Dear Carers
I’m sure many here and or/friends and family have been treated unfairly at some time or other by the benefits system.
The government is letting private companies like Capita, who are in charge of carrying out benefit assessments, make it harder for people to get the help they desperately need. [1] Disabled people are being forced to travel ridiculous distances for assessments, or pay for expensive doctors’ letters when they don’t need to. [2]
The scandal is splashed across the papers today and Amber Rudd, the minister in charge of benefits, will be hoping it goes away. [3] Nearly 140,000 people have signed a petition asking her to stop these companies breaking the rules. [4] If we can get it to 200,000 in the next 24 hours, it could build enough pressure to make her crackdown immediately.
So will you sign the petition asking Amber Rudd to make sure people with disabilities aren’t forced to pay, or travel long distances, to get the support they need?
SIGN THE PETITION
Carl from Wales has arthritis and was interviewed in The Sun today. [5] Capita told him to pay for a medical letter to prove he couldn’t travel to his assessment. They then refused to accept it. When Carl got to his assessment he couldn’t walk and Capita made him use an office chair instead of a wheelchair. This isn’t how it’s supposed to work.
38 Degrees brings together millions of people to make change on issues that matter to all of us. Two years ago thousands of us forced the government to reverse tax credit cuts and thanks to the actions of 38 Degrees members, like you, the government provided more money for Universal Credit last year. [6]
Now it’s time for the government to listen to us again and stop private companies making it harder for disabled to get the benefits they rely on.
So will you sign the petition asking Amber Rudd to companies like Capita breaking the rules?
SIGN THE PETITION
Thanks for being involved,