Person with MH problems should not be better off no working

[YourTidyScroller]

Just that really. Someone working a minimum wage job full-time should not be worse off than someone not working due to mental health problems and claiming benefits.
I know several people in this situation claiming UC for housing benefit, council tax, ESA, disability top up and PIP. They all have no work record and few qualifications so would probably only get a minimum wage job. But their income would reduce. So they have a financial incentive not to recover.

Yes you are being unreasonable because it doesn’t happen and you are contributing to the narrative that people on disability benefits are scroungers. People with disabilities of any kind have bad or good days. you need evidence such as witnesses like professionals who work with you who have witnessed the impact your disability has on you to claim disability; wether physical or mental. claims are reviewed regularly for recent evidence unless the condition is unlikely to improve - but even then people have been given regular reviews for conditions that don’t change. Assessors don’t award the correct points and often write that someone is capable of something because they can do something else that they compare it to or say they can always do it when they’re can’t. Sometimes people will see a snippet of someone’s life and make assumptions that they are fine when they’re not.

Yes you are being unreasonable because it doesn’t happen and you are contributing to the narrative that people on disability benefits are scroungers

It most definitely does happen and no, I am am not saying nor have I ever said that ALL people on disability benefits are scroungers, stop trying to twist what I said

How does it happen?

When I said I agree. I meant as in I agree with what @gamerchick said (not what the OP said).

My comments regarding walking a mile in people's shoes are then to the OP.

I guess I'm sick and tired of the 'little person' attacking the other 'little person' which is what the powers that be want.

The masses are, once again, being manipulated by the media (and therefore, the 'ruling class')

Ironically, I'm so worn down by years and years of coping relentlessly in my caring role, that I am now developing mental health problems!

Yes you are being unreasonable because it doesn’t happen and you are contributing to the narrative that people on disability benefits are scroungers

It most definitely does happen and no, I am am not saying nor have I ever said that ALL people on disability benefits are scroungers, stop trying to twist what I said

The government themselves said the fraud level for PIP is 0%

https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/dwp-disability-benefit-fraud-pip/#:~:text=Almost%20no%20recorded%20cases%20of,the%20welfare%20system%20more%20widely.

Edited because missed out the post o was replying to

Fair enough, actually. I stand corrected! .

Morning, you situation must be so incredibly difficult. I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if it affected you mentally.🤗

I ge PIP (enhanced daily living, standard care) and work 29.5hours a week (so, 4 days). It was full time but I had to cut back when my health got worse. I qualified for PIP on the basis of my mental health - strangely, the PIP assessors seemed to outright ignore anything to do with my physical disability, which is more than a small part of my issues, however I still qualified. I scored 4 points in at least two categories. I accept now that I am severely mentally ill, but I am trying.

I work entirely from home, I've never met a single one of my colleagues face to face - which is for the best, as I'd just panic non-verbally at them.

My partner is my carer, he also works entirely from home due to having to be around for me, but he has a more senior role now and is super busy so we are looking to hire a carer, fingers crossed be able to pay a friend maybe. We're working on the logistics.

The money so far as gone on various things to try and help me cope better, but will now of course be going on an external carer.

I am not better off financially outside of work. I still consider stopping work as stopping work will give me more chance to get better. Working does not improve mental health. It makes it worse. Governments chatting shit saying otherwise.

I'm going to keep going until I can't anymore. At least that way, people can't say I didn't try... But let's face it, they'll still say that and call me a lazy scrounger.

But then surely you can understand how someone with worse issues than your serious ones may need to not work?

Or, you can understand how hard it is to drag yourself back to a point where you can hold down a job and not be made more unwell?

If you have experience of it, how can you not be more empathetic?

It is hard to get PIP but that doesn't mean that everyone who has it hasn't exaggerated some of it.

My uncle has a lot of physical conditions. But if you believe half of what he says (and I do disregard a lot of what he says because it's rubbish, I only believe this because his girlfriend has also said it), what he gets is way too much. He likes to brag about it.

The government not having the resources to fully check means the fraud levels of benefits are likely higher than we think.

But that doesn't mean no one should get them. Just that the checks should be better to prevent the fraud.

https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/dwp-disability-benefit-fraud-pip/

The DWP themselves say fraud of PIP is 0% so please explain how it's 'largely dishonest'?

I presume it varies council by council, but with my council any discount on the council tax it's very difficult to get. Basically, you need to have a live in carer who needs their own bedroom & frankly that's beyond the possibility (cost wise) for most, especially if it's the adults that are disabled, possibly more affordable for some able working parents of a disabled child.

your whole premise is a brain fart

You don't just get PIP by saying you've got illnesses though, you need evidence. So how is he successfully exaggerating lots of physical conditions, is he successfully conning his drs?

Yeah DWP, that well known, competent, highly successful government body with an amazing success record at everything.

They say it’s 0%, because they are useless and unwilling to catch the millions who are defrauding the system.

Literally, every other person knows someone on the take. Benefit fraud is an industry.

He's epileptic, diabetic and an alcoholic. And has a victim mentality. He has exaggerated his symptoms when speaking to his doctor many times. I've been with him when he's had an episode and taken him to the hospital and then listened to him telling complete lies to the doctor about what happened in the lead up.

I'm not denying he should have some help. But this is a man I've known my entire life, and the level of help he needs is different to what he presents to the outside world.

Once he's got it, he's very happy to tell everyone what an idiot his doctor is for believing him. How stupid the government are for not checking him physically.

Doctors often just want to get rid of people and will sign or write anything you like if you make enough of a bother of yourself.

This is good for the people aiming to con.

Bad for those of us who want our doctors to help.

My GP was happy to throw fit notes at me when my health first worsened... Did it without even speaking to me ONCE. I'd request an appointment, explain on the GPS online form what was happening mentioning it was affecting work.. I'd get a fit note in response. No appointment, nothing else.

Which would be great if I wanted time off work or to claim ESA, but wasn't so great for me as I wanted medical care and help to be better and stay in work. We had to fight tooth and nail for that... Thankfully, my partner is amazing and got me into CMH who actually did more to help.

It's not that the GPS are being conned. They just don't care and want rid of you ASAP and will sign anything/write any statement to want to make that happen, if that's what you're requesting.. And sometimes even if you're not.

That’s exactly how get PIP.

People here must think that everyone is a mug.

Yeah this

Housing allowance goes straight to the landlord.

Really? My DS must have imagined the inch thick stack of medical evidence he had to provide then. Took him 4 hours to upload.

Exactly this. DWP don’t know their arse from their elbow.

I don't think many people will defend those who are getting PIP/DLA/blue badges fraudulently, @Julen7 - but I would rather they were erring on the side of caution, and that some people who don't need these things were getting them, than it being even harder for those with a genuine need.

This^

I am disabled, I am 67 years old and receive PIP at the higher level in both categories - I have also worked throughout since the age of 21 after university until last year, paid taxes and still pay taxes. I have three postgraduate qualifications. In many ways I am a "poster girl" for what people with disabilities can do - althought here is also a lot that I can't. And I am not saying that everyone can do that - many people simply can't.

Nobody wants to see people defrauding the system, but:
(a) unless we can guarantee the system works and ensure that people get the support they are entitled to I would rather that frauds slip through the system than have someone denied support they need, and
(b) I don't want to see anyone treated poorly, but I am disturbed by the focus on "disabled fraud" / laziness when there are far more millions claiming benefits who have no health problems or disabilities, there are jobs available, and they still do not seem to be able to obtain one. How is it that people with disabilities are somehow worse cases than those without? Shouldn't the focus be equal? It's a far easier task to get someone fit and healthy into work, and they can't even achieve that.

There are many examples of what happens to people when they lose or cannot obrtain the support they should get....
https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/pip-cuts-will-cause-further-deaths-say-disabled-relatives-of-claimants-who-died-due-to-previous-dwp-reforms/
https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2021/november/disabled-claimant-died-underweight-%E2%80%98unkempt-and-dirty%E2%80%99-after-esa-and-pip-wrongly?srsltid=AfmBOooCnnv7PhO-2efOUATQINSgEKn59gqX6nr33GthqhGAqioPbkoC
https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/disabled-man-dies-in-poverty-and-squalor-after-dwp-removes-his-benefits-just-as-labour-cuts-pip-by-4-5bn/
https://news.sky.com/story/benefits-health-assessment-system-contributed-to-death-of-claimants-report-finds-12856983

As if anyone could fraudulently claim PIP 😂😂

For crying out loud, it's hard enough to claim for a wheelchair user, never mind the able bodied!