Why the Voucher Scheme is Impractical

• Variety of Needs beyond one of Purchases: Our needs involve more than items we can buy occasionally and include ongoing and impossible to quantify costs. A voucher scheme wont account for these. This includes things like
  • Energy bills increase
  • Travel costs increase
  • Daily assistance costs, such as paying for delivery of items you can't carry or collect, are not directly related to your disability. However, your disability forces you to incur these extra expenses.
• Administrative Burden:
  • The government is currently struggling to manage one-off assessments fairly and promptly.
  • Introducing any additional system would surely cost a lot more and likely fail due to the existing strain.
  • The cost predictions for transitioning from DLA to PIP were significantly underestimated, leading to unexpected expenses.
  • This mistake is likely to be repeated, and the reform costs alone will eat into any potential savings for years.
  • A voucher system would introduce obvious extra overhead, requiring approval of items on a per-needed basis, in addition to the current assessment requirements.
• Limited Approved Suppliers:
  • A voucher system would limit users to specific suppliers, resulting in higher prices and reduced access to the most suitable or cost-effective products and services.
  • A voucher system would require items to be deemed "eligible" and items not deemed so (because they dont tick a typical box) but that would still benefit the disabled wont be available. Or the overhead on looking every possible available produce on the market would be extremely high.
  • A voucher system would complicate and delay disabled getting items they may need sooner due to red tape or limited supplier availability.
  • A voucher system would be unlikely to allow purchasing items from abroad which is often where the latest aids are first available.

Why the Voucher Scheme is unreasonable and unfair

• Invasion of privacy and unnecessary sensitive data collection: Our needs as disabled are often very personal. a voucher system would necessitate in depth and intrusive records of our needs being kept and approved by the DWP. For example if someone disabled needs assistance having children naturally with aids such as the FERTICARE 2.0 we are now expected to share this data and ask for approval
• Taking away even more of our time: We already have less time to work, less time to live normal lives, this will add more time and stress on a weekly or near daily basis as that's how often many of our little extra expenses occur
• No longer allowed anything but the cheapest option: Allot of voucher based schemes limit you to just the basics so if someone able bodied wanted a better than budget mattress and bed they can just have it but we need to pay a premium for one with extras for our disability (electric raise-able legs and head) but we might not be able to choose from the same selection or qualify as someone abled not because they don't exist but because they are deemed "a luxury" and only the cheapest worst quality is covered

Why the Voucher Scheme Doesn't Address Our Needs

A voucher system would be practical or likely to cover the following:

Ongoing costs (too regular to keep applying for every time):

• Energy Costs: Higher utility bills due to medical equipment or needing to maintain a warmer home.
• Support Costs: Personal trainers and therapists to manage physical and mental health.
• Maintenance Costs: Home repairs and maintenance due to wheelchair wear and tear.
• Companion Fees: Paying for a companion when unable to go alone.
• Delivery Fees: Additional costs for home deliveries.
• Travel Costs: Larger less economical vehicle needed or specialized transport and limited holiday accommodations options costing more (we can't camp).
• Cleaning Services: Paying for professional cleaners.
• Specialized Clothing: Higher costs for adaptive clothing.
• Prescription Costs: Prescription expenses not covered due to disability alone not granting free prescriptions.
• Lost Time and Income: Additional time lost due to disability limiting the ability to work full time and increased sick leave.
• Higher Housing Costs: Higher rent or mortgage for larger accessible housing to fit equipment.
• Adaptive Equipment: Costs for necessary adaptive equipment not covered by vouchers.
• Incontinence Costs: Costs for replacing clothes and additional laundry expenses.
• General assistance for common household tasks: replacing bulbs, fire alarm batteries and checks, bleeding radiators, decorating (Christmas and general), cleaning car, cutting grass/maintaining garden, etc.

Annually:

• Increased Insurance: Higher insurance premiums for larger more expensive vehicles and homes.
• Maintenance of Equipment: Servicing and repairs on disabled equipment.

Less regular costs that vouchers will be restrictive in covering and highly unlikely to be approved because of cost:

• Vehicle Adaptations: Costs for adapting vehicles.
• Extra cost of replacing vehicle and repairing unavoidable damage from wheelchair.
• Extra cost to repair and replace household items such as washing machine (as incontinence and increased usage reduces lifespan) or carpets (as wheelchairs wear down and pull up carpets far quicker).
• Smart Home Equipment: Costs for smart devices to aid in daily activities such as being able to control lights from bed.
• The following costs when moving into a new home (and replacing when they wear out):
  • Lowering units refitting entire kitchen.
  • Refitting entire bathroom with wheeling shower and shower chair compatible toilet, etc.
  • Redo all carpets and floor with wheelchair suitable flooring and more regular replacement due to increased wheelchair wear and tear.
  • Redo front driveway so a wheelchair suitable solution (shingle, dirt or narrow paths are not suitable).
  • Low threshold doors all round.
  • Lowered windows or adaptations to reach windows and curtains.
  • Hoist to transfer out of chair into bed.
  • Widened doorways.
  • Ramps into house.
  • Additional light switch pull cords or remote controllable ones.

How the Voucher Scheme Fails to Address the Source of the Recent Spike in Claimants

• Economic Impact: The rise in claimants is largely driven by economic factors that vouchers cannot address.
• Complex Needs: The increase in claimants includes individuals with complex needs that require flexible financial support not rigid vouchers.
• Long-Term Financial Planning: Disabled individuals need to save and invest to reduce long-term costs which vouchers do not support.

Research from Scope

Research from Scope highlights the many additional costs that disabled individuals face which a voucher scheme would not remotely adequately cover. You can read more about these extra costs on the Scope website.

Disability Price Tag 2023 technical report (Word Document 2.98MB).

Disability Price Tag 2023 summary report (Word Document 2.03MB).