One authorities assist mechanism designed to assist folks could make them extra weak to abuse: means-tested advantages. Whereas some disabled folks can declare Private Independence Cost (PIP), a non-means-tested profit designed to cowl the extra prices of incapacity, estimated to be £975 per 30 days, it’s typically inadequate. So, many additionally declare means-tested advantages, similar to Common Credit score (UC), to assist them. The DWP assesses your eligibility utilizing the entire family’s earnings.
Disabled individuals who cohabit or marry a companion within the UK may lose entry to means-tested advantages like Housing Profit and free prescriptions if their mixed earnings exceeds the edge. For disabled individuals who can’t work, this leaves them completely reliant on PIP and romantic companions to fill the monetary hole.
Primarily, the strategy strips claimants of economic autonomy by assuming romantic companions will decide up the slack with out query. That’s what occurred to me again in 2019; my ex’s earnings far surpassed the edge, however we didn’t share funds, so I misplaced out on a whole bunch of kilos per 30 days. I later discovered myself unable to depart an more and more poisonous state of affairs because of a scarcity of earnings. Many profit claimants don’t know this might occur to them till it’s too late.
“I used to be ignorant to the very fact his wage would have an effect on my advantages earlier than we received married. My UC work coach did not inform me that it might, and he or she knew I used to be getting married,” says Nicole*, who was along with her ex for seven years. “After I phoned UC about it, I used to be met with a vile man who laughed at me whereas I used to be crying and mentioned, ‘Effectively, you’re married now, so your husband can hold you’ and ‘You’re disabled, why do you want cash?’”
After dropping entry to means-tested advantages, her ex’s resentment and abusive behaviour grew exponentially till she needed to depend on the kindness of family members to outlive. “He would purchase video games, movies, garments, no matter he needed, and I’d be fortunate to switch the garments I had with holes in them. I had extreme endometriosis, so I wanted a whole lot of sanitary merchandise, and I used to be typically made to ask my mum or my pals to ship me cash to get them.”
The funnelling of all family advantages into one account additionally made it extraordinarily troublesome for Olive*, who has Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and ADHD, to depart her violent ex-partner and the daddy of three of her 5 youngsters. “He wasn’t working and it was a joint account, however I had no entry to it. One time, shortly earlier than I attempted to depart, he emptied the checking account, though the kid profit was in my identify, and the police mentioned there was nothing they may do.”
The means-tested advantages system is ostensibly honest, guaranteeing households don’t take greater than their share. However it could actually make it tougher for victims of abuse to flee, significantly if their companion is financially controlling. “Having no cash to my identify and being disabled meant the considered leaving him wasn’t even an choice; I used to be terrified, and it was protecting me trapped. I used to be made to really feel ineffective and nugatory, and I believed being with somebody, regardless of who, was higher than being alone,” Nicole tells GLAMOUR.
In a press release to GLAMOUR, the DWP says they’ve “no plans” to “amend the principles relating to the remedy of family earnings and capital in UC and Employment Assist Allowance.” A DWP spokesperson added: “We might urge anybody experiencing any type of home abuse to succeed in out to the related authorities, they usually also can communicate to our specially-trained Jobcentre employees who can present pressing assist together with, short-term lodging, profit advances and signposting to further assist.”