To feel the Disenfranchised have been Scapegoated.

Who’s paying her £140/day to take her child to school? And if the other kids are perpetually late surely the parents or the school would be complaining about that?

Exactly
nice middle class MN put their hands over their ears at the remote suggestion that people play the system because they have never walked a day in that world

it is rife and it is causing negative views about valid benefit claimants, and stealing money that should be targeted at the most needy

DS2 is currently working at HB between uni and masters, he is so shocked at the open admittance from colleagues about deliberately playing the system

I know a separated couple with a ND child. She is paid to take him to school, instead the dad who is a taxi driver takes him with other kids he is payed to take, making those vulnerable children late

she is pocketing £140 a day tax free for doing fuck all
it is disgusting

Many working-aged people on benefits are working, and get benefits to top up low wages and in particular to help them to pay often-excessive rents.

Some of those costs are intrinsic though. My two children have complex needs, my DD in particular has multiple health appointments with various specialisms. Each appointment is a half day off work, petrol for travel because there are no reasonable public transport options, for a long time I had to reduce my working hours because I couldn’t keep taking time off work to attend hospital with her. They both needed specialist childcare with a higher staff ratio which cost more. I’ve paid specialist tutors, clubs and activities which all cost more because of staffing levels and training. I don’t have time to work out the additional cost compared to standard provision just to prove I use the money to support their needs.

The cost of their disability runs into the £100,000s in lost earnings alone - DLA doesn’t even touch the sides but very little of that additional cost would come with a receipt attached.

Anxiety as an occasional emotion is normal, Having an anxiety disorder is an illness. Two different things.

Just as being hot on a hot day is normal; having a temperature of 104 is not.

And often it's not a case of people with mental illnesses opting out of work or society, but of their being excluded from work or society..

I don't keep any receipts. I won't unless it becomes a requirement.

It depends on the circumstances. I have friends who say filling them in for their child who is disabled because of mistakes made during their birth and are living with the consequences of the brain damage. They don’t know how long their child will live for that’s traumatic. They hate having to go over it again with each new Dr they see.

With my uson a contributing factor is an undetected placental abruption we both could have died.

By the DLA department when she spoke to them. I have no idea who.

Mum of a child in possession of DLA at school also said she kept receipts just in case.

Told by who?

I get DLA for my son and no one has ever said that to me.

First reply nails it.

The relative that I have that has recently applied was told to keep receipts in case of auditing.

*fraudulently

Tsk!

I feel that at the moment unless you’re a white working class man you’re pretty much fair game.

This has to be a joke. There is not a single demographic in western society more vilified, ignored, and undermined than working class white males.

It would be great if there were some sort of tax reduction for those with disabilities.
Would probably work out cheaper in long run - if you could work part time you may end up working longer and paying more in overall. Vs burning yourself out, needing hospital care and/or stopping altogether and need to claim benefits.

Re your car - look up 'Access to work' - can support with transport to work and other bits I think.

Exactly!
I work full time yet due to my disability I have no quality of life outside of work (and because it is fluctuating and "invisible" it is nearly impossible to get benefits even though my life is incredibly limited)

I have a very responsible and stressful job in the public sector. It is underpaid and even after promotions our disposable income is worse not better than 10 years ago.

My car is tiny and 10 years old and I don't know how I will repair it but I depend on it.

We had a cleaner who gave me some quality of life because it meant she did some of the housework (DH does the rest and the cooking and the DIY as I cannot). But we had to stop as money was too tight

Good and timely medical care is important to keep me out of ICU. I am lucky to get a medical exemption for my prescriptions but this is cancelled by having to pay for private dental treatment and private hospital tests.

Why should my very hard earnt taxes fund anything beyond the basics for others? Why does anyone who can afford a big upfront payment on a luxury car think they deserve benefits? Why do people game the system and work minimum hours to keep up their benefits?

Welfare should be a safety net not an ever rising list of demands and entitlement

I think this is a really valid point.
The terms
Worker/taxpayer and Disabled
are not mutually exclusive terms. I can't work full time due to a disability, I'm struggling to work part time tbh but can't afford to stop due to the amount of tax DH and I are paying. I can have a disability and want to pay less tax.

Wanting to pay less tax so I can work less and be in less pain is not ableist.

Wanting the tax I do pay to go towards the nhs more than on benefits so I can access the care I need is not selfish.

Sometimes the disenfranchised (such as those with disabilities) are also the ones being asked to give even more of their money to the public coffers. Who knows how much longer i will be able to work. I need my money too!

Unless you live somewhere with plenty of social housing, there's very little chance of it with dependants these days too.

I've said it before & I'll say it again. If anyone on here 'knows' that someone is claiming any benefit, shop them. It's simple & I believe it can be anonymous. I've never met a whinger who's done this because they never have the courage of their convictions & also are whinging about people they don't actually know enough about to form any real judgment.
I always hope they will fall off a ladder or something to see for themselves how fabulously lucrative being disabled is.

In what way are they worse off?

Having a child entitles you to help with rent, benefits and lots of perks. Theres no chance of social housing near me without “dependents”.
Babies need little, there’s lots of support. Basics like formula are discounted.
Given a choice between being a low achiever with a child or without, it’s much easier with one. Plus theres the pull of having “done something” by raising a child. It’s an important job.

I thought the lifting of the cap was an extra £70-£80 per week per child. That’s a fair bit of cash.

Because they would still be worse off with all the cost of having had a child than if they hadn't? Having a baby isn't a one way ticket to easy street, far from it!

I don't think anyone 'has kids for the benefits' - the benefits don't cover the cost of a child, let alone give you a better life the more kids you have!

But what are the alternatives? How can those who left college with little, have no soft skills, can only get unsteady min wage work afford to rent a flat? Why wouldn’t you have a baby?

YANBU, op.

I see some people here pointing to some outliers who get dragged out to say 'oh look, isn't this awful' as if they are representative of most people on benefits when they are not at all. If half a million kids are going to be lifted out of poverty by removing the benefit cap, then good - I don't want or need proof that all their parents 'deserve my money'. The fact is most of those people will still need that extra money even for basics.

I don't think anyone 'has kids for the benefits' - the benefits don't cover the cost of a child, let alone give you a better life the more kids you have!