Disability benefits change means my son could lose £200 a month - it's terrifying

Disability benefits change means my son could lose £200 a month - it's terrifyingJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBeth RoseDisability affairs reporter Erika LyeErika doesn't know if her younger son Jack will meet the criteria to be eligible for the top-up payments after the changesErika Lye says she's "the sunshine" in her house, always smiling for her sons Logan, 20, and Jack, 16.But behind closed doors, she is terrified about money. She fears that a new change to the health element of Universal Credit could send her family over a financial "cliff edge".After a summer of political rebellion over benefits last year, the first changes are coming into effect. From Monday, 6 April, new applicants for the health top-up to Universal Credit - an additional payment which supports people who can not work due to disability or ill health - will receive half of what existing claimants get.The government says it hopes to save £1bn by 2030/31 by cutting the payments from £429.80 a month for existing claimants, to £217.26 a month for new ones.A spokesperson said the Universal Credit system had "forced too many people to be written off, left behind, and denied the opportunities to build better lives for themselves and their families"."That's why we're bringing forward these reforms – increasing the incentive to work, ensuring sick or disabled people can access genuine support, and bearing down on the cost of living by boosting the standard rate of Universal Credit," they added.Motability to give black box monitors to under 30sAny young person under 16, or still in education on 6 April, has also needed to wait until after that to apply.Logan Lye has cerebral palsy and learning disabilities. He applied for the Universal Credit health top-up - also known as Limited-Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) - in 2025, and will be in line to receive the full £429.80 per month.But his younger brother...