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.

I'm not sure why you find it so difficult to comprehend that people lie to get PIP. As I've said before, there are entire groups on social media dedicated to helping people claim when they aren't disabled. They think they're getting "one over" on the government.

She is a good liar. Again, as I've already said, ages gone to the lengths to get a wheelchair to keep in her house.

It's kind of hard to believe that someone who had gone to such lengths to claim PIP if they were doing it fraudulently, would be so daft as to go round telling everyone they have done that.

If people can’t afford the AP and adaptations they can apply for a grant.

Yes that's what I find hard to beleive ,why would you openly tell people you have fraudently claimed it ?

Not everyone with a learning difficulty will have an appointee though. Some don’t need one so there is no ‘surely’ about it. Not even everyone with a learning disability needs an appointee.

Perhaps those who are so open about saying they claim it fraudulently are on the wind up because they know what judgment certain people will give them so just go all out.

I've been completely blind since birth. I use my PIP to pay for equipment and adaptations which allow me to access things that sighted people are able to every day without a single thought. I'd happily give up my PIP to one of the moaners on here if they'd like to give me their sight in exchange.

Well, I would not use the word lying myself, but I do wonder about all these people who openly boast about not being disabled, yet able to claim on the say so of having a bad back, or being, you know, a bit anxious!

Sounds like they genuinely do have an illness.
Mental ill health.

Because as you say, a) going to rather extreme lengths for a fairly pitiful amount of money, and b) cheerfully telling everybody - so risking being caught).

Sounds like they have mental health issues (so a genuine reason to claim, and separately a glaring example of the failing mental health and social care systems)

Because openly boasting about committing a crime is obviously foolish (increases risk of being reported and/or caught). That massive lack of self preservation indicates mental ill health or cognitive health issues.

Alternatively it could be they received delivery their PIP for mental illness but due to many people sadly feeling shame about having mental ill health, they'd rather tell people it's for a physical issue (bad back etc) and/or downplay it.

It sounds counter intuitive but there is a report in the newspapers today of a woman in Wales who claimed benefits - mostly PIP - of £20,000 whilst simultaneously advertising pole dancing and yoga classes and posting videos of herself doing them online. So it does happen.

And who would get the Juicy contract?. anyway all hypothetical shit that ain't going to happen.

That actually would make sense. With MH, and mobility you could score say 8 points for needing help with unfamiliar journeys, and say 4 for struggling with walking over 200m reliably. Due to something like arthritis for examples. they might have a mixture of problems,

Maybe that is where the confusion arises over them 'walking up a hill' or whatever it was. But still qualifying for higher mobility.

Whoa…

The case officer concerned should have all their cases reviewed.

And, what is your point? She could have been claiming PIP for her mental health. That would not mean that she could not do yoga, or pole dancing, unless I am missing something🤔

Are you for real!!to navigate appointments,UC journal entries, absorbing information and taking appropriate steps,pray tell how someone with literacy, numeracy,comprehension ,no digital skills would manage with this?.

Well she wasn’t. She was claiming it for mobility problems. You can Google the case if you’re in any doubt although seeing it in black and white will still probably prompt more arguments and whataboutery

Oh behave.

Stop trying to defend the indefensible.

Thank you

What an utterly ignorant and vituperative thing to post about disabled people. Motability is a charity, and one that has a significant impact on the UK economy given the work that it does with the car industry. Contrary to what you’re hoping for, any changes to PIP in the budget will be in careful consideration of the impact on Motability - as they always have in previous rounds of welfare reform. Even the Tories understood its’ importance.

Assuming that the mobility allowance is still payable as part of PIP - which by your comments you seem to support - that is the only cost to the the tax payer and pays for the lease, insurance and maintenance of the car over the lease period. Everything else - advance payment, cost of adaptations, etc is paid for by the claimant themselves, and some have to save for years if they require complex adaptations in order to drive. As a tax payer it makes absolutely no financial difference to you or anyone else whether Motability continues to exist or not. And let’s remember that very many disabled people are tax payers too.

Motability was set up to work with the UK car industry to provide a cost effective way to keep the very most disabled people mobile - good for their wellbeing and improved their prospects of getting/staying in employment. It’s been in operation for nearly forty years and has considerable buying power as well as significant influence within the UK motor industry, and as I said, scrapping it would have an impact on the economy. So you’re actually advocating for something that will hurt UK productivity and mean unemployment for the many people who work for Motability (most of whom are disabled themselves) and those who rely on their lease vehicles for travel to work.

Could it be that your gleeful anticipation of the scrapping of a charity working so well for the disabled stems from the usual ‘disabled scroungers get free cars’ kind of thinking ? It certainly sounds that way from the way you seem to want to categorise certain disabled people as more ‘worthy’ of a Motability vehicle than others - you clearly know little or nothing of the effects of disability, which is what PIP and other disability benefits are based on.

Your post wins the thread for the nastiest, most vitriolic and least thought through post here. Well done.

I'm not sure why you find it so difficult to comprehend that people lie to get PIP. As I've said before, there are entire groups on social media dedicated to helping people claim when they aren't disabled.

If that's true then surely the government can easily find these groups and investigate anyone committing fraud.

She is a good liar. Again, as I've already said, ages gone to the lengths to get a wheelchair to keep in her house.

Good liar you say. So perhaps lying to you about her health issues - as in downplaying her health issues, or telling you it's physical health issues when it's actually mental illness.

Sadly due to disability discrimination, some disabled and ill people feel ashamed and downplay it. Such a shame society has made people feel they have to do that.

Separately as I posted yesterday. Yes probably a small minority of people "play the system". People commit crimes - all types of crime. So it's likely that the small minority who might be faking illness, if not doing that, would just do another crime instead.

Meanwhile the majority of claimants are genuine. Also, as I (and other posters) also pointed out yesterday, there's more people entitled to and in need of benefits who aren't claiming (and struggling as a result). That's been officially reported.

Yes. I do this day in, day out.

Not everyone with learning difficulties would need support to the level of an appointee with what you describe. For example, some people with the learning difficulty dyslexia would manage all of what you list.

@Julen7 No one is saying it doesn't happen, but it doesn't happen to the extent some of MN think. That is why when cheating is discovered there is often some sort of lical or national press coverage.

In this case it seems her initial award was not fraudulent, but she neglected to tell DWP her health had improved.

Eta: she also won £30k on the lottery, but didn't tell DWP. Oh dear, what an idiot.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/woman-who-filmed-herself-pole-29970404

I find it difficult to comprehend that as many people lie to get PIP as seems to be the case on this thread, yes. And the reason for that is because I worked with disabled claimants for over 15 years and saw first hand how even those with genuine severe and self evident disability were forced to jump through the most ridiculous hoops to secure any level of award. And I think you’ll find that the groups on social media are mostly dedicated to advising on how to make the best claim you can -not how to claim if you’re not disabled. There are self help groups everywhere - even on mumsnet, dedicated to helping disabled people navigate the benefit system and make claims that are likely to be successful first time round instead of having to go through the stress of appeal. Doesn’t mean they’re not disabled. PIP is actually one of the hardest benefits to claim, and the level of fraud within the disability benefits system is less than 1%.

Oh pipe down. That poster never said that it was for mobility problems in the first instance, did she? Maybe she should have been clearer in her rush to post her negativity.