Are ADHD benefit claims and work exemptions becoming too widespread?

[JoyousOpalLemur]

This was the top story on LBC this morning.

The number of people who get benefits for ADHD so they don't have to work has gone up by a staggering 40% in just the last two years.

The taxpayer now funds more than 100,000 people to not work because their ADHD makes work too difficult for them.

About 40% of them receive the top rate of daily living and motability allowance - £194 a week - and that's on top of several other benefits. Those who receive this do not have to look for work. This is now costing the taxpayer billions of pounds per year. Most of the beneficiaries are young people.

This is absolutely bonkers!

I know someone very well who receives these PIP payments for ADHD so she doesn't have to work. She's got a lovely flat in London that most people her age couldn't afford.

Her main argument is that her ADHD means she can't work, because it's "literally impossible" for her to follow time and transport rules - which means she never turns up on time at appointments, and often will call about two hours later saying she thought the appointment was a different time, and she's got lost finding it and is nowhere near.

That is true - she does do that a lot. However, she also goes on holiday several times a year. And I've never known her to once fail to make the holiday. Her track record of getting to the airport at the right time appears to be 100%!

This isn't party political - the Tories started this, Labour have made it much worse and Reform will almost certainly mess up trying to sort it out. And I'm not saying ADHD isn't real.

But this is clearly nuts, terrible for an economy and totally unsustainable.

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/adhd-pip-claims-no-work-requirement-100000-9qlcpsqws

Not calls to UC, it’s free of charge.

And access to work is a mess and came take months ti get in place.

OK, so anyone on UC should not have a smartphone then as it is a "luxury".. is that what you are getting at?

And how do you apply for jobs when almost all job applications require you to apply online?

you don’t, I suppose.

I don’t know why you are getting all upset with me for pointing it out.

Like it or not, one does not need a smart phone to manage UC.

In my experience with UC, it is the expectation.

Ringing them still requires a phone anyway and smart phones don't have to be the latest one so will be cheaper.

I suppose your experience is limited to your own claim.

Anyway, I just thought I’ll mention it.

Are you managing to claim UC without a smart phone?

But you still need either a landline or a mobile phone to make them. Both of which need to be paid for.

No.

I’m not in receipt of UC.

I think some basic electronics is needed for life. Beit a laptop for a smartphone. If we want people to get off welfare and into work. They'd need a laptop to write up their CV and apply.

Unless we all just say "go to the public library"

Do you work for UC?

No.

Any more personal questions?

I was wondering if you had a lot of personal experience with UC since my personal experience of actually claiming it was deemed to be limited.

Many people can't manage phone calls due to energy issues/speech issues so you would definitely be much better off with some access to the internet. It's pretty much impossible to live any sort of life without it these days anyway.

I’m sorry if this upsets you.

I honestly don’t understand why a simple statement that UC can be managed without a smart phone became so controversial.

❤️❤️

i don't even know what to say as you've said it so well

👏🏻

I'm not upset. I just assumed you had more experience with UC if you considered my experience with it limited. Clearly I was wrong.

It's all irrelevant anyway really since most people will have smart phones before they end up needing UC.

Is a smart phone the new ‘flat screen tv’?

Another fab post ❤️🙇🏻‍♀️

Why would you say that?

You don’t need a flat screen tv for managing your UC claim?

Or do you?

Why have you used a well known
posters name and added 'es' to the end?

on the very remote chance it's coincidental a name change would be the thing to do, as it comes across as a deliberate attempt to discredit their life/posts.

This is not about my experience or your experience.

This is a simple fact.

It's a simple fact that most people have smart phones though.

Yes.

But those who don’t can still make a UC claim.

Surely that’s a good thing?