To think that repeatedly calling me in to the job centre is a waste of time and money.

[TheUnworthy]

I am a carer.

My partner and dd are both severely disabled, enough to warrant the highest PIP/DLA awards.

Every two months (occasionally every month) I dread the phonecall.

The phonecall that tells me I yet again have to go see a complete stranger and repeat myself endlessly.

'No I still need to be at home'

'No they aren't any better, never going to be'

'No I haven't looked for work, see above'

'No I don't know when they will be better so I can start to work again. Our consultant called you a disgrace when I told him what I have to keep coming in here for.'

The same question but phrased in a multitude of different ways and the answer is very simple.

Until the government stop wasting money on these stupid fucking appointments and useless meetings and maybe looking at why I really can't work (cuts to social care) then the answer will be the same for the rest of my loved ones lives.

No. I'm not looking for a bloody job.

Or AIBU?

So it's my job to educate? I thought we were living in enlightened times. Clearly not on MN where we're still in the 1970's.

Ok then:

Cretin

1. informal offensive

a stupid person (used as a general term of abuse).

2.MEDICINE dated
a person who is physically deformed and has learning difficulties because of congenital thyroid deficiency.

TheUnworthy I'm a carer to children with disabilities. I was advised by the job centre where we used to live that it was every 3 years that I would be called in for an appointment, and that other than that, I was to contact them if the situation changed. When we moved to a new area, I was told the same thing by them. Every month would be a nightmare!

The mistake you're making is expecting a compassionate, considerate or helpful experience when dealing with job centre staff. They look down on everyone. To be fair you have to remember that much of the time the person they are dealing with is actively trying to cheat the system. I imagine that eventually it wears them down.

Fortunately I've not needed to go into one for a long time, so perhaps they're not as bad as they once were. They were genuinely useless with me though - tried to send me for a job interview in Lanarkshire, when I lived near Bedford. I suppose it's only a five and a half hour drive each way. When I pointed out it was going to be a tricky commute, they told me they thought the advert said Lancashire - so "only" 3 and a bit hours each way!

meadows I firmly believe that any benefit claimants should be checked regularly in order to ensure they are claiming the correct benefits and award.

There have always been regular checks. It's an oft repeated myth that there weren't. Plus, they need to go about it the right way. For example, writing to the GP or specialist to see if anything has changed would be better than automatically putting the person through the whole assessment process.

Also - what fraud is actually committed? We are fed the image of someone lying about being disabled as a "typical" fraudster. In reality that is not the case. Fraud happens elsewhere. Checks don't needs to involve harassing claimants indiscriminately. How about cross referencing passport data, for example? (I know they don't or someone I know would have been caught).

WLF46 - no they spend time dealing with people who want what they are entitled to and behave like the money is coming from their own accounts, which I guess us what's been drummed into them.

And no they are still as useful as a chocolate teapot

What really gets me is that these Doctors etc who are interrogating you get paid almost as much per hour as you will be getting a week in benefit.

Every month?!?!
Last recall we got we had no option but to take DS2 with us. He's on highest rate.
After he indicated he needed the toilet they said it wasn't for public use so he made to just pee in the middle of the office. They soon unlocked it and our recall frequency went right down. Funny, that.

I get higher rate PIP and DH gets carer's allowance. He's never been called in. We're in Scotland--not sure it makes any difference

Have you considered claiming ESA under your husband, and making it a couple claim? once he's had his assessment, if he passes it, he may not need to have another for a while

Anna - would that preserve NI contributions though? I know CA does.

It would for your husband, and you could still get Carers allowance, it would just be taken into account on the ESA

Yes to them not calling you in all the damn time if you are on carers allowance. If you have a welfare rights place speak to them otherwise cab or your carers centre. They shouldn't be doing this.

You are claiming income support because you don't work, I think it's reasonable for it to be looked at from time to time tbh. I understand the reasons you can't work amd clearly so do they, but I think in order to weed it the people that are on a pisstake can and should work, it's fair enough to check up on things regularly.

Someone on a pisstake simply has to go in once a month and tell the same lies they told last month.

There is nothing about this system that would actually "weed out" anyway, it just causes massive stress to the most vulnerable in society.

Carers don't work? Seriously? Only 24/7. No statutory holidays either.

Op I hope you don't mind me crashing to ask but are you being called in because of other benefits you are claiming?

My kids get dla higher care/low mobility & I have just (well a few months ago) received ca. There was nothing about reviews on the ca letter I received so I am just curious. I think regularly going into jc would kill me! I do 'work' (just 4-6hrs) & volunteer alittle but if it's the ca they are reviewing I'd rather not bother (kids only in part time school & between my own disabilities & all the appointments there's no time left to breath)

The whole system fricken sucks & you are definitely nbu.

OP, you're absolutely right. Your situation is chronic and will not change. Your file should be flagged accordingly as 'do not chase up'. I don't understand why it isn't.

Perhaps a silly question but are there no advocates who would approach the job centre on your behalf and tell them that what they're doing constitutes harassment?

It makes me very angry; there are lots of people taking the absolute mickey with benefits - and there's the other end of the spectrum where you are. It just reminds me very much of how joyriders aren't pursued with the same vigour that the properly insured are. Easy targets, low-hanging fruit...

How can it not be considered work when we have to claim carer's allowance as income? Insult to injury that we have to claim CA as income, and it stipulates caring must be over 35 hrs, however, we cannot use it as work hours towards working tax credits, so we feel rather stigmatised by the "income support" thing.

What a total waste of job centre staff!

They should be there to help people who want to work and some of them checking people who are on the fiddle ( and yes there are people on the fiddle and they are giving the majority of claimants a bad name)

There are few jobs where I live, hundreds of people apply for them. I work in a school and people apply for teaching jobs with no qualifications at all because they have to apply for jobs - what an almighty waste of friggin time.....

If they don't want carers claiming income support then perhaps it should be at a level sufficient to live on without income support.

But no, the government doesn't class carers as valuable (neither did the previous labour government).

It's utterly shit.

I'm just about to tackle ds's PiP form. I have his care plan, which is an inch thick, to send them. His condition will not change. It's ridiculous the hoops we have to jump through. Plus they're still trying to get the £30 a week cut to ESA through and there's now talk of making people in the support group (so those with lifelong and terminal conditions) do work-related activities. How the fuck can they get away with this?

I agree, once or twice a month seems excessive, but I agree with Meadows that you do need periodic checks in place. Guess they can't differentiate between long term disabled and short term ones because you would have to have multiple tiered checking processes, which would be a nightmare for the authorities to implement. So unfortunately it seems everyone has to be in the same system.

I remember my gran used to have to go in every 6 months to assess whether her daughter still had downs syndrome!

They also offered me a work trial in the actual Jobcentre. Maybe I'll take them up on it (whilst wearing a wire and tiny camera) and report back! I always have to take DS to these interviews and they can see how he struggles with the lights and noises but continue to talk in a monotone about my 'options'. I don't have any right now.

But once they have established that the OP's dh/dd have an incurable condition, what else is there to check? That they haven't magically been cured anway? That they haven't died? That superfluous chromosomes haven't suddenly come away in the wash? Surely they could check that up without dragging the OP in every couple of months?

Could they not distinguish between a long term and a short term condition by something seriously clever like.... asking their doctor? And then tick the box that says "do not chase up". Doesn't sound like an administrative nightmare to me.

My grandma had to have regular checks to see if her leg had grown back. Ridiculous