7.4 million people claim some form of disability or incapacity benefits

[MidnightPatrol]

Given the various back and forth of discussion on the reduction in disability and incapacity benefits, not much data on the debate has been shared - it’s a mainly emotional debate.

So for context, the figures:

• 7.4 million people claim sickness benefits of some kind
• The total number of claimants has increased by a third in five years (up 1.8 million)
• 1 in 10 working age adults claims, and 1 in 12 school aged children
• 1.2 million people aged under 25 claim sickness benefits, a rise of two thirds in 5 years - 1 in 15 claiming something
• 4 million adults claim sickness benefit of some kind, up from 2.8 million in 2019. Two thirds of that increase is people under 50.
• 2.5 million people claim UC health benefits, up 500k people this year alone - in 2019 less than 500k people claimed this
• 1.8 million have no requirement to look for work
• Sickness benefits for working age adults are expected to cost £70b by 2030 - a third of the cost of the NHS

In the case of a child with ADHD, I have no idea. Can anyone enlighten me?

I help people complete pip forms. Remember that until a few years ago legacy sickness benefits paid a bit more than unemployment benefits but under uc that’s no longer the case. The col crisis has affected those at the bottom more severely so people are now claiming pip because uc is not enough to live on. The raising of the retirement age means people in their sixties who would have been retired are now counted. Under tax credits there was an opportunity to work part time if you had a disability or run a small self employment service all these options have gone under uc. Finally who do you think would employ the people who are currently receiving disability benefits? They are unlikely to get anywhere down the selection process and even if employed will be quickly managed out. You can argue for a stricter system but it won’t increase employment levels but you will see more street homeless people more petty crime more food banks etc

Sure but also hundreds/thousands of qualified PIP assessors, doctors and psychiatrists who work with people with disabilities and SEN think they should get additional funding. All of these are highly qualified people.

Bit rude again? I'm just saying we aren't Nazis!

Not wrong.

It depends what the disability is - in the case of SEN as the pp’s post? I am not sure exactly.

The point is, however, and again missed by you, is that the problem is growing numbers of people claiming this support making it unaffordable to fund.

It is so tiresome on threads like this to see the Nazis being mentioned repeatedly. I also frequently see people claiming that any restrictions or reductions in disability benefits is tantamount to wanting disabled people dead. This hysteria and extremism does nobody any good. It's polarising and shuts down conversation and discussion. It absolutely won't stop restrictions and cuts from happening.

People are legitimately concerned about the spiralling costs associated with illness and disability and whether the current system is sustainable or affordable if numbers continue to increase. They are real concerns founded in statistics and in the context of our astronomical national debt and inability to balance the books. It is not just because people are resentful or unkind. It's because all of our tax money is paying for a system that is being abused by some and being over burdened by too many claimants.

Our choices are that we either weed out fraudulent claims and impose higher thresholds so less people can claim or we reduce the level of support that's offered to claimants. Neither of these options are going to be well received when so many people have come to rely on the system staying the same. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas. I don't expect disabled and sick people to be delighted with the proposed reforms but equally something needs to be done and most people can recognise this.

I have Long Covid and went from working 40+ hours a week in two jobs to bedridden. I've been left with severe migraines, get out of breath incredibly easy (my peak flow averages 250-300) and have other symptoms like chronic pain.

I would absolutely love to work again!

Do you think 1in 12 children is so disabled their parents are bearing significant costs every single week in private therapies, equipment etc?

1 in 12??

Use the internet or this forum and go find out! There is plenty of testimony! 😄

I’m sorry you’re going through this.

How do you think it should be decided?

I’m surprised how much emphasis there is on child DLA on this thread given that it’s not part of the reform. Clearly resentment is high even for disabled children which is shocking.

To be clear I'm not suggesting that the parents of disabled children don't bear lots of significant costs

I'm questioning the idea that 1 in 12 children are disabled to this extent!!

This is an extreme.

Giving a household with two working adults an extra eg £800 per month in DLA for one child isn’t ’starving on the streets’.

For context - £800pcm is half the take home pay on the minimum wage. It’s no small sum really.

I'm hugely suprised that you work in a SEN school and are attributing the reason for higher rate DLA being allocated to supervision walking and night wakings for these children.

Surely the main reason is that they aren't able to attend mainstream school or childcare? Which rules our breakfast club, after school club and all holiday clubs meaning that at least one parent is blocked from working almost all standard jobs.

£266.20 a week doesn't seem a huge amount compared with a full time wage....

Nearly 2 in every primary classroom across the country? Are so severely disabled they need benefits even considering prescriptions for kids are free? That’s staggering.

Also children with what would formerly have been diagnosed as Aspergers syndrome. I know a parent that claims for three of her kids and puts the money aside for them for when they're older. They factually don't have any additional costs associated with their disability compared to my children.

If it keeps happening then maybe people need to think about why it is mentioned on these type of threads …

What is something?

I get £809 a month to live on. I am already struggling to afford basics like food. I've also been waiting nearly three months for some scan results and can't get help from the GP for my long Covid symptoms. What's your answer?

You also can't get DLA unless you can prove they're significantly impaired by their condition
That's incorrect. You dont have to 'prove' anything (because in many instances relating to MH, the way the disability impact on day to day life can't be proven), you gave to know the key words and phrases that allow the evaluator to attach points to it.

For those familiar with it, it's actually quite easy to know exactly how to phrase the application. As long as the applicant can show they have attended appointments and or are receiving medication, that is enough to get the right number of points.

This is why there is such a significant increase and why it is becoming more common for full families to receive DLA and/or PIP.

Stress isnt an illness,in fact everyone needs some stress,we cant all be in a constant of state calm.The same with anxiety its a natural human condition.A lot of people who claimed PIP after Covid didnt have a consultation they applied and were approved over the phone.I know this because my niece did.She gets PIP for social anxiety although that doesnt seem to stop her going out everyday to lunch and meeting friends.Shes 42 and never worked,she is one of the people who give genuine disabled people a bad name.

The 1 in 12 will include all the children receiving low-rate DLA which is based on lower needs and is less than Child Benefit each week.

I’m really sorry. I know two people with long covid. One of them is a guy in his 50s who can’t walk any more and the other is a girl who got LC aged 14. She went from being a straight A student who swam for the county to no longer being able to walk.

Long COVID has done real damage to a lot of people and the government seems unwilling to acknowledge that.

My daughter was diagnosed wih ASD under CAMHS, it took 18 months, a child psychologist, speech and language therapist, and a mental health nurse, to all agree on her diagnosis, which we have in writing. Hardly nebulous.

Because people are trying to shut down discussion. Sometimes purposely and sometimes because they are scared and are catastrophising. It doesn't mean their points are valid or relevant. There is a believe on this forum that if you accuse someone of ableism then debate must stop. In the mind of these people any suggestions that could be detrimental disabled people are automatically ableist so even suggesting PIP etc is reformed falls into this category.