Should I report my cousin's benefit fraud?

[GreatAmberSnake]

Hi everyone - I'm having a bit of a moral dilemma and looking to get everyone's opinions.

My M34 cousin doesn't work, he claims PIP. I'm not that familiar with how it works but he says he's on the highest level available, and there's even talk of him getting given a car. He openly boasts at every opportunity about the extreme exaggerations and outright lies he put on his PIP application, and calls me and other members of the family idiots for working when we could just get our money from PIP like he does.

If they investigated him they would easily find that some of his lies don't add up. I believe he genuinely does have depression and anxiety, but he has no physical issues. He said he put things like his partner needs to dress him in the morning (he split from his partner a couple of years ago), needs to wear velcro shoes as he can't tie laces etc. A home visit would show up some of his lies, and a call to the school (he's a weekend Dad but sometimes picks up/drops off his sons) or the Police (he's been arrested for drug offences a couple of times) would be further proof.

The main thing stopping me from reporting him is his depression. He has attempted suicide on at least one occasion, and I fear that a potential prison sentence for fraud could send him into a spiral. Even if no-one found out it was me, I really don't want that on my conscience.

If he didn't boast all the time I would just ignore it, it's not like it affects me directly, but it just winds me up every time he goes on about. Grrrr!! I do try to minimise contact with him but sometimes it's easier said than done. If he gets this car I think he'll become even more unbearable 😡

Help! What would you do?

No one is asked what they spend their PIP on, by anybody in a professional capacity, it is not their place to ask.

She absolutely could not!

what a whole load of bollocks. Nobody gets pip based on what they put on the form. you need tons and tons of medical evidence.

The guy isn't well and even tried to commit suicide and you are what - jealous? Fuck me.

Also, nobody give you a car. You can only get it if you get high rate mobility and then you lose the mobility part of Pip - about £300 per months. He still gets the care part but that is little more than £400 and for most people doesn't even begin to cover the additional cost of having a disability.

You just sound nasty!

Report him 100%

Sigh, and a new system, if they introduce a new one, will eliminate the small percentage of fraud, how exactly? Pray tell.

I don't think some posters realise that there are lots of people with disabilities that are not entitled to PIP
Because its about how the disability impacts a person
If someone's can essentially self care ,cook for themselves ,clean for themselves and travel independently then they wouldn't be entitled regardless of wether they have a disability.

That’s not correct. AA is 2 parts - daytime care and night-time care. You don’t have to be actually receiving the care, it’s based on whether you need care. So if you’ve struggle with the given activities through the day and night, you would be awarded enhanced rate. If you only struggled through the day you’d be awarded standard rate. This is obviously subject to them accepting your conditions and difficulties.

Yes exactly. So many people seem to think you get awarded it based on a diagnosis.

People who say it’s easy to get should have a browse of the Scope forum.

It would appear that some of the people saying how easy it is to claim PIP, have no firsthand experience of it themselves. It is always something like,Gary down the pub, who is there every night drinking, gets it for saying he can't leave the house, and he has anxiety!!! He was given a free car as well.🙄

What I don't understand about the system is why having anxiety means you get more money than simple Job Seekers Allowance.

I think PIP payments should go to people that have clear incurred costs due to their disability (e.g. Your physical disability means that you have to take more taxis or you're blind and you need to care for a guide dog) or they have 'visible' conditions that prevent them working, such as terminal cancer, brain damage, Downs Syndrome, severe epilepsy, etc.

I just don't see why things like ADHD or mental health results in extra money.

Perhaps that's because there are so many people like Gary who are known to be abusing the system?

A diagnosis of anxiety wouldn't on its own entitle anyone to PIP
It's how the condition impacts a person
So if the anxiety is so bad someone can't care for themselves cook for themselves ,clean for themselves, and travel independently, than they should be entitled to an award .

And mental health covers a wide spectrum from mild anxiety, to severe and enduring mental illness, such as schizophrenia, Bi polar ,schizo affective disorder etc.

I agree.

I work in welfare rights and all my team's clients have mental health problems. They are all under the care of a consultant psychiatrist and many have had recent hospital admissions because of their mental health.

Even with ample medical evidence, we find that around half the PIP applications we make for people are initially refused. We appeal the vast majority of those and our success rate at appeals is almost 100% (someone lost an appeal around 5 years ago, otherwise it would be 100%).

If a team of experienced welfare rights people have a 50% failure rate that is subsequently overturned at appeal, that tells me that 1) it is not that easy to get PIP and 2) that an awful lot of refusals are incorrect.

I just don't see why things like ADHD or mental health results in extra money.

In which case, you probably don't realise how difficult life can be for people with ADHD or understand PIP regulations.

People with ADHD often can't cook safely, because they get distracted and wander off while things are on the hob, or simply fail to finish all the steps involved in cooking a meal. Needing supervision to cook is 4 points in the PIP scoring system. They will often lack the concentration needed to read and understand a complex passage of text, which gives them 2 points, or take in complex verbal information (4 points). Eight points would get standard daily living.

Travelling safely unaccompanied is often difficult too, because they can't focus sufficiently to follow a route, timetables etc, so they often qualify for standard rate mobility.

And a high proportion of people with ADHD have other problems as well, eg neurodivergence, anxiety.

Because you don't understand how these conditions could mean that a person suffering from them, would have extra expenses that they would not have if they did not have those conditions. One small example could be the reliance on ready meals, as some one suffering from depression, may not be motivated enough to cook a meal, but maybe could manage sticking a ready meal in the microwave.

What are the costs associated with the things you've listed?

Enhanced rate of both components is £184.30 pw, so £737.20 a month.

It's also pretty rare for mental health problems alone, and someone would have to have really significant issues with travelling to get enhanced mobility on mental health/ND grounds alone. I think I've had 2 clients get that award in over 7 years, and both of them were so unwell they literally could not walk down the street safely on their own.

I'd expect hunger to become a major motivating factor. Just like it is for everybody else.

People didn't used to starve to death simply because they couldn't be bothered to cook.

Clearly you have no idea and are coming across as very ignorant
And don't seem to want to understand 🙄

Paying for care/supervision to help someone do them safely. Clients often use their PIP to pay for a PA.

To be able to carry out an activity for PIP purposes means being able to do them safely, repeatedly, to an acceptable standard and in a reasonable amount of time.

You have never seen someone in a depressive crisis then I take it. Say no more!

There was a recent case where someone who had mental health problems (Errol Graham) did actually starve to death. In this case, it was because his benefits were stopped.

I nearly died while suffering from an episode of severe depression because I couldn’t cook for myself. I was experiencing constant leg cramps, arrhythmia and muscle spasms because my electrolytes were so out of whack. I was so weak I couldn’t leave my bed and ended up being hospitalised. If I’d had something like pip at the time I would have hired a carer to help me.

It’s not a case of not being bothered. If a relative was bed bound with the flu would you say they couldn’t be bothered to cook for themselves? When I had glandular fever and was so ill that when I woke periodically, I had no idea whether hours had passed or days, would you say I couldn’t be bothered to get up and make dinner?

I would rather have glandular fever again than another episode of depression like that one. It was the illest I’ve ever been in my life. Your post is incredibly ignorant and clearly you have never been unfortunate enough to experience severe mental illness.