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.

But, presumably, they get their money from the same sources as those with MH issues? And both physical or mental illnesses may or may not require care/support staff?

What I find interesting is that in other European countries the opposite is obvious.

op, you said that someone working a minimum wage job should not be worse off than someone not working due to MH issues and claiming benefits.

in many European countries to get state benefits you have to have paid in to the state insurance scheme. If you’ve not paid in you don’t get the benefits.

to them it is obvious that if you’ve paid in to the insurance you should get the benefits, and they are often more than full time minimum wage.

in the same way that you can buy accident and health insurance with your mortgage and if you become too disabled too work you get your mortgage paid off with the insurance.

Britain is one of the few countries where people believe that if you’ve paid into the national insurance scheme all your life (and the clue is in the name) then if you’ve become too ill to work either through physical or mental health reasons you should get virtually no support.

that’s why a lot of companies provide medical and health insurance because everyone knows disability benefits are shit because of attitudes like yours.

But they are unlikely to have the costs associated with the disability if they have improved?

They dont really have any extra costs

Very few people with any disability employ carers because they are bloody expensive and well beyond the means of either benefits or NMW. You clearly know fuck all about disability if you think we all get carers.

FWIIW I have a disability even you would struggle to argue with. I can barely walk, barely stand. I receive PIP. I have worked all my life, including as a person with disabilities. I have a decent but not extraordinary pension. And I would LOVE to be able to afford a carer / helper for even a few hours a week. If someone did my cleaning only, I would be in pig heaven. I can't afford it. So I struggle on.

Work it out for yourself - carers (as opposed to family who get paid fuck all for caring) cost AT LEAST the NMW. £12.21 per hour. Ten hours (which is very little) = £122.10 per week, plus employers costs (NI, insurance, payroll etc). The enhanced rate of PIP = £110.40 per week. So not enough to employ a carer for even minimal support. Throw in £77.05 per week mobility and you can just about cover the ten hours a week - but you have nothing left for aids, additional costs of disability, and forget about going out anywhere because you have to money for transport or a car.

Op do you have a clue what these MH problems are because some are very debilitating.

A single person claiming help with housing can earn £411 per month before any impact on their UC. After that 55p per pound earnt is deducted.

A single person aged over 25 who isn’t working will get £400 every 4 week UC (and then any rent allowance on top of that)

That you make your friends depressed? You’re making me depressed. And would have to pay me a lot to be your friend.

What are their diagnoses? To know three separate people who have managed to con three separate PIP assessors into believing they have costs associated with their mental health illnesses is genuinely mind boggling to me.

Have you name changed? Or are there two people on MN now who claim to have a disability themselves yet spend all their time begrudging about people with invisible disabilities and claiming they can all work?

You know an awful lot about their financial situations for just "friends " I have no idea what my friends living costs are. I don't even know what my children earn.

well then as society abolished slavery years ago, then society needs a better way to make businesses profitable

Another person. Although I am not actually doing this

And the at is in part what PIP is for. If you are assessed as needing x amount of card and support then that is what you are assessed for. Your friend can always asks for a review of theif needs.

Because people are employed by the NHS to provide support to people struggling with their mental health.

I’m sorry if you aren’t getting the support that you need you need but I disagree with you and feel for your so called friends.

There is very sadly a “them and us” attitude from SOME (thankfully it seems a small minority) of people with physical disabilities who think they are more worthy than those with more invisible disabilities

You do not need to show you have extra costs, just you can not manage various day to day tasks by yourself.

@Sirzy not all claimants have a work allowance. Only those with LCW/LCWRA &/or have children on the claim.

The problem is there are hidden costs to disabilities that people don’t consider, such ch as needing a taxi because it’s to much overwhelm to take the bus, needing to do more washing because of OCD or symptoms if the MH condition, Needing to do online shopping etc. These are needs, not choices.
Also lots of people don’t share the reality of their conditions as there is often shame and frustration attached, so unless you live with that person 24/7 and they tell you everything, you have no idea of the reality of their mental health condition.

Riiiight…and if you can’t manage the tasks yourself? They just don’t get done? Or the assumption is you’ll have associated costs with achieving the tasks, that another person
wouldn’t have?! It’s not pity money. It’s money to help you live with your condition.

So you have three friends who have managed to demonstrate that they have such severe mental health problems that they can’t manage their independence on a daily basis…and you begrudge them the help they receive?

What’s that saying about friends and enemies again 🤔

Only just learnt that. Thank you. But it seems it’s still the case that 55p is deducted per £ earned so even without the work allowance you would still be better off working

@Mumble12 loads of people do not spend the money for help with tasks they struggle to manage.

@Sirzy yes, the taper still applies.

So what do they spend the money on?

Let me guess: massive TVs, foreign holidays, alcohol and cigarettes.