suffering pain or other difficulties?

I loaded up a route planner and measured how far it is from my house to the various places I need to visit.  I live in the suburbs of a small town.  It is:

• 550m to the bus stop
• 650m to the post box
• 750m to the nearest shop

And of course you have to double those distances because if I walk there I have to walk home again.  Based on a person being able to walk 60 metres, posting a letter would be over 20 times the distance they are capable of walking.  They wouldn't be able to live independently.  They'd need a wheelchair but they would have no means to buy one because they wouldn't qualify for disability benefits or a wheelchair from the NHS.

I don't envy the government.  I would hate to have to decide who qualifies for benefit and who doesn't but these benefits assessments are not fit for purpose and something must change.  Money doesn't always solve problems but the right kind of support is invaluable.