A new online petition is calling on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to make changes to current rules for those claiming income-related disability benefits who “find love and move in with a partner”.
Petition creator Joe Hardy, argues that disabled people looking for love are faced with a choice of either “happiness or financial independence”. The ‘Allow disabled people to keep all their benefits if they move in with a partner’ petition, is hosted on the official petitions-parliament website and has already received more than 2,830 signatures of support - if it reaches 10,000, the UK Government will respond.
Mr Hardy explains that under current DWP rules, people on income-related benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit (UC) risk “losing some or all” of the benefits they claim when living alone if they start cohabiting as a couple. He adds that this has put him off looking for love.
Moving in with a partner needs to be reported to DWP as a change of circumstances and may change the nature of a claim - depending on the benefit involved - from a single claim to a joint one.
Dedicated disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance are not affected by a change in living circumstances as these are non-means tested and claimed by an individual, never as a couple.
However, if you are in receipt of other income-related benefits, they may be affected.
The petition states: “Under current rules, people on ESA or UC risk losing some or all of our benefits if we find love and move in with a partner. This means that we have to choose either happiness or financial independence.
“These unfair rules have discouraged me from looking for love at any point in my life."
It continues: “Disabled people on income-related benefits risk being left totally dependent on their partner if they move in together. This is because, when joint income is taken into account, their partner's earnings or savings often exceed the limits for eligibility for income-related benefits.
“This rule applies even if the disabled person in the relationship cannot and won't ever be able to work, meaning that they have no choice other than to hope their partner's income is enough for them both to live on.”
You can follow the progress of this petition, which closes on August 17, 2023 online here.
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