To be frightened about the Government’s plans for benefits reform?

[PilgorTheGoat]

I am one of the millions of people currently on long term sickness benefits. I receive the LCWRA element of UC and PIP due to poor mental health and autism. I have severe anxiety and depression and I am awaiting an appointment to see if I also have PTSD due to sexual abuse in my childhood.

I have tried every element of support offered to me. I’m maxed out on 2 different types of antidepressants. I have had back-to-back (excluding the 6 month wait in between) 12 week sessions of counselling offered via the NHS. I am on a waiting list for intensive CBT due to my possible PTSD. I am currently having twice weekly private, video counselling appointments.

I can’t leave my house alone due to panic attacks. I struggle to meet my own care needs and my husband has to do a lot of the work for us both (although he works full time). I have a very understanding friend whom I force myself to go for a short walk with twice a week in order to stop myself becoming completely imprisoned at home but I find this very distressing and we have to take the same route each time.

I am so, so scared about the government’s plans to end sickness benefits for people like me. We don’t have a load of spare cash, we’re just about getting by. There is no support available. I’ve taken everything offered and my husband has been very proactive in seeking out other services for me to be involved with. I’d love to be better, I’d love not to live in fear but there is no help.

Which is a far far smaller proportion that the tories would have you believe.

It's a miserable existence and not one the vast majority want

Again I'm not talking about the genuine ppl

It's a fact there are ppl on benefits that shouldn't be on them like it or not

Who are these people, and how do you know about them? Is there a statistic out there about how many people are "working the system"?.... or is it just something you have read about in the Daily Mail. Or, you have a neighbour who claims all the benefits, has 3 brand new cars, loads of tattoos, and goes on expensive holidays 4 times a year.

Well who are the ppl that they want to get into work ppl that don't need to be on benefits or ppl that might actually benifit from working

It's hard to get PIP. I stated on another thread my son has a chromosome deletion he was awarded PIP on his change over from DLA at 16 but he only got three years incase his circumstances changed ...

Do you have a source for this 'fact'?

The government is already to blame for people like OP. Anxiety and depression do not need to be life long disabilities if there’s a proper mental health system to deal with acute MH problems when they first arise. The government has dug their own hole on this one by gutting MH services and so people get worse and worse and end up going long term sick!

@PilgorTheGoat

I can see why the way you feel about these major changes taking place in regards of reforms of social security benefit system in near future,

I think unfortunately there are ones who take advantage of the system in some ways,

Which is detrimental for genuine social security claimants as yourself,

It's obviously not fair,

Plus obviously the expense of Covid and the Lockdowns, and also Covid mistakes made by UK Gov,
and the cost of living factors, (Dominoes knock on effects, Conflicts going on etc,

It's envitabley going to happen no matter which Government come into power there is bound to be some tweaks or major changes with in regards of social security benefits system and NHS too,
Otherwise it's just not effectively sustainably carrying on as it is,
as people are living longer ect,

There is no pot of gold end of the 🌈 rainbow unfortnately like those Nhs uk symbols in Lockdowns,

Obviously Labour or any other political party is not going to be obvious about that or and is going to promise the earth on their manifesto,

No I don't but the fact the government want to now get more ppl off benifit and into work tells you there are ppl that could actually work rather than be on benefits...and it might actually help then with MH I have MH and it helps me to work

They want everyone in work because they are ideologically opposed to the welfare state.

The Nazis were upfront about their hatred of the disabled. The tories.....

Thank you I couldn't have put ot better myself

@PilgorTheGoat

Actually even doing some or a bit of volunteering work even is good for cv and your mental health wellbeing too,

There are people who do want to get into work. Living off of the meagre offerings in UC for jobseekers is depressing... and you are pressured by the Job Centre and threatened with sanction.
But be in your late 40s and beyond, you face real age discrimination when it comes to job hunting.
If you have a disability, or have been out of the workforce for a while, you also will struggle to find a job.
And for some disabilities, not working is a way of keeping well.... keeping stresses and demands to a low level... be that due to chronic fatigue/pain, or something like autism.

That's a bemusing level of faith you're showing in this administration.

I dont think it's quite like that ...it not going g to effect everyone on benifit they have already said that

The entire system is a cluster fuck. The vast majority of people claiming benefits are already working, but it seems they are working for companies who pay them minimum wage. Said complies (Tesco for one) are posting huge profits and associated dividends to share holders, whilst the wages of their own staff are being propped up by public money? That’s just shit and I say that as an employer who wouldn’t DREAM of paying even living wage to anyone, including our apprentices, everyone gets more because everyone has to live!

Without these companies passing the buck to the benefits system to make sure their staff can make ends meet, the benefits system would be able to be used for what it was intended for - people who cannot work.

Absolutely...not everyone is expected to start work

But the point is large numbers of genuinely sick and disabled people will suffer horrendously from the tories using a sledgerhammer to crack a nut going after the small number of those that play the system.

I dont think the changes are aimed at these ppl tbh ...hope I'm not wrong

I have two close friends who are very anxious about this. It makes me quite angry. Even though it's hot air from a lame duck party, it will worry a lot of people. The fact they've gone ahead and spouted this tells us everything we need to know about where the tories stand in the vulnerable in society.

The irony is that I would actually be really supportive of extra support to get people with mental health issues back into work. It can boost mental health and wallets when the right role is matched to the person's needs. But the threat won't be accompanied by meaningful support. A friend of mine with CPTSD, ADHD, anxiety and depression went back to work early (against her Drs advice) because she hated being on benefits so much. She was assured PIP would remain to help her ease in. Within 3 months it was stopped entirely on the basis that as she was working she was clearly fit for work and could do full time hours. She upped her hours and the stress of it all on her conditions resulted in a breakdown from which she is still off work and recovering. A kinder, more staggered approach could have meant it was a success that long term saved money, but no...

I wish governments would admit that properly funding health care, social care and early years and child care provision would do so, so much to reduce the number of people off sick or with caring responsibilities. But it's not about money really.

The government are not wanting to get people off benefits and into a work as a way of "helping" them. They want to attract the Tory voters who think all people on benefits are taking the piss with depression and bad backs. They want people to think that people on benefits are to blame for recession, interest rates, hell.... XL bullies, probably the war in Ukraine too.
If "only" people on benefits just went out and got a job... the world will all be sunshine and rainbows then.

I'm on PIP for similar reasons. Not claiming anything else due to household income. I am a bit concerned about the changes, but I see it as pointless worrying about it until it starts to change in practice. Usually new changes to the system changes things for new applications first, and they don't take people off if they're already on the system for a while, perhaps at review stage. I'm on a 8 year award so that wouldn't happen for a while. And then there are other things that might slow down any changes/migration (just look at the migration from legacy benefits to UC, which has taken years). Plus as pp say, it looks like they won't get in at the next election - though I wouldn't be surprised if Labour bring in some changes if they get in.

I've always found that good evidence has been crucial for my application, so I'll be making sure I'm on the radar with the various services I use. I have been under different services for years, including community mental health, consultant psych meetings, cpn, care coordinator, social worker. I find these get taken more seriously when providing letters compared to a counsellor or GP as they are needed for more severe cases, so it shows that my situation is at the more severe end.

If OP is struggling to leave the house, and even engage with other people, then how is she going to just get a volunteering role? Even applying for such roles is like going for a proper job nowadays.

Why was it assumed your friend could do full time ?