Attitudes toward those on benefits disheartening.

[AWizardsSleeve]

I am chronically ill; I worked and paid in to the system for years before becoming too poorly to work. The condition I have causes crippling fatigue; it’s not tiredness, it’s debilitating, life limiting fatigue.

The recent announcement of the cost of living help for low income families has brought out the worst in people and frankly, makes me feel worthless. I’ve stopped reading the comments sections in the media as it makes me feel like trash.

From family and friends, I’ve had remarks such as: “I work hard for what I’ve got and there’s you being paid to watch TV”. Said in a lighthearted way of course

“It’s wrong how hard working people get nothing and those that don’t, get it all handed to them. Oh but I’m not talking about you.” Yes, you are.

“I know someone who has 4 missing limbs and they still have a job, why can’t you work?”. When I’ve tried to explain that fatigue can be a huge barrier to work, I get told about another inspirational person and if I really wanted to, I could.

My own sister threatened to report me for benefit fraud (jokingly of course) . I told her to go ahead as I have nothing to hide.

Family call me the ‘benefit expert’ and it’s so hurtful. I have never told them that I receive benefits but they assume and bring it up every time I see them.

I’ve lost any chance of a career and I spend my days in pain and exhausted. I dread the week as I’m so bored being stuck at home. I do also try to live life as I have children but heaven forbid if I take them on a day out, because it means I’m not truly unwell (they don’t understand the suffering I go through after).

I told my other sister I was being referred for more testing and she rolled her eyes and said “what’s wrong with you now?”. I rarely talk about my illness because family don’t understand it and are very unsupportive. I had to hold back tears and make an excuse to leave.

I cringe when doctors ask me about my occupation and I’m so embarrassed to say I don’t work. I hate this. I hate every second of it and the attitudes of people make it worse.

I’ve had to fight the system repeatedly in spite of medical evidence to get financial support. The fear of it being removed every few years and wondering how I will survive in old age keeps me awake at night.

Do people really believe people choose to live with this worry and the shame that comes with it? I feel so disheartened and upset today.

Those people are far and few between. I have known a few myself.. have been people claiming to be single and living alone, but have an earning partner living with them.. not people who are faking illness. You need so much evidence to claim any sort of illness/disability nowadays.
There are more people who are entitled to benefits who are not claiming, than there are people who are doing so fraudulently.

This is exactly what the benefits system is set up for, I also don't think the government tactics/comments have helped. They make it sound like a choice. Of course everyone knows someone living the highlife on benefits whilst the rest of is work 🙄.

I don't claim benefits I don't need to but, as a decent human being I can understand why some people need to. I can't imagine how tough it must be, you are at the whim of government changes. I guess you need to, say what you have said here to those people and avoid benefits bashing threads.

Op you are the sort of person that the benefits system is designed for. You paid into it and now you're taking from it because you are in genuine need.

There's a massive difference between that and someone who chooses the benefits lifestyle for a free ride when they do have the ability to work if they wanted to.

Don't feel bad about your situation. You didn't ask for this.

@pointythings i'm so sorry to hear of your daughter's illness and how it's affecting her. I hope somehow she can still have opportunities and quality of life to look forward to, and whatever you would both hope for her

@DadBodAlready no offence meant but your view of how easy the benefits system is to game is very outdated. As other posters have already explained, it is very difficult to 'qualify' for sickness and disability benefits these days despite having reams of medical evidence, and all too often that goes for people who are profoundly ill/disabled. The system itself is crooked. Do some googling.

Try and have a look from other’s perspectives too, because then you may not take this as personally

People that work full time on low incomes may not receive much more income than you do if you get disability benefits on top of your standard allowance. They’re also struggling financially and are suffering from the cost of living at the moment, just like you. They have the same bills to pay and may have more expenses eg travel costs.

It is just being emotionally intelligent to understand that it’s going to be annoying if they’re barely surviving, but those that live off the system will get extra support with the cost of living. It’s a difficult situation for everyone involved atm, not just for benefit claimants.

Many people have no choice but to work to survive and are struggling to make ends meet. To a certain extent, you live a privileged lifestyle if you don’t need to work to support yourself. You’re entitled to claim benefits and the extra cost of living payments and shouldn’t have to justify yourself. Others are struggling too and cannot access the help you get. Once you get that, you’ll see the comments aren’t coming from an evil place but more from blowing off steam.

You can't choose not to work, and claim. You get hounded for evidence of job seeking.
I wish people would stop thinking that benefits is a lifestyle choice that the "lazy" opt into. It is not!

Yes there's this perpetuated myth that everyone on benefits must be lazy or defrauding the system. Yet so many middle and upper class people/businesses defraud the tax system costing our country far far more than benefits fraud yet that's somehow respectable.

If someone is claiming more benefits that someone who works, then it is because they have an illness/disability.
It is pretty fucked up for someone to be jealous of someone that is too ill or disabled to work. By all means, claim the same money, but you also have to be ill/disabled too.

That is like being jealous of people who have a Blue Badge.

OP, I believe you 💐 your family sound absolutely awful. None of us knows what’s around the corner in life.
I’m sorry for what you’re going through.

It's the layabouts who have no intention of ever working that spoil it for the genuine folk who can't work
And this is exactly the attitude that is a problem. Because of this ( wrong) way of thinking we are all bundled together. There are very few layabouts, you have to prove that you have spent 35 hours looking for work. It takes days to fill in a PiP form and even with piles of evidence we can get turned down to fit with targets . It’s known that some assessors lie, and that some targets are ridiculous eg. You can’t be to disabled if you can drive. Imagine an assessment for your disability needs where you’ve been turned down because Penelope Pitstop attended the interview well presented, hair neat and nail polish, she obviously manages adequately.
63% of appeals are in favour of the client.

@XenoBitch
Those people are far and few between

Sadly not. I wish it were true.

The attitude you describe is as unintelligent as the banker who "deserves" a 7 figure bonus because he works so very very hard, implying that the minimum wage cleaner in the same office working round the clock shifts to make rent is lazy and just not working hard enough to get a mortgage.

Lazy people don't get benefits because benefits are very very hard to get and even harder to keep, you have to fight and fight and then fight some more at a time you haven't the time or head space or energy to do so. For a lifetime now the amount of unclaimed benefits completely exceeds the government estimation of any potential fraud. The idea that people choose to live this way is hate mongering propaganda which is bought into because people want to believe that they can choose their fate in life, that karma exists. It doesn't, shit happens and anyone can end up disabled or carer or unemployed at any time, support networks are nice but they have a way of vanishing when you need them most.

Two decades gives me many shitty comments to choose from but without doubt the most shocking was this;

Several years ago on holiday with disabled dc (I am sole parent), got chatting with couple at the next table during breakfast. Usual chit chat, turns out one works for ATOS (at the time they were running the show) - I diplomatically said that must be a difficult job and tried to change the subject. Her partner took the cue and chatted on but was interrupted so I could be grilled on how I could afford to be on holiday with said child!!!

Her partner was dying - kicking her under the table and saying you can't ask that what are you doing.

I kept my cool and told her we wouldn't be able to afford it if we were reliant on benefits because they don't pay enough to live off but luckily for my dc I am able to work as well and give us a decent life (grilled on job etc) - I pointed out that obviously if I was the disabled one instead of dc and unable to provide for us then what a shit childhood they would be having but I fear it fell on deaf ears.

The people who administer these fucked up "jobs for the boys" systems are indoctrinated to the point of losing their souls. I felt sorry for her partner who truly wanted the ground to open up, I hope a lucky escape was had soon after.

It astounds me that anyone can know so much detail about the benefits their friends/family/neighbours are claiming.
Why do you care?

Sadly not. I wish it were true Okay @SweetMystery , can you provide evidence please?

There are more cases of departmental error than there are of fraud.
Both figures combined run at 4% as of 26 May 2022

@XenoBitch oh come on, you really think every benefits case is legit? It's not hard to fiddle the system. The 'evidence' of job seeking is not rigorously checked. It's very easy in some cases to claim fraudulently and many people do it.

Thanks @eggandchips34 , that makes people like OP and me feel so much better.

This

If you think benefits pays, then why don't you claim it?
Under UC, you have to prove you are doing something to find work for at least 35 hours a week. I don't have to do this, but when I started my claim, I was given a diary showing what a typical week would look like. There was no time for dossing about.
Why are you mad abut people who are "fraudulently" claiming what is a mere £70 or so a week?

FFS people just don’t listen to the reality because it suits them not to.
YES benefit fraud exists BUT at 4% for fraud and error it’s negligible.
YOUR ATTITUDE MAKES IT HELL FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

@XenoBitch, they’ll never admit but they’re furious because disabled people get more, and free cars! 😆

This!
We can can keep screaming about it, but you will always get someone who "knows" a cousin's dog's neighbour who is a benefit cheat and who can't be assed to work. And they have a flash car and a flat screen TV (even though flat screen TV is all you can buy anyway).

Not sure when it became my job to ‘provide evidence’ which is already there for everyone to see.
Have a look on Gov.U.K. like I did.

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2020-to-2021-estimates/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-for-financial-year-ending-2021#total-estimates-of-fraud-and-error-across-all-benefit-expenditure

£6.3bn in 2021 (Fraudulently claimed)
Those who have been caught…

Within total overpayments, the increase was driven by a statistically significant increase in Fraud overpayments, from 1.4% in FYE 2020 to 3.0% in FYE 2021

The rate of Fraud overpayments was 3.0%, an increase from 1.4% in FYE 2020, and the monetary value of Fraud overpayments increased from £2.8bn to £6.3bn. The rise was primarily due to an increase in Fraud overpayments on UC.

They don't want to hear about the disabilities you need to get a car.