For the mentally ill, disability pension remains inaccessible

Deserving families face a lot of hardships due to confusion about various schemes

August 13, 2016 04:41 am | Updated 07:25 am IST - CHENNAI:Chennai:

The disability ID card that Ramesh*, an elderly man, has, says that his daughter, who is mentally ill, has an 80 per cent disability.

The card was issued in 2012, and for two years after that, Ramesh said he went at least five times to the Tahsildar’s office in an attempt to get the pension for the differently-abled for his daughter. “They even came and visited my building and spoke to my neighbours. But after that, nothing at all,” he said.

Ramesh is one of the many caregivers of mentally ill persons who have not been able to access the pension schemes provided for those with disabilities. Confusion about the various schemes available and their criteria, and difficulties in accessing them results in many families going from pillar to post to secure the pension, say experts.

The State’s ‘Differently Abled Pension Scheme’ does not provide for the mentally ill, said Ravindranath Singh, deputy director, State Commission for Differently Abled. This, said a senior official of the Social Welfare Department, is a policy decision, as there are practical difficulties involved.

The other pension, the Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension, clearly classifies mental illness as a disability and provides for those with severe disabilities — 80 per cent or more for those from families below the poverty line. But this too is almost always inaccessible to those with mental illnesses, said Kamala Easwaran, assistant director, The Banyan.

‘Petitions turned away’

“Officials keep turning away patients, saying that mental illness does not qualify for the pension,” she said. Both pensions amount to Rs. 1,000 per month.

Of the 140 persons that The Banyan has provided disability ID cards to with an 80 per cent or over disability since 2012, most of whom are from below poverty line families, only three persons have been able to access the Indira Gandhi Pension Scheme, and only after petitions to the Collector’s office, said Preetha Krishnadas, assistant director, The Banyan.

For many, the pension will make a big difference, said P. Karpagavalli, coordinator, clinical services, Schizophrenia Research Foundation.

“Many of these patients are very ill and cannot work. Their parents are aged and apart from caring and providing for their mentally ill children, are being made to go from one office to another to try and access the scheme. And it is ad hoc — a few tahsildar’s offices seem to provide it but others refer them elsewhere,” she said.

Revathi, who has a son diagnosed with schizophrenia, said she had been to the tahsildar’s office at least three times to claim the amount, but to no avail.

Some of those who have managed it get the pension under the provision of mental retardation, said Ms. Krishnadas.

In the four years since Ramesh’s daughter received the disability card, she has jumped from their third-floor home and injured herself twice. She is hospitalised at present. Ramesh, who is on medication for anxiety, and his wife, who has depression, have moved from their home to another daughter’s place to get more help. Ramesh, who does odd jobs, is trying to find a job as a security guard. “I went back and checked if I had got the pension through the post, but nothing has come,” he said.

( *Names changed )

The larger question in the issue of the disability allowance, say activists, is the inclusion of mental illness in its purview.

“Why, when the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, classifies mental illness as a disability, does the State pension scheme not provide for it?” asks Vandana Gopikumar, co-founder, The Banyan.

“There are multiple barriers in our environment for the mentally ill, ranging from stigma to lack of access to poverty and not being included under the ambit of the pension, further marginalises a large group. There could be a possible relation between not having financial support and opting out of treatment or even descent into homelessness and mortality,” she said. Tamil Nadu seems to be the perfect State to get this up and running, with its demonstrated concern for the welfare of people with disabilities.

The State’s policy must be changed to include those with mental illnesses, said S. Namburajan, State General Secretary, Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled & Caregivers.

A study conducted by The Banyan in 2008 of 50 women, who were given a monthly allowance of Rs. 200 by the organisation, revealed that the allowance was immensely beneficial — the money is used for meeting domestic needs and medicines, it allowed them to contribute to the family expenses and fulfil basic requirements and they even felt more involved in decision-making, the study says.

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