Why is a young disabled professional not able to enjoy the fruits of their hard work?
I am a blind disabled person in their mid 20s working in tech with a quite high salary.
I get social care in the form of direct payments from my council to access local community stuff like going to the gym. Reason is due to my disability, I cannot safely navigate these places on my own. Due to this, I get 6 hours of support a week.
Now with my high salary, there is so much I can spend. Besides covering my rent and general living related expenses, quite a lot of my money goes into savings. And of corse, I am saving up to buy my own home in the future, investments, build emergency funds and other life goals.
Here is the catch: If you have more than £23250 in any forms of saving you become a self-funder for social care. Anything over £14250, you have to contribute a bit to care.
Now while I do believe everyone should be contributing fairly in society, I am already paying the highest rates of taxes, which is part of being a high-earning professional. I am not claiming any sort of low income related benefits or any state benefits in general.
I understand that the social care system does takes into account any disability-related expenditure, which I am easily able to cover. Earnings itself is ignored, but I cannot save it. Its like use or lose it situation. £14k isn’t that hard for a high earning professional to save in a few months.
I am not able to save my money just because I am disabled. I see this as a form of tax on disability, because anyone in my high earning position as a non desabled person wouldn’t have to face this situation. I cannot build up a war chest and go into contracting just because if I had a large pot of savings to lean on during quite times, I would need to fund my social care. And the rates alone, for my local authority are 24.05 per hour, which is almost an hour’s wage! I would be paying close to 1k monthly in care fees out of my already 60% and 40% taxed money. I already pay for family to take me here and there like paying for my spouse’s insurance and car.
To keep my own health in a good shape by going to the gym after my stressful office job, I have to stop saving or bother family who is already doing more than they can. Its not like I have retired and now I need the care round the clock without contributing my taxes to society, I am an active earner with many years to contribute left who just cannot invest. What the fuck is this?
Would love to hear people’s opinion and debate on this.