‘Game the system’ disability benefits

[Tomatochocolate]

WTF
just read a bbc article about welfare reforms

Apparently ministers think that it’s an incentive to claim disability benefits as the incentive is no work commitments on UC. That claimants ‘game the system’

It’s a long process and really hard to get awarded dla or pip. It’s not just ticking a box that says ‘I’m too sick to work’.

AIBU to think this is just horrific

Thing is when someone is so-called "gaming the system" - yes, even if they're bragging about it, and people do - there's often a bigger picture. I'm thinking of a couple of people to whom I am related. By the letter of it, they probably are "gaming" the benefits system. But I assure you that if they weren't on benefits they would be costing the taxpayer a hell of a lot more. There are layers and layers of dysfunction here. If you take their benefits away they aren't about to become functional members of society. Just bounce between hospital/court/prison/social services and cost probably ten times what their benefits do. This is why I'm in favour of Universal Basic Income. Its not charity, its enlightened self interest. I was having this conversation with an A and E nurse a while ago who sees the sharp and said something like a basic guaranteed standard of living would eliminate probably 40% of A and E visits. I don't know if that was an exageration, or she works in a particulary hard-hit hospital, but its a lot, isn't it. We're paying double to firefight social problems born of deprivation that could be circumvented if we just allowed people UBI. As to jealousy....I don't know what to say. Would most of us really voluntarily give up our job in exchange for dependency on the state? I sure as hell wouldn't.

I have too unfortunately. Using them as cash cows, absolutely abhorrent

Disability is far more about extra care costs

It is, so no.idea hiw so many kids with adhd without care needs get dla high rate. Its called gaming the system and getting someone to write exactly what is needed on the claim form. I am aware of people that have done this

That doesn't really mean anything though. It's only categorised as a fraudulent claim once it's been detected and proven as a fraudulent claim. For every case that has been detected, there are multiples more that haven't yet been. So while it may be on the list as the least fraudulently claimed benefit, perhaps that's because it's the hardest to detect? As opposed to say universal credit which is being claimed by someone doing cash in hand work and thus much easier to catch the claimant out and prove.

Yes, there are forums and facebook groups dedicated to advising people on what to say to get benefits.

That maybe so but it doesn't mean they will be either successful in getting a diagnosis or a claim, you can say your child has autism/ADHD all you want but DLA need to see professional evidence of how it impacts a child/ person
I have said this numerous times I'm on a DLA Facebook groups, daily I see people putting in claims for the most tenuous of reasons, however without the evidence to back it up rarely are they successful.

There are, yet some on this thread have insisted that you need proof eg medical evidence, you don't. Sadly, its just the picture you paint and some families are readily good at gaming the system. There is only so much money in the country and there are horrible people who pretend their children are disabled to gain money. It needs sorting.

They need evidence 🙄
My son is severely autistic non verbal has been in a special school since he was four who all agree he has severe mental impairment, I had to go tribunal however to get the highest rates of DLA for him
So I don't beleuve they are just handing it out to all and sundry.

There are but most of the their "advice" is questionable.

Pip is so random, my close friend who recently passed away was turned down for pip, this was when he was unable to walk, fed through a tube and was terminal. He died before his appeal was heard.
On the other hand, another friend gets higher rate pip and a blue badge, her disability is being Deaf.
No disrespect to the problems Deafness brings, my son is Deaf and I worked in Deaf education and Audiology.

Bullshit .

I disagree. My son gets DLA - mid rate care and low rate mobility. I'd much rather he got the appropriate support in school so he didn't have to be stuck on a part-time timetable.

If he was in school full time it would mean I could work full time instead of part time too. I wouldn't need to rely upon carers element etc to top up our household income.

Money is being put into the wrong aspects in my view. Early intervention is key.

Bollocks. You absolutely do need evidence.

SEN spending is enormous though. I doubt any more will be allocated to it with everything happening in the world right now.

So many of these vile threads. I have never read anything on a single one of them that proposes an actual workable "solution".

Some bright spark has proposed cutting PIP to a plucked-out-of-the-air figure of £400. Is there any thought behind that statement? Of course not.

So, let's say this happens. Everyone in receipt of high-rate PIP, for both elements, has their award cut to £400 a month. If that happens to my household, then I have to stop caring for my husband and go back to work full-time to make up the shortfall. It doesn't stop him needing care though. So now, instead of paying me the whopping sum of £81.90 per week to be his carer, the 'taxpayer' has to fund his care for 8-9 hours a day 5 days a week. Do you realise how much that would cost?

@NotVeryFunny What I have seen is not what you're describing, and 100% does fall under fraudulent behaviour and gaming the system. I'm not talking about helping someone to fill a form in correctly.

@TheWorminLabyrinth Many of us participating on the thread are disabled. Do you consider us "vile"?

PiP has strict criteria, regardless of the disability if a person can cook,clean feed themselves, navigate a journey from A to B independently, they won't get PIP.

Not playing that game i'm afraid. You will have to look for sport elsewhere.

Because there has to be a cap somewhere and your circumstances won’t apply to most claimants. Most of the claimants I know are on UC or PIP is a ‘nice to have’ but they’re not being actively cared for by somebody. The number of MH issues being claimed for is a real problem; and the claims grow by 400 a day (if I remember correctly), so over 100,000 per year. Where will we find yet more money for this?

They will prob force UC claimants to do sub standard low paid care work and dress it up as better for everyone to be economically active

I think you’ve misunderstood my post - I didn’t say those on DLA don’t need intervention or extra support, I just meant that I don’t think it’s those claimants that are going to be under review. I’m not disagreeing with you, if disabled people got support from an early age, it would help their families and be more likely to enter the workforce when they’re older.

@TheWorminLabyrinth There is no "sport" here. I am a PIP claimant, severely disabled, wheelchair user, ND and with mental health conditions. I also think the current benefits system is flawed and I am familiar with how certain people do choose to manipulate it. I think we should be able to discuss this without you trying to use emotive language like "vile" to close the subject down. I am pointing out that benefits payments directly affect me (if you've read the thread you'll see they're my only income) so I am hardly disinterested; I absolutely have a big personal stake here. But all the more reason for free and honest discourse.

I can't imagine anything worse. Just from my pov, I can't imagine anything more degrading and worrying than having to hand over the care of my husband to someone who has had a 5 day crash course in 'care work', and who has been forced into something they don't wish to do.

Caring is desperately undervalued. I know that's a whole separate issue though.