To be confused by benefits cuts to the disabled and ill?

[AllyHayHay]

As luck would have it, I have not been in this position, but I do know of one disabled lady who has struggled. She was incredibly fortunate to already own her own home prior to her accident.

I am not what you'd call politically astute, but I have been reading about the proposed spring benefits cuts and wonder why people always discuss this ONLY affecting the sick and disabled.
I am also aware that there are many, many rough areas with families who have never worked, people who are struggling with addiction, prison sentences (their kids, spouse, etc) and these people never seem to be included in the Guardian articles and opinion pieces online.

Why would a system wish to make the life of a disabled person worse, yet ignore the growing issues of illiteracy, generational poverty and other issues which are going on in most urban areas just out of sight of the comfortably off?
Why not address the reasons that great swathes of people are living on benefits across the UK who are NOT disabled? I imagine this would drag up questions of why those issues persist - and no one in government wants to address that.

Since benefits claimants who are not in work of on the pension are a minority, are these cuts more of a populist tendency?

I saw in the paper the other day that the NEET group were to be targeted. I do think young people, who did suffer through the pandemic, need support to get them out of the house and either into education or work.

Yes, at the .moment it's all putting speculation out there and seeing how much they can get general champing at the bit to have at the disabled.

If it looks like it will be welcomed then we (the disabled) can look forward to getting royally screwed. Again.

Maybe it'll be cheaper to round us up and put us in big buildings to all live together.

I agree with all that. Using "fake" disabilities is often a mask for underlying lack of education, life skills, etc.

I'd also add to your list a massive increase in support/grants for people to start their own businesses/self employment, as "being your own boss" tends to work very well for people who can only work sporadically/irregular hours.

Successive governments over the past 2 or 3 decades clearly hate self employment and small businesses as they've removed what was a pretty good system of support and grants that we had in the 80s and 90s that really helped people set up their own businesses.

@Goody2ShoesAndTheFilthyBeast
I agree. The government can’t “afford” the £240m to give £200-£300 to 10 million pensioners to heat their homes in winter of 2024, causing 4,950 of them to die as a direct result of this cut.

But the government CAN afford to hand over £2,000 million in cash to Ukraine from Russian assets we seized.

Because the job application system is crap. I know of several young extremely bright graduates who are doing minimum wage jobs with unsocial hours who then are spending all their free time applying for jobs which they would be excellent at having to do layers of stupid online guessing games sorry tests.
I do wonder who gets picked out of the hat to get through to interview - probably people like the idiots who have got through the initial screening to get on the apprentice.

From reading these anecdotal posts it seems that plenty of people were able to work to some extent until a late-in-life realisation/diagnosis of ADHD/autism or other ND, that they can now use as a basis for a PIP claim. It that not questioned??

Everything is picked apart during the process of obtaining an award for PIP. And a lot of people who may have been working, were maybe doing so, at harm to themselves, until they reached burnout, a breakdown etc, from trying to be like Society says to be.

Or.

The mental and emotional distress of trying to function in a world that is hell for them, for years and years and years, takes such a toll on them that they get to their 40s or 50s and mentally collapse because they can no longer bear it.

And that's when they finally get diagnosed and helped. When they are already in crisis, mentally exhaused and unable to function properly going forward rather than nowadays where children benefit from early diagnosis and early intervention and don't have to struggle until they can no longer bear it and their world collapses and they need far much more help than they ever would have, had their needs been met throughout their lives.

@caringcarer I agree, it’s imperative because the lockdowns ended four years ago and if they don’t move forward now, they could get stuck in a negative cycle.

A few of my teenagers’ friends were badly affected, but they’re all moving forward with their lives now. We’re in the US so no benefits available of course.

Totally agree.

Millionaires can claim DLA, PIP and AA as well. Cldims sfd based on health needs - not wealth. 🤷‍♀️

An empty bank account would do the trick. Paid to stay in instead of facing the big wide world...

Actually I'm confused about this as well: so it's DLA/PIP which they want to cut down on? And younger people NEET?

I'm going back to the original question.

Well. This is from the government website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-bolsters-employment-support-to-unlock-work-for-sick-and-disabled-people

You know why there’s huge increase in POTS/ehlers danlos?

Because for years/decades people with pots have been told they were crazy, mentally ill, anxious, had chronic fatigue or just insane

most doctors didn’t know about this illness

it is because there is a lot awareness on social media now all these people are finally getting diagnosed.

I don’t think they will means test dla/pip though as it then removes the incentive to work. The whole point of dla/pip is that it covers the additional costs of being disabled compared to a non disabled person

Just as well you have no control over any reforms imo.

My 18 year old DGD and her friends are all working part time, gearing up for uni, or apprenticeships. The younger DGC will follow suit, they expect to work. They could rely on their mums and dads, who all earn decent incomes, but that’s not how they’ve been brought up.

Our DC always knew not working wasn’t an option, so do their DC. They have no serious illnesses or disabilities, so they have no reason to even contemplate not working.

Good for them, as you say they have no illness, or disability. They are fortunate, that is the case.

Been trying to get help from the MH system for 20 years, it's always been shit, even child services.

Government knows fine well this is a nonsense, its a cost cutting exercise no more. I worked for HMRC , I saw first hand how the rich including big corporations exploited every possible loopholes to avoid paying their dues. These loopholes could be closed tomorrow but as corrupt politicians are in the pockets of the wealthy there's not a hope in hell. Instead they target the poor, the weak and the disabled, those who cannot fight back. Pure evil and nothing less.

@LadyKenya I was speaking specifically about the effects of lockdown on teenagers/young adults and I believe @Seymour5 was as well.

What we are saying is that four years down the line, most young people have recovered from the effects of lockdown.

I agree with you if that if a young adult is unwell now, it indicates something serious, not a reaction to lockdown.

But people with depression and anxiety can and do work, even today. I know a number of them. These disorders aren't all or none, they are on a continuum. Only the relatively few extreme cases would have ended up in asylums.

You wouldn't have had people like this lovely lady exaggerating their symptoms for financial reward:

www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/shameless-benefit-cheat-mum-claimed-9404424#

I had to quit work due to my MH issues, that included depression and anxiety. Work didn't make them better... it made them worse. I hate this whole narrative about work being better for MH. Structure and purpose makes things better... and that does not have to be paid employment. I go to support groups several times a week.. and that helps me lots. It is structure and purpose.

What is that link supposed to show?

So because there are people faking it, just like you find these people in every place and situation and area in the world, that means we have to punish all disabled who need it right?