TO SAY Camerons Policies are in danger of getting all disabled people labelled as "Scroungers"

[ScousyFogarty]

That is a wicked thing do do and David Cameron beeds to apologise or more likely get one of his flunkies to say SORRY

Isn't it funny that people who shout 'benefit fraud' don't want to report it because it is a family member

Too right crazynana,but they seem happy for millions to be paid ro ATOS to remove genuinely disabled people from benefits. If family members reported fraud maybe we wouldnt have reached this state. Far as im concerned, if you dont report fraud you are a fraudster yourself and adding to the problem.

Good link, Riven x
Also agree with your sentiments re Lesley.

My OH has bipolar. And I know someone who gets DLA by pretending to have mental illness. He used to work with people with mental health problems so knows a lot about it. Remember he doesn't have to fake it all the time - only with doctors and psychiatrist.

And tbh with the experiences my OH has had with some psychiatrists - 15 min appointment where they don't seem to listen to anything the patient says - then I'm not surprised. He has not yet been assessed under ATOS and will probably be denied when he is.

And someone can have severe mental illness and not be entitled to DLA. My OH has bipolar with psychosis. We had some difficult times. But for last 9 years OH has been very stable on lithium and doesn't need any more help or support than someone without mental illness. So rightly wouldn't be entitled to DLA.

I know I should report the fraud and I am at fault for not wanting to take the consequences of doing so. But my family don't think there is anything wrong with fradulently claiming benefits and they already call me right wing for saying I think it is. My dad fradulently claimed incapacity for 3 years with depression when he was really unemployed.

I honestly think they wouldn't talk to me at all if I reported it. So I am a coward, but I don't want to lose my family.

ATOS is the big name. They do get loads of taxpayers money. Know anything about them? Are they new, or into all sorts of business?

You keep saying you have direct experience of disability. Good for you. You keep parroting on about fraud. Again good for you.

Don't you see how contradictory you are by failing to report a known fraud then complaining about it? You are UTTERLY complicit in this individual fraud, cases like this that make it harder for those who are not claiming fraudulently.

ATOS were actually first introduced under Labour I believe, for the ESA medicals.
The fact that over 40% of their decisions are overturned at tribunal tells me a lot about their competence.

I agree with you Glitter. But can't you see how I wouldn't want my whole family not to talk to me because I reported this fraud?

Targets,targets,targets = ATOS

I know I might sound like a bolshy cow for this but tbh given the strength of feeling I have on this issue I'm likely to see it as more their problem that they see this as acceptable then your problem. I'd not be worried about my family cutting me off for this, for example.

And I accept I am wrong not to report it. I am just explaining why I haven't reported it. If there was some way I could have reported it without them knowing who has reported it, I would have done it ages ago.

Glitter you realise fraud and benefits is verycomplex Get it wrong...do you say sorry or pay voluntary comp You are right about 40 per cent appeal victories. It suggests original decision preordained. Not medical BBC FIVE LIVE may well be looking at this thread. its a good learning curve

if people reported what they assume is fraud, then there would be know need for any of this, yet people sit back and just moan about it on here, it must be widespread as there seems to be so many people saying they know someone doing it, so FFS grow a pair and report them,
save a lot of hurt for innocent people.

Don't know whether to laugh or cry. People on here are literally considering disowning their family for fraud, defending the humiliation of disabled people to save £200 pw per family, tying themselves in knots over 'the sky is falling' deficit & debt myth, while presenting the Condems as the latter day Beveridge. Did nobody read or see anything they said about the public sector destroying life as we know it? The avowed mission of this govt is to REDUCE PUBLIC SPENDING. Not maintain it or increase it by collecting avoided/evaded tax. Again: Barclays paid 1% tax, Boots paid 3%. Surely it's obvious that targetting benefit 'fraud' must entail harrassing all claimants? Otherwise how can you identify the fraudsters?

Unless someone has admitted they are committing fraud, then honestly, how can you know?

I look fine, to someone who doesn't know me. You want me walk around dragging a leg so I look more worthy?

Ccpccp, how can you know what people are claiming and why?

lesley33 you say The 1% only refers to someone fradulently claiming where it has been proven. This is almost impossible to do with mental health problems.

So you advocate removing benefits from people where there is no proof at all that they are doing anything wrong?

If there is no proof then you do not know it is true. Just like in court when someone is accused of murder. You can't say "oh well for all I know they might have done it and we have targets to reach"

People seem to be ignorant to the fact that it's not just that people are being retested to check for fraud, but that the entire definition of eligibility is being changed and the amount payable probably reduced.

That means that those who are eligible now won't be and those who remain eligible will received less.

How is that about tackling fraud? The fraud is smokescreen.

surely you can report how would they know you can ring the benefit fraud hotline and press 141 first its not like they can force you to give your personal details, ive not had a relative on any of these benefits before that i know of but i have a neighbour who is and i know she seems fine but like i said earlier perhaps she has an invisible disability like bi polar or cancer who knows so as much as i think shes seems fine , i mean she walks her dog miles and helps out at a childrens youth club but i dont REALLY know , so are you sure all these people as someone earlier said swanning about with blue badges claiming dla are you sure your right there not ill.....

I hope five live do look at this thread and do something on it. Not enough is being done to highlight the facts of what this government's policies are doing to the most vulnerable in society. I'm happy to spout off as much as I can if it gets things noticed.

From a personal standpoint I am really concerned about the proposals to make Autism unlikely to qualify for PIP. Autism isn't just a MH disability, it's biological. It's brain damage. The profound difficulties my children face will not just suddenly disappear because some civil servant deems them not to be eligible. Their needs will still exist, the attendant costs will still exist but won't be met.

I can't make it any clearer, taken to the limit we could end up on the streets because of these cuts.

my DH is disabled in the services and my DS is ASD ,Dyspraxia too Glitter its a big worry and people especially some who have ben commenting on here have no idea how our income made up and how pivitol dla is earlier when told a dc had sensory issues a poster said wear more layers lol it just shows the ignorance and disinterest of people with disabilities spouting off about something she knows nothing of all the poster knew was a biased view on politics nothing of real people this is why were in this awful position pen pushers like that sitting behins desks with no knowledge of disability being allowed to make life changing/ threatening decisions the Riven case is prime example and as im a carer of two disabled people with NO respite i totally know where she was comming from

We're in the 'slightly more fortunate' position that we are two carers between three disabled children. It's still hard though, and we don't get any respite unless my mum takes the kids, which she can't do very often owing to work commitments and because she finds it so very tough.

Glitterknickaz.

Let's not forget that the tories are also touting the idea of scrapping the Equality Bill - because that will really help all those suddenly no longer eligible for disability benefits to access work and services.

Employers out there do not want to employ the disabled or their carers. In my first job out of school I found using the telephone difficult (I am hearing impaired) so they cut my wages. Nothing was done about that.... but that was pre the Disability Discrimination Act. So getting rid of equalities legislation will take things right back to then.

Oh yes... didn't you know that? I USED to be a taxpayer, was for a number of years, as was my DH. Hopefully if we can get the kids into some semblance of independent living one day we will again. We're not just leeches.