Over 200,000 Disabled households are set to lose out on the £150 Warm Home Discount scheme due to a change in who the Government deems entitled to claim.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Attendance Allowance (AA) will no longer be able to claim, despite the forthcoming 54% increase in energy bills.
The Government is set to announce an increase in the Warm Home Discount payment from £140 to £150, and will say that it is expanding the pool of people able to claim it by 780,000, according to the Daily Mirror.
But it will exclude around 210,000 people on disability benefits from applying for the vital payment.
New laws to do this are likely to be introduced under the plans at the end of this year.
DR UK CEO Kamran Mallick said: “This is appalling. The Government knows full well that Disabled people face increased energy bills as a matter of course. Disabled people often need more hot water, more heating, and more energy to run specialist equipment than non-Disabled households. Removing this vital benefit beggars belief, especially with the universal increase in energy bills from April.
“With the changes not proposed until the end of the year, the Government must make a u-turn on this punitive decision. Far too many people are already having to choose between heating and eating. Benefits are nowhere near in line with inflation as it is. This move may push people over the edge.”