PIP: Benefits system for terminally ill 'cruel and inhumane'

PIP: Benefits system for terminally ill 'cruel and inhumane'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-48845914

Terminally Ill Are Denied Access To Benefits Due To ‘Made-Up DWP Policy Fudge’
Outdated rules are forcing dying people into 'crippling debt and hardship', says inquiry.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/benefits-system-terminally-ill-inquiry-six-months-rule_uk_5d1b331fe4b07f6ca58386e5

Benefits system for terminally ill people to be reviewed. Amber Rudd calls for ‘honest evaluation’ of widely criticised regime of special rules.

Responding to the review, Matthew Reed, the chief executive of Marie Curie, said it was welcome but that the Department for Work and Pensions had not made it clear that a claimant could only have their benefit fast-tracked if it had been determined they had six months or less to live.

He said: “The solution is a very simple one. It is one that the Scottish government has already taken onboard in a new benefits law: that fast, easy access to benefits should be available to everyone a clinician says is terminally ill. People should not have to wait until a clinician thinks they only have six months left to live.

“The review must be focused and quick and the government in turn must act at pace when the review is concluded. Time is crucial for dying people. Every day 10 people die while waiting for the benefits they need.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/11/benefits-system-for-terminally-ill-to-be-reviewed-says-amber-rudd