Should I report my cousin's benefit fraud?

Unfortunately for many the medical professional doesn't necessarily have experience in the field of the claimants difficulties. No point having a podiatrist assess someone with mental health issues.

This isn’t actually true, in the case of PIP. Much as I agree that the statements here about awarding without evidence are rubbish.

PIP awards are awarded for a finite period of time, and then reviewed. The review is slightly different from the initial application but broadly similar. There’s no need for a medical certificate for PIP. Nobody sends fit notes for PIP because it isn’t an out of work benefit.

There is usually (not always) an assessment by a healthcare professional from one of the companies the DWP use to conduct assessments. Some assessments are paper based but this is rare.

PIP assessors don’t award. So you haven’t awarded anybody anything. You have made a recommendation in the report from your assessment, which is one piece of evidence the DWP will use to decide whether and what to award. You’re right though that it is rare for Decisionmakers to go against the Assessor’s recommendation. That is because they’re allocated very little time to deal with each claim and usually simply rubber stamp it. The decisions made by assessors are often illegal and overturned at MR or tribunal stage.

You’re right that in the example you give, an award is appropriate. That individual should however have evidence of the impact of their disabilities, other than their medical records. Otherwise, you’re just taking their word for the fact that they meet the descriptors, which I’m sure you know isn’t what’s set out in the guidelines for assessors.

I do PIP tribunals every day. The most common reason claims fail is lack of evidence. Even in the most ‘deserving’ cases. Nearly every PA4 I see cites ‘not supported by the evidence’ or ‘evidence not available’ alongside each descriptor.

What you’re saying here is different from what you originally said, which is ‘you don’t (need medical evidence), unfortunately’. Unfortunately, implies that you think people are awarded without having to support their claim, and are claiming based on their say so alone, when they shouldn’t be. It is you who is spreading misinformation here and adding fuel to benefits bashing.

It is also important for people to know, when they make a claim, that they are unlikely to be successful without evidence to support the level of restriction they are claiming, and that obtaining this evidence is a vital part of the claims process.

PIP claimants are always assessed by a DWP appointed medical professional, answers on this thread saying an assessor only and no evidence required are lies. You get it for an initial period (used to be 6 months) when you produce a medical certificate, you are then assessed at which point most people fail- the OP's cousin may be boasting about a very temporary situation.

Calm down love. Hate the game, not the players. I don’t blame people for sucking everything they can from the benefits system when they see politicians doing the same.

The system is a complete joke and needs reform.

I'd report him.

I'd ignore it. You don't know what his GP and psychiatrist said as evidence in support of his application.

Bloody hell - with family like you, who needs enemies?!

If you're going to get all het up about injustice, there are better places to start. It's petty and gross, to go after one of life's underdogs.

They’re not usually assessed by a doctor - it can be a nurse, paramedic, OT, physios …
Your car statement is daft, and incorrect! If you get enhanced mobility you can use this money for a car.

You can’t use this as a mic drop forever. It cannot be the case that nobody can criticise disability benefits ‘because it means you’re jealous of a disabled person and OMG that makes you terrible’. I’m disabled (on tons of medication just to keep myself physically alive), so I do get it, but the fact remains we spend more on disability benefits than we do on our armed forces. That’s how out of control it is. It’s not even a moral issue, it’s a financial one - we simply cannot afford it.

And you can’t blame the public for becoming exasperated when the staggering increase in claims over the last 10 years has been driven by non-pathological illnesses. I can’t even remember the last time I heard of a PIP/DLA claim for something that wasn’t autism, ADHD, anxiety, PTSD or fibromyalgia.

And you need to see the bigger picture. PIP may be ‘only a few hundred quid a month’ but the majority of PIP claimants don’t work, so are also on UC, and have their housing expenses paid. In addition to this they (like every person) get free comprehensive healthcare which if you are disabled cost a lot of money, as well as the passive benefits of taxpayer funded services like the emergency services, the military and infrastructure.

I think you need to take a look at your self before criticising the taxpayer that is working hard to provide all of the above.

people applying for PIP are assessed by a DWP appointed doctor- so I'm amazed he hasn't been found out, maybe they are behind and his assessment is coming. Don't worry about him getting a car- the only case I have ever heard of this is 100% incapacitated by vaccine damage. I have helped people with PIP applications- it really isn't that easy to cheat on it, more people are turned down than accepted for it.
It sounds extraordinary boasting about benefit fraud, but I have encountered this .

Both you and the previous poster are making it sound like anyone who gets PIP straight away is lying... and you are only genuine if you have had to go through tribunals etc.
Who does and doesn't get PIP seems so inconsistent, and often seems to depend on the what side of bed the person doing your assessment got out of.

A huge amount of people applying for PIP get turned down the first time (more so for MH issues). Someone asking for advice on how to proceed with their claim is not trying to cheat the system.

You must be the only one doing your job correctly then. The amount of claimants turned down at 2 stages and forced to go to Tribunal - then win, is shocking. Maybe teach your colleagues their job.

This is absolutely true! People who HAVE struggled to get PIP, have in trying to help others in genuine need, inadvertently shared information which has enabled people like your cousin to cheat the system.

In fact only a few days ago there was someone on here asking how to get PIP, claiming that she'd been turned down, but I got the distinct impression that she was trying to milk genuine claimants for information to help her cheat the system.

So, instead of moaning about benefit cheats, please DO report them people, as not only do they get all benefit claimants a bad name, but they also cost the country, (US) money, which could be better spent on the NHS, who can then help those who are genuinely sick, get well and back to work again.

You are jealous of someone who is disabled enough to the point they are entitled to full PIP. Have her money, but have her disabilities too.
Take a long look at yourself.

My friend was on the highest PIP and with that and possibly other benefits she got more than I got for working full time for the NHS. I was pretty fuming to be honest 😡. I expect people to get help obviously if they can’t work but not get more than a full time worker; what made it worse is that she wasn’t even working beforehand!!

The stress people experience with lifelong serious mental illnesses being continuously reassed pre emts relapses. Even people with schizophrenia and bipolar 1 have to go through these gruelling, humiliating and debilitating medicals to prove they qualify for p.i.p.
The result of continuously underfunding mental health services puts the users and sometimes the public in serious danger.

@Hdjdb42 was any action taken after your reports?

This. This post is utter nonsense. You don't get PIP just by writing any old shit on a form. You need medical evidence to back up your claims, and a "DWP" medical assessor also conducts an assessment. DWP don't just believe whatever you tell them.

Claims even with good medical evidence are usually declined (often when someone is blatantly eligible) and the claimant has to challenge the decision, and a significant number have to appeal which means going before a panel at tribunal.

It is not easy to claim PIP, so I think this post is disingenuous. Or perhaps your cousin's mental health issues cause them to lie. It sounds like an unlikely story coming from one of you.

My DH is a wheelchair user and he has absolute contempt for people like you who parrot this divisive shit. Oh and by the way, the spoons theory absolutely does apply in his case. I will let him know that he is "whimpering" next time he runs out of spoons.

Again, if I said what I thought of you, I would be banned forever from mumsnet.

Most people wouldn't get a car for anxiety and depression, it would have to be so severe a person is unable to function to independently get themselves from A to B
We have a mobility car for my son he can walk and run and jump
But he s nearly 15 and cognitively around 2/3 years of age has zero understanding of danger completely non verbal he gets HRM under SMI he still receives DLA at the moment when he transfers to PIP I can't see this changing as he needs someone with him all the time ti keep him safe he wouldn't have a clue about getting a bus etc.

100% report

I’ve awarded multiple deserving claimants who for many reasons haven’t been able to provide medical evidence - decisions which have been upheld. Just one potential situation amongst many would be a substance user who has completely disengaged from primary and secondary care services because they’ve developed complex mental health conditions resulting from their misuse and lack of any health care input. There won’t always be a paper trail of ‘evidence’ to support a claim but decisions are often made based on balance of probability. Please stop sharing misinformation, it could be really damaging to vulnerable people reading these sorts of threads who may be considering applying but be put off

Yes, it does. I’m a welfare rights lawyer. My job is PIP appeals.

No, it doesn’t. I’m a PIP assessor. Do you mind if I ask what your point of reference is? I can provide a little bit more context to my point if it would be helpful