Disability allowance [for 3 teens]

samina · 26-02-2012 3:05pm #1

Im trying this again because it wasn't suitable for the state benefits forum.
In NOT talking about all those on disability allowance. but I know of three teens in mainstream school with sight and hearing problems. They need no special care apart from a laptop for school or a hearing aid and yet once they turn 16 they receive 188 euro a week off the state. They go out partying at the weekend and shop with this money as they are school going teens with no bills. I know this sounds Horrible but I cannot understand why a schoolchild would need this amount of money weekly when as I say they don't have to pay for any special care or equipment for their care. Am I alone in thinking its crazy to give this amount as what can only be described in SOME cases as their pocket money?

drunkmonkey · 26-02-2012 3:08pm

They couldn't get €188 a week when they hit 16. If that was the case if your kid hadn't a disability you'd make sure they had one by the age of 16.

Couldn't be through as dad would have encouraged me to turn up the music not down.

samina · 26-02-2012 3:10pm

drunkmonkey wrote: »

They couldn't get €188 a week when they hit 16. If that was the case if your kid hadn't a disability you'd make sure they had one by the age of 16.

Couldn't be through as dad would have encouraged me to turn up the music not down.

It most certainly is true my daughter has friends who couldn't wait to reach 16 to get it and now shop til they drop every week.

Pandora2 · 26-02-2012 3:11pm

This imo is the result of the emergence of ADHD/Autism/Dyspraxia as recognised conditions in recent decades. These teens parents would most probably have been in receipt of Domicilary Care Allowance, prior to their turning 16 and at that point it would have converted to Disability Allowance payable to the teen themselves.

During the boom it was much easier to qualify for Domicilary Care than it is now and there are moves afoot to have those cases already in payment. to teens whose situation has improved due to early intervention and such supports as Domicilary Care, re-assessed.

samina · 26-02-2012 3:17pm

It's a shocking waste of money if you ask me. The sooner the better they reasses it. I thought they were winding my daughter up at first until I heard it from others

minidazzler · 26-02-2012 3:21pm

drunkmonkey wrote: »

They couldn't get €188 a week when they hit 16. If that was the case if your kid hadn't a disability you'd make sure they had one by the age of 16.

Couldn't be through as dad would have encouraged me to turn up the music not down.

It is true, my sister is 17 in a wheelchair and gets it. I don't agree that a 16 year old should get it at all. 18 fair enough but not a 16 year old.

samina wrote: »

It's a shocking waste of money if you ask me. The sooner the better they reasses it. I thought they were winding my daughter up at first until I heard it from others

It won't be reassessed at all. People would go mental for the government trying to take money from those who "need" it even though it's an allowance they shouldn't be getting at such a young age and given they basically get most things from the government that is related to their disability they don't need it.

Pandora2 · 26-02-2012 3:39pm

It won't be reassessed at all. People would go mental for the government trying to take money from those who "need" it even though it's an allowance they shouldn't be getting at such a young age and given they basically get most things from the government that is related to their disability they don't need it.[/QUOTE]

It won't be re-assessed on a 'Blanket' basis but on a case by case basis......you'll see;) It is only when they make pronouncements fron 'on high' that people get the chance to organise media coverage and the likes......case by case, well that's one family against the Department!! Relatively few of these cases about, they'll get round to them...years of austerity to come!!

Scruffles · 26-02-2012 4:56pm

instead of complaining about other people to even more people who havent got a clue about the background of the teens in question either,why not go to them/their family/carer and ask how their disability actualy affects them,instead of seeing them from an outsider view-unless are around them all the time are not there to see their needs,impairments and access issues.

am cousin to several teen/young adult cousins in tallaght who are moderately disabled-one has global learning disability and the lad has HF classic autism,they have always had disability benefit in some form or other and they do not get all their disability needs paid for them,the lad who has autism wasnt even diagnosed till he was leaving special school due to the lack of autism awareness in the area and specialist help,and he had never been offered any outside support at all,his gp just stuck him on prozac and that was it,both of them have support needs and quite complex needs which arent met fully by their benefit-which is the case for so many disabled people but as is the habit with many of the general public they tend to only focus with a biased view of what the media pumps out.

people do not get disability benefit unless they have a minimum level of care/mobility needs,so someone who merely has a hearing disability or sight disability will not get disability allowance,it has to impair them to the point of having various care/mobility needs,it isnt given simply for having a condition.

all over the internet [not specificaly pointing AH and boards out] have noticed the increase in topics against people on disability benefits-who supposedly only have >this< or >that< wrong with them,some people can be amazingly jealous over the disability benefits and arent pleased with themselves until they put a negative on disabled people claiming benefits,but in a number of cases its just a troll trying to wind people up or a person with mental issues...

biko · 26-02-2012 5:14pm

I've adjusted the title. For a second I thought you were ranting about eveyone on disability allowance OP.

Btw, can you provide sources or similar for your claims in the OP?

cocoshovel · 26-02-2012 5:15pm

Question: Is the disability benefit supposed to be spent on something in specific? Do they set down rules on how you should spend it etc? Or do they just hand it out and leave it at that?

dee. · 26-02-2012 5:19pm

I have an aunt who is deaf, but she has a lot of other health problems that aren't visible to the eye, and her classmates wouldn't have known about them. So maybe you should get to KNOW these teens you "know OF" instead of judging them as an outsider because you probably actually know nothing about them? My aunt had lots of surgeries over the years and the expense of that, medcine, hearing aids, etc. is very high. She recently got a new hearing aid that cost her 4,000 (her, not the state). She went to a mainstream secondary school, did her leaving and went to college. She also had plenty of jobs. Like almost every other young girl in this country she enjoys meeting up with friends and going out at the weekend...do you really begrudge this to people on DISABILITY allowance?

I'm quite aware many people abuse the welfare system, disability allowance included. I know one man, in his mid 40s, who has never worked a day in his life. He has a "bad back" aka. severe case of laziness and gets disability allowance for it. People like him are cheating the system, not people with real disabilities.

uncle_sam_ie · 26-02-2012 5:20pm

Scruffles wrote: »

instead of complaining about other people to even more people who havent got a clue about the background of the teens in question either,why not go to them/their family/carer and ask how their disability actualy affects them,instead of seeing them from an outsider view-unless are around them all the time are not there to see their needs,impairments and access issues.

am cousin to several teen/young adult cousins in tallaght who are moderately disabled-one has global learning disability and the lad has HF classic autism,they have always had disability benefit in some form or other and they do not get all their disability needs paid for them,the lad who has autism wasnt even diagnosed till he was leaving special school due to the lack of autism awareness in the area and specialist help,and he had never been offered any outside support at all,his gp just stuck him on prozac and that was it,both of them have support needs and quite complex needs which arent met fully by their benefit-which is the case for so many disabled people but as is the habit with many of the general public they tend to only focus with a biased view of what the media pumps out.

people do not get disability benefit unless they have a minimum level of care/mobility needs,so someone who merely has a hearing disability or sight disability will not get disability allowance,it has to impair them to the point of having various care/mobility needs,it isnt given simply for having a condition.

all over the internet [not specificaly pointing AH and boards out] have noticed the increase in topics against people on disability benefits-who supposedly only have >this< or >that< wrong with them,some people can be amazingly jealous over the disability benefits and arent pleased with themselves until they put a negative on disabled people claiming benefits,but in a number of cases its just a troll trying to wind people up or a person with mental issues...

So, the money is going to care/mobility needs and not partying, as Quoted by OP, "They go out partying at the weekend and shop with this money as they are school going teens with no bills"

dee. · 26-02-2012 5:29pm

Scruffles wrote: »

am cousin to several teen/young adult cousins in tallaght who are moderately disabled-one has global learning disability and the lad has HF classic autism,they have always had disability benefit in some form or other and they do not get all their disability needs paid for them,the lad who has autism wasnt even diagnosed till he was leaving special school due to the lack of autism awareness in the area and specialist help,and he had never been offered any outside support at all,his gp just stuck him on prozac and that was it,both of them have support needs and quite complex needs which arent met fully by their benefit-which is the case for so many disabled people but as is the habit with many of the general public they tend to only focus with a biased view of what the media pumps out.

people do not get disability benefit unless they have a minimum level of care/mobility needs,so someone who merely has a hearing disability or sight disability will not get disability allowance,it has to impair them to the point of having various care/mobility needs,it isnt given simply for having a condition.

I agree with your post. I know some people manage to get around the system and get disability allowance when they aren't genuine, but the number of them compared to the people who are genuine is very small - its actually very hard to get the disability allowance now.

My brother is autistic and wasn't diagnosed until his late teens (only after spending a long time in a private hospital for kids) before this, the public health system had let him down - he was diagnosed as depressed and put on prozac and other antidepressants at age 10, because it was a quick fix.
My mum didn't get one cent for him and when she did try to sort out disability allowance when my brother was about 18, the claim was denied even though she had lots of support from his doctors. Eventually, after appeals, it was granted. But it wasn't quick and it wasn't easy, you have to go an extra mile to show them that the disability is real - which is how it should be.
But to claim that people shouldn't be entitled to it because they are young?! People with disabilities have lots of expenses, a lot more than teens without. Does this mean dole should be cut for anyone under 20 too?

dee. · 26-02-2012 5:30pm

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

So, the money is going to care/mobility needs and not partying, as Quoted by OP, "They go out partying at the weekend and shop with this money as they are school going teens with no bills"

Yeah, lets lock up all people with disabilities, god forbid they have a social life :rolleyes: I'd like to see what would happen if this was said to all of the people on the dole as well. I know far more people who spend their dole money on partying/drugs/doing up their cars/etc. than those on disability allowance.

Neyite · 26-02-2012 5:31pm

If they are disabled, and qualify for disability allowance then whats the issue?

They face probably a lifetime of living off that €188 per week if their disabililty makes it harder to secure employment, seeing their peers become professionals earning nice money to buy nice cars, and houses, and travel to nice places that they wont have the oppertunity to do.

They are 16 - let them enjoy it while they can.

samina · 26-02-2012 5:34pm

biko wrote: »

I've adjusted the title. For a second I thought you were ranting about eveyone on disability allowance OP.

Btw, can you provide sources or similar for your claims in the OP?

No problem for the title change

Sources on what? The amount? The age? I'll try figure out how to do this on my phone

twinQuins · 26-02-2012 5:48pm

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

So, the money is going to care/mobility needs and not partying, as Quoted by OP, "They go out partying at the weekend and shop with this money as they are school going teens with no bills"

I have some bridges in Madison County you might be interested in buying.

samina · 26-02-2012 5:50pm

I do not just know of these teens they are friends of my child. They buy cans at the weekend with some of their money. They thought they would never reach sixteen to get it. They are handing this money to a sixteen year old every single week.

As I said I'm not referring to all cases. I'm sure there are lots of people that can post their specific cases where it is necessary, but that's not what I'm referring to either. 188 euro is a substantial amount of money to be handed to a school going child. Who does not need to provide any care for themselves either medically or otherwise

looksee · 26-02-2012 5:57pm

dee. wrote: »

I have an aunt who is deaf, but she has a lot of other health problems that aren't visible to the eye, and her classmates wouldn't have known about them. So maybe you should get to KNOW these teens you "know OF" instead of judging them as an outsider because you probably actually know nothing about them? My aunt had lots of surgeries over the years and the expense of that, medcine, hearing aids, etc. is very high. She recently got a new hearing aid that cost her 4,000 (her, not the state). She went to a mainstream secondary school, did her leaving and went to college. She also had plenty of jobs. Like almost every other young girl in this country she enjoys meeting up with friends and going out at the weekend...do you really begrudge this to people on DISABILITY allowance?

I'm quite aware many people abuse the welfare system, disability allowance included. I know one man, in his mid 40s, who has never worked a day in his life. He has a "bad back" aka. severe case of laziness and gets disability allowance for it. People like him are cheating the system, not people with real disabilities.

How can you put forward an argument in one paragraph, then directly contradict it in the next?

dee. · 26-02-2012 6:08pm

looksee wrote: »

How can you put forward an argument in one paragraph, then directly contradict it in the next?

The OP said in the original post he/she knew OF 3 three teenagers, not that they knew them personally. "I know of" is mostly used when you don't actually know someone personally, but have heard about them from others. at least thats how its used where I live.

The 40 year old claiming disability with a "bad back", I know personally.

Not that hard to understand I don't think

looksee · 26-02-2012 6:22pm

If you know this person so well that you know he does not have a bad back and you know he does not have any other issues, why haven't you reported him?

dee. · 26-02-2012 6:30pm

looksee wrote: »

If you know this person so well that you know he does not have a bad back and you know he does not have any other issues, why haven't you reported him?

Actually, he was reported before by many people, apparently they can't prove that he does not have a bad back.

The Jammy dodger · 26-02-2012 6:39pm

samina wrote: »

Im trying this again because it wasn't suitable for the state benefits forum.
In NOT talking about all those on disability allowance. but I know of three teens in mainstream school with sight and hearing problems. They need no special care apart from a laptop for school or a hearing aid and yet once they turn 16 they receive 188 euro a week off the state. They go out partying at the weekend and shop with this money as they are school going teens with no bills. I know this sounds Horrible but I cannot understand why a schoolchild would need this amount of money weekly when as I say they don't have to pay for any special care or equipment for their care. Am I alone in thinking its crazy to give this amount as what can only be described in SOME cases as their pocket money?

Be the responsable parent then and take it off them. They are by law under YOUR roof and rules until they are eighteen.

samina · 26-02-2012 6:44pm

The Jammy dodger wrote: »

samina wrote: »

Im trying this again because it wasn't suitable for the state benefits forum.
In NOT talking about all those on disability allowance. but I know of three teens in mainstream school with sight and hearing problems. They need no special care apart from a laptop for school or a hearing aid and yet once they turn 16 they receive 188 euro a week off the state. They go out partying at the weekend and shop with this money as they are school going teens with no bills. I know this sounds Horrible but I cannot understand why a schoolchild would need this amount of money weekly when as I say they don't have to pay for any special care or equipment for their care. Am I alone in thinking its crazy to give this amount as what can only be described in SOME cases as their pocket money?

Be the responsable parent then and take it off them. They are by law under YOUR roof and rules until they are eighteen.

Where did you get that I am their parent?

samina · 26-02-2012 6:45pm

dee. wrote: »

looksee wrote: »

If you know this person so well that you know he does not have a bad back and you know he does not have any other issues, why haven't you reported him?

Actually, he was reported before by many people, apparently they can't prove that he does not have a bad back.

Edit sorry read post wrong.

Dudess · 26-02-2012 6:52pm

"Someone is getting something that I'm not getting - and I'm angry about it."

twinQuins wrote: »

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

So, the money is going to care/mobility needs and not partying, as Quoted by OP, "They go out partying at the weekend and shop with this money as they are school going teens with no bills"

I have some bridges in Madison County you might be interested in buying.

Yeah and I've some magic beans.

dee. · 26-02-2012 6:54pm

samina wrote: »

No more than it can proved that someone isn't entitled to disability?

If someone actually has a bad back, then I am sure they are entitled to it. If someone pretends they have a bad back to get disability allowance, but have no problem lifting heavy objects, like other men, and joke about how they can get their free handouts, then I don't think they should be entitled to it.

Anyways, I don't want to steer this thread off topic.

Millicent · 26-02-2012 8:03pm

FFS, I'm not usually one to make this accusation but the begrudgery here is appalling. You are annoyed that a teenager who is going to find it incredibly difficult to get the same sort of part-time job as their peers and may have many hidden costs that you know nothing about (nor are you entitled to know) gets to act like a teenager and is taking the very money designed to give them a better quality of life? Amazing.

Btw, I hardly think a few cans is living it up. They can be bought for less than a tenner.

Disability allowance [for 3 teens]

Comments