Family member awarded enhanced pip - AIBU?

[Orangecrocs]

My family member has just been awarded enhanced pip in both living and mobility components.
Shes told me that she’s twisted the truth during the assessment and told the assessor that she has lots of pain and can’t really walk at all, but she walks all the time as I see her out and about - we live in a hilly area. I know people who are in a wheelchair and struggle to get enhanced rate - so I really don’t understand how she’s managed this.
I know people will say mind your own business but she’s told me she’s actually lied to them.

Motability is a terrific scheme, agreed.

Exactly! I don't believe for a second, that people on PIP go around crowing to friends and family about their benefit, how much they get, and how they 'faked' it.

Yep. This is why benefits like PIP, DLA and AA were created. It gives the disabled person the freedom to spend the benefit on whatever their individual need may be. Disability isn’t a one size fits all thing, and disability benefits are meant to reflect this. What works for one person, may not work for another. So depressing to realise that many posters here don’t realise that.

What an absolutely disgraceful thread.
The top level of PIP is £720 per month, £300 of which can be swapped for a car (a new one, whoop). It took me twenty years to be awarded this even with an Rheumatoid Arthritis reading of 800+ (the average is 6). I worked full time (70 hours per week) all of my career. When I fell ill with fibromaylgia on top of this I had to fight for treatment and benefits to live on whilst they tried a new treatment plan. I couldn't get out of bed let alone work.
I have been a higher rate tax payer for thirty years. I am the tax payer!
Next week I am having a cleaner because I can no longer bend down. I'm paying for it with my pip. Shock horror.
Earlier this year I suffered so badly I wanted to die, yet the tax payer would lose the £1m I will put in the pot before I retire. If I return to good health I will not get these benefits which is right and proper however anyone looking after me is paid £2 an hour. That is something people don't know about or care when they do. It's shameful.

Nope. MN prefer to let it stand so posts can be challenged.

It is not about spying.

It is about benefits not having a cash value only a monetary value.

I have heart disease, diabetes and thyroid problems, I was refused PIP because I can walk 200 yards🙄, gets my goat, it really does 😡

Lots of 'engagement' on threads like this which translates into ad revenue+++

Most people on benefits are paying everything electronically not via cash. And even if they are using cash, how is that fraud?? If I withdrew all my benefit payment in cash, what does that actually prove??

The government will also never be allowed to just look at people's bank accounts whenever they like just to check their spending. There was a proposal to allow more monitoring of bank accounts to prevent fraud in the form of undeclared income or exceeding the savings threshold. This was in no way related to people withdrawing cash. And didn't go ahead anyway.

Some do, trust me as I know one, and he’s told me he has had to exaggerate to get it. I’m not saying he doesn’t have an illness, he does, but he had lied on his form. He told me and he was also worried as his ex girlfriend reported him to DWP and he received a phone call. I’m sure there are some people who just make assumptions that people are lying, but some people actually do just tell people they’ve had to bend the truth. I don’t know anyone who has completely made up an illness, but have made it out to be worse to qualify for PIP

Well if the government have their way by the end of 2025 it will be about ‘spying’ because the legislation for banks to monitor the accounts of benefit claimants will come into effect. And it won’t be just sickness/disabilty claimants, it will cover all benefits, including state pension and child benefit recipients. So those of you advocating that disabled people need to have their disability spending monitored to see if they’re using it properly, let’s see how you like having your spending on your child monitored in the same way.

What about the care part? Mobility is only part of it, you can qualify for just the care part without qualifying for mobility

I think this thread highlight why you shouldn't disclose personal finances to friends and family. PIP claimant have been told to describe for worst moments and days.

Even the DWP advise disability benefit claimants to describe their condition on their worst days, and tell them how often it happens. The problem is that genuine claimants don’t get a fair shake if they have fluctuating conditions - the effects have to be there at least 50% of the time to qualify for even the most severe conditions. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to tell it like it is if that applies most of the time.

@JustAnotherPoster00 Fucking melts?? What a reasoned argument that is!🙄Are you seriously discounting the experience of all of those who know people personally (as opposed to the hearsay you suggest this is) and of those who have worked in the system?

The sad thing is that the shysters are, effectively, not just stealing from the taxpayers but are also meaning the money has to spread further so are stealing from those who need and deserve it

Oh sit down. This is getting ridiculous.

The legislation for this is in place and the proposal is to introduce it towards the end of 2025 if the present government don’t scrap the plans - which they haven’t so far. Most benefits will be covered by the legislation, including state pension and child benefit. The intention is to check for indications of fraud, but the capability is there to monitor for other things if necessary. It’s also been mooted that things like spending on supermarket loyalty cards etc, can be monitored if necessary to get an idea of spending habits. That will inevitably include benefit claimants.

Wild eh? I knew there was still some chat about it. But I don't think it will go any further than alerts for things like income or having over the savings threshold. Also not sure how any staff at banks would have the time to be sitting checking millions of bank account transactions.

But you never know! It would be a total piss take and invasion of privacy anyway.

The gp WAS asked for evidence. That's what I said. The dwp sent him a form to complete.

We sent in plenty of evidence too btw.

It’s disgusting. My mum has arthritis, diabetes, endo, had her thyroid removed, hip replaced, migraines, glucoma, sleep apnea, lupus, chromes, asthma - literally so much more and SHE got declined. It’s crazy the people who they decline when most of us know at least one person who’s on the fiddle.

Won't it be monitored by AI rather than human banking staff?

They do look at your medical records I've got entries on mine from dwp wanting to see them and the date they requested them and got them

I'm nearly in tears reading this, as one of those who is fighting to get PIP for genuine conditions that adversely affect me every day.
People playing the system make it harder for those who genuinely need it to get it.
If she is openly admitted to lying then quite frankly report her. She clearly has no shame and it is fraud.
(I've reported someone for benefit fraud, as it was openly discussed around the family. I didn't want to be party to the dishonesty)

It can be very frustrating seeing how unfair PIP awards can be. I've had many patients awarded zero when in reality their day to day functioning is so poor and there is no way that they'd be able to hold down a full time job. It really frustrates me.

On the other hand, I have 2 relatives who get PIP, both at the highest rate. One has mental health issues and agoraphobia, cannot leave the house and his PIP application included that he hadn't left the house in 4 years. He's just back from a 10 day trip to New York.

The other relative has pain from arthritis and can apparently barely move. Now I do believe that he suffers from pain, I've seen him wincing a bit at times myself. However he regularly goes fishing and is currently laying down some lovely paving slabs for my cousin. He also walks her 2 dogs twice daily.