Suicide because of Benefits Being Stopped

[StridTheKiller]

Another casualty of our brutal benefits system. RIP.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/dad-who-took-life-days-28813953

I've always wondered why. If anyone knows please enlighten us.

Yeah it is missing the point to show off your excellent grasp of grammar when you're talking about someone's suicide

This. ^ It's a myth that benefits are large and generous, and as you say, 100s of 1000s of people who had to apply and live on them for 6 months (or more) had a massive shock.

As did those who had their own business/were self employed and had cooked the books for a number of years (and got £70K a year but only declared £24K a year to the taxman - as the rest was cash in hand/hidden.) They were knocked sideways when they 'only' got 80% of the £2K a month they declared to the government!

Yeah, being on low pay/benefits is a wake up call for those who have been raking in £80K to £95K a year or more net pay. These are the type who cry into their pillow because their DH's job changes and his salary drops from £90K to £65K and they have to give up the cleaner, or cancel the installation of the orangery.

Utterly UTTERLY clueless some people. I remember a woman I met once whose DH was on £135K, and he bought her a Mercedes Benz for her 40th birthday, saying she wouldn't be able to cope if he had bought her a 10 year old Astra like we had, and would be embarrassed to be seen in it. And was knocked sideways when someone else we were talking to said her DH brings home £1200 a month. How do you SURVIVE she said. My DH brings twice that much home a week.

Farcical.

Are you living on benefits?

Thought not....

I agree with pps. We had to fight for 18 months to receive adequate disability benefits when my husband become ill. Try living on basic uc while being a carer to a disabled partner and that needed mobility aids to cope. Without family help we would have sunk. It was brutal.

Pedants corner is probably a more appropriate place to express how much it grates when the incorrect words are used when discussing suicide and others could offer enlightenment there instead of on a sensitive thread about someone's suicide.

I'll probably sound like I'm being bossy when I don't mean to, it just comes across as quite insensitive and possible offensive to people who have lost loved ones this way and who use the same language.

The problem is that people end up not working, on benefits for years, and then get their benefits stopped and they have no confidence in their ability to get a job. I don't know what the answer is because some people are genuinely unable to work but other people's lives are irrevocably damaged by being stuck on benefits for years when they could be working but are not.

As you've obviously tried claiming benefits you'd know that wasn't true.

I had to transfer from DLA to PIP in 2016. I was made out to be a fraud. I was told that both my consultant and GP were both liars. But what good reason do they have to lie? I was asked what one of my conditions was. The "nurse" hadn't heard of it but said it's not that bad. It's funny that both the friend who attended and my mother (they've met briefly) say similar things but this person doing the interruption assessment comes to a completely different conclusion.

France based on earning 20k euros over the previous 12 months, you will get 55 euros per day.
Germany 60% of previous salary up to 7k euros per month.

These are the two most similar economies in Europe to compare the UK too.

UK unemployment benefit is £78 per Week, it is ridiculous that the contribution element of benefits has been taken away in the UK (You get nothing if you have some savings)
The rent payments have been frozen for years and because we have a small council house sector, rent payments go straight to a private landlord.

My question would be "what have we done with the money we have not paid out"

This is sad, I think we can all agree.
As an aside, Britain is a high welfare state and far from a third world country.
we spend more on welfare, gdp wise, than Japan, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, USA… we are a liberal welfare state with poor productivity.

@helford and what happens if someone hasn’t worked in the previous 12 month in France? Do you know how hard it is to get benefits in some states in America? Or Australia? Britain is actually very generous.

The face to face assessments for disability benefits are disgusting. I used to support people with these. One of my clients was declined because she had nice nails and hair therefore couldn't possibly be disabled. Another of my clients with severe mental health problems had an assessor who was a physiotherapist with little understanding into mental health. She was declined too. And another lady with 4 care calls a day was also declined because she had told them on the form she had no care needs as her carers did everything for her. The dwp only read the first few words. All 3 had their benefits granted or reinstated after lengthy tribunals.

The appointments are set up to encourage people to fail. People are asked how their journey was to get to the appointment. If they mention public transport then that is a black mark. Appointments are often upstairs. If you manage the stairs it's another black mark. People are often afraid to go to these appointments because they are so afraid of them. How can anyone say the benefits system isn't brutal?

This man hadn't worked for 20 years, in a lot of other countries he'd get very little, in some he'd get nothing. A lot of EU countries have generous benefits for those that have worked and contributed but once those contributions have run out, you get a lot less. The UK system should be more like this, a sliding scale system.

I’m afraid poor Mr. Kevin Dooley, RIP had the wrong face and definitely the wrong name. DWP would not see him as vulnerable and in need of help.

Seriously? So what would happen to someone who has a serious stroke at 30 which is what happenned to someone I know? They deserve to have less money once their contributions have run out? It's ok for them to live in poverty because they haven't paid enough in? Let's just hope this never ever happens to you and your loved ones.

Don't be a complete ignoramus. My friend works for DWP and has a different option and is hanging in there til retirement with regards to how people are treated.

It defiantly could be said to be "brutal" choosing between basic necessities/going without on the tiny Pay from one month to the next and you wonder why people do things like this.
More to it than people see.

Exactly! The posts by that poster (florenz) are very cold. Clearly someone who has never been on benefits, or had a humiliating assessment and her disability and condition called into question.

@Weepachu what do you mean, this man had the wrong name, and the wrong face?

A recent ONS stat stood out to me - more receive benefits than pay tax. It’s welfare heavy

@Weepachu What exactly do you mean?

It does seem unclear whether they’d now removed his benefits until tribunal. It is a sad thing. I do think the government makes the right noises about sadness and learning but they’d rather like people like Kevin Dooley to die young and save the benefits bill.

I agree, my SIL is disabled & has been all her life, anyone with eyes can see she is not capable of working. She had all her benefits stopped a few years ago when she missed one of these pointless meetings because she was in hospital on life support!
She did eventually get it sorted a few months later but it was stress her & the family didn't need at an especially trying time

@bloodyeverlastinghell

Indeed. When my husband became ill there was no way he could've navigated the disability benefit process without (my) support. I was able to cook cheap meals and provide support with the forms and understanding them. I can absolutely understand how somebody would become overwhelmed if they were alone and desperate.

@Weepachu What do you mean? What name and face should Mr Dooley have had?