What lifestyle do you think disabled people who are not working should have?

[HmmOk]

Curious about what other people think. Before anyone says it, yes I am quite aware that plenty of disabled people do work and lots earn very well. However not everyone is able to do that.

I generally think disability benefits should cover a decent quality of life - should make up shortfall in rent as rents are so high, decent quality food, pay for therapies and tools that would help the person's disabilities, and pay for some fun stuff so that everyone can participate in society. People need to have a bit more money than only meets their basic needs, to be able to meet a mate for coffee or have a day out or whatnot.

Thinking about this today as not currently working due to bereavement and poor physical health and know I'm lucky to be in a loving marriage where i am supported, and for now we are ok with money. I'm hoping to find work I can do soon that won't further fuck my health.

In contrast I have a mate who is very ill with very serious life threatening conditions. She is single, abusive family of origin and she is quite vulnerable especially looking at the future. I think there should be better security for her future as the immense stress of money is not helping her health at all. Like why can't PIP be given for life to someone in that situation? It is cruel.

What do you think?

This is why I think we need to be talking about net (take home) pay and including the value of anything else that someone is eligible for (rent help, UC, free prescriptions, eye tests, dentist, free school meals for their children if applicable and so on). A comparison of benefits versus pay isn’t all that clear cut when looking at what disposable income is available.

I have a disability and I work full time. I have access to work support. I am astounded by the amount of my colleagues who have no idea about access to work and reasonable adjustments. Shocking really in 2023. I have tried to talk with some of them about these matters in general...however some days I don't have the energy. I have been really disappointed and this is within a Government department!

Do you always make ignorant sweeping statements or is it just vitriol against the most vulnerable you prefer?

Dentist is laughable when hardly anyone can access an NHS one nowadays. I don't think that should be taken into account at all.

I’m not sure but I think the current system is a mess and I don’t think there’s an easy solution. These three cases below are all real life examples of people I know and show just some of the ways the system isn’t working.

Person One
Lifetime of severe mental health problems and addiction. Nearing state retirement age. Completely unemployable in reality. Receives lowest level of UC with no disability acknowledgment (partly because they’re not sufficiently coherent/supported to apply). Lives in poverty. Expected to look for work. Won’t receive full state pension.

Person Two
15 years of physical health problems, many of which are a result of an unhealthy lifestyle. Is physically disabled now and has a blue badge. Retired. Receives enough disability benefits to have Motability car. However, owns home outright and receives large private pension and full state pension. Large amounts of savings and disposable income.

Family Three
Two parents and two children. Both adults and one child receive disability benefits. Both adults work, one full time and one under 16hrs to protect UC claim. Disabilities are not physical (one MH, one a long term illness which the sufferer admits barely impacts their life right now and one child with high functioning ASD). Family relies on UC. Have what I would call a fairly average lifestyle - domestic holidays, days out, luxuries such as newest games consoles etc. Not lavish, not in poverty.

So in essence: one who can’t work and lives in poverty but some would feel uncomfortable that they receive more benefits due to the nature of the illness. One who doesn’t need to work, has large amounts of wealth and cash but receives disability benefits. Then a family who work but rely on UC, which, disability benefit aside, is not a combination we as a nation should be particularly proud of.

None of it makes sense to me. I’m sorry if I’ve caused any offence in any of my post btw, I’m genuinely just completely baffled by our system.

We (not 'they' because we are all humans and also we can all be disabled at some point in our lives) should be allowed to save money for our futures just like people who are not on benefits are allowed. Also, to work and keep some income without our disabilities being questioned or benefits withdrawn. And of course the basic: a GP's confirmation of disability or illness rather than repeated, intrusive and frightening benefits assessments.

These things as well as a decent amount to live on.

I think what I’m trying to say in relation to the OP is that there are so many variables in terms of circumstances. Disability is quite a broad term and different people need various levels of support. No one size fits all.

Financially for me being medically retired means a small pension, topped up with universal credit, esa and pip.
When the dc leave home/get to 18 I'll probably loose my uc and I just have to hope pip doesn't get reduced again.
My advice would be make sure your in a union, don't resign (you need them to take you through the dismissal process so you have proof for benefits).

There is an unfortunate minority people who do seem to 'game' this system and the Daily Mail and Channel 4 put this small minority front and centre. The tories then use this as a reason to keep the benefits system difficult to navigate, uncertain and low!

People who are genuinely disabled should not be kept in poverty. Those that could work given the right support should be provided the support to work (as others have said being able to work has benefits too.)

Administering the system properly but take funding and properly trained staff so instead we are left with a bad system!

its a hard one because as we all know there are people who take the piss. This is why genuine disabled people suffer because there are liars and cheats out there. There are also a lot of people who are self inflicted disabled, why should the taxpayer pay for someone too fat to work? In an ideal world I would like to see every disabled person have a good life but it won’t happen because the numbers are too high. In some areas 1 in 6 people are claiming to be too disabled to work and that is bollocks. There are not enough people working and too many who need to claim for whatever reason. You can’t keep taxing the working population especially when many of them are on the poverty line.

the taxpayer pay for someone too fat to work?

Those too fat to work still need to exist, unless you're proposing begging and homelessness or euthanasia.

There is an unfortunate minority people who do seem to 'game' this system and the Daily Mail and Channel 4 put this small minority front and centre.

I genuinely don’t understand how anyone can game the system!

I sometimes wonder if the reports of such gamers is propaganda, as it certainly fuels a lot of distrust towards those on benefits - disability or otherwise.

Is there such a thing as too fat to work ? Because they could get a desk job. Obviously not a manual one.

Every week on the forum for my illness there are people saying work takes all their energy so what can they claim so they can have a social life instead and people are advising them what to put on the forms.

Disability does not care if you inflicted it yourself or if it was through accident/illness. So why should the benefit system care either?
Bizarre to think that anyone who "bought it on themselves" should be in poverty. I follow a FB page of a lady who is severely brain damaged after a suicide attempt. Should she be left to rot?

I agree, but when I worked for Citizen's Advice there were SO many scammers playing the system - it's part of the problem and is effectively robbing people who do seriously need it

@WhatAPalaverer

Honestly never heard the like I'm very taken aback by it

Exactly . If we say we can't support those with self inflicted illnesses that would include affects of suicide attempts, or other forms of self harm including Eating Disorders, which would also cover obesity .

No such thing as too fat for work. If one can get a sedentary job.

@ValleyClouds those who are ‘too fat to work’ need to be in work. It’s not a kindness to say ok you sit at home, I will pay for you while you get fatter is it? A lot of mental health conditions including anxiety can be improved by engaging in society and working. What is needed is support to get those who are able back into work. There are a lot of benefits to working and treating everyone who has a disability as a victim is not kind.

@FiveOClockWorld

Absolutely agree

Happy to send you a private message if you don’t believe me. For what it’s worth I also care for a young adult with medical needs who got
high rate DLA while under 16 and I would have got carers allowance if I didn’t work but because I work term time I wasn’t eligible. Despite doing exactly the same number of hours of care as the parents who don’t work. And the DLA stopped at 16 but the needs didn’t so still doing all that at well inc at night.

Well I don't know about social life but I do know I need to be able to have my intensive therapy which is helping me survive. I need time for that until I am fully recovered .

Easy to say to someone with anxiety to get a job to help their anxiety. They most likely wont even pass an interview... and that is if they even get an interview. If you have had a long time out of employment, no skills, no references etc, then what hope do you have?

@Clarabe1

My point was poorly expressed

I was mainly playing devils advocate with that post. @FiveOClockWorld has explained what I meant far better which is to say do we exclude everyone whose illness has self inflicted elements from benefits? if we do, by what means do they survive and where is the line drawn?

More a philosophical than literal question.