Ok who wants to swap £2500 a month in benefits for my husbands MS and my epilepsy, narcolepsy and fibromyalgia.

[bluebirdblackbird]

Well according to a lot of people on here we are on a good thing.

the 20 seizures I have in a week, chronic pain and night terrors, losing my memory after a seizure, pissing myself, hallucinations. They are all great fun. Not to mention the amount of times I have been accused of being drunk after a seizure.

or there is my husband. Diagnosed with progressive MS. Cronic Pain, shaking, cronic pins and needles, weakness in limbs plus losing mobility. Had to give up his teaching job 4 months ago after gradually reducing hours.

Not to mention the judgement when we use a blue badge because we look ok in that moment. And apparently labour are going to find us both work. Yippee cant wait to meet the employer who is going to take us both on. I am sure pissing my chair on a reg basis won’t matter to them or the losing counciouness at least a couple of times a day.

i am just fed up of yet another they are on benefits and get money and it’s not fair stamp stamp stamp. The bastards have saved up for a holiday- it’s not fair. The bastards have a mobility car but they look fine, OMG- they have got new carpets or a new sofa.

since I am guessing they none of the moaners would actually swap places with us if they could then STFU.

oh and that pip that is easy to get- my husband gets lower rate for both and that is despite providing all the evidence and appealing so we are off to tribunal. He can’t even dress himself most days and he can’t hold a pan safely or manage his medication plus many other things. If he stays on the points he is on he will lose his pip completely under these new labour proposals.

but most people know someone who’s friends, aunts, nephews, stepdaughters, cousin twice removed who lied and got it. I was taking to a lady in a wheelchair who does not get any mobility component of pip at all.

IMO, all these posts are designed to whip up public hatred, to smooth the way for the cuts in benefits - and are more likely to be coming from Labour HQ? Why would Reform help out Labour?

To split the vote. If they can get some of the right-leaning swing voters or former Tory voters on their side, Labour won't get re-elected. Nor will they, but they will have a bigger representation.

I actually don't think most of the posters are Reform, FWIW, some of them might be, but I think the majority of them have just fallen for the anti-disabled rhetoric pushed by the tabloids, gutter rags, and social media.

Actually disability and sickness benefit claimants could well have their social media posts scrutinised by DWP - mostly at the initial claim, or when the benefit comes up for review, but could also be as a result of something being brought to their attention.

If there is any inconsistency between what’s found online and what’s contained in the application for benefit, it could easily land the claimant in trouble. Social media posts have resulted in many claimant interviews under caution requiring them to explain themselves. Although not always intentionally fraudulent, some have resulted in PIP claims being reduced or stopped where the claimant has either recovered or substantially improved, and has neglected to inform DWP.

I hear you, I know a couple of people very similar. False claims aren't something to be ashamed of to them, it's just playing the game.

I missed this post before it was withdrawn but I've said before: liars will keep lying. Scammers will still scam without shame because they HAVE no shame.

What this horrible government are doing is shaming the wrong people - disabled people. Our only crime was to become disabled. Getting MS has forever altered my life, I had big goals and hopes that will never come to be. My family have had their lives disrupted. I'm especially bitter because the NHS failed me so badly on the road to diagnosis and because of it I'm more disabled than I ever needed to be. Why are genuinely, verifiably disabled people being punished instead of the scammers? Especially those of us striving to stay in work.

Labour deserve what has happened to them in these council elections. Not because Reform will be better but hopefully they will finally be forced to read the room.

If you complain of pain and they can’t find anything wrong with you after doing all the tests then it is called fibromyalgia and yes, Doctors don’t really take it seriously. So yes, it is easy to fake a bit like chronic fatigue!

I was told by a mental health nurse in a professional setting, that bipolar does not exist.

Even professionals can have opinions that are ridiculous.

@Ilovecleaning We were told by a consultant neurologist, the regional head, that the MRI scans of DD1’s brain showed no abnormalities. Two years later, GOSH told us, after doing another MRI scan, that she had a congenital brain abnormality and it was visible on the earlier scans!

We asked the same consultant neurologist if she had a particular syndrome, because that was what it looked like to us? He told us, she hadn’t. Two years later GOSH did an EEG, which concluded she had that syndrome!

A consultant neuropsychiatrist wrote to GOSH to ask what tests they done, to see if she had a metabolic disorder. A consultant neurologist wrote back, to say all her problems were caused by the brain abnormality. Three years later, DD1 was diagnosed with a genetic metabolic disorder, having been part of a research project on genes!

I wouldn’t take any notice at all of what a surgeon thought about fibromyalgia - because the doctors above were wrong about their own specialty. Physicians deal with fibromyalgia, not surgeons!

I can't say I'm shocked. I had a CT scan at 7 which was apparently normal. I had another scan some years later for an unrelated issue. It showed 2 different brain conditions.

Apparently neither condition causes any symptoms. But many of us with either condition has similar symptoms

Hear, hear!

What makes me laugh is people here moan about disabled people on benefits, yet the other day a poster was complaining about staff with additional needs in her workplace who were driving her up the wall. Make your mind up, folks!

Sadly the overlap is strong between the 'get them back to work' and 'you don't need a disabled toilet / wider doorway / parking space' brigade. Critical thinking isn't their strongest point.

I will say that the noisiest demands I see online for accommodations come from the 'neurospicy' crew. They will cheerfully fill their social media with pictures of Fantasy conventions and thrash metal concerts but then demand their own office because they can't possibly listen to other people breathing. And no, they can't wear earbuds either! How dare they be asked to meet society halfway!

, i don't think people realise how extreme the anxiety disorder and depression would have to be to get pip. You would be highly unlikely to be entitled to pip from a diagnosis from a gp, anti depressants and a bit of cbt. It really will need to of gone further where your under secondary care services and its having a extremely significant impact on your life.

With respect, this isn't true. We don't actually have enough NHS resource for the sheer numbers of people currently receiving PIP for anxiety/depression to be under secondary care services.

Also - the reality is, even to access those services is still based mainly on the service users self reporting of the symptoms and their impact on life. I'm in no way suggesting people lie to get there, but I think for some people they have got in their head a bit how much they feel they are struggling/life is hard, and have lost some perspective on what proportion of that is the normal spectrum of human life. Its not a bed of roses for any of us. Its very hard for a doctor not to refer you on if you insist, repeatedly, for years, that how you feel is having a massive impact on your life.

PIP is not an out of work benefit, so you’re effectively telling people who work and claim PIP that they can’t have a holiday.

The statistics do not lie. The vast majority of people in receipt of pip are not in work. A small minority work part time, even fewer work full time.

"With respect, this isn't true. We don't actually have enough NHS resource for the sheer numbers of people currently receiving PIP for anxiety/depression to be under secondary care services."

There are many who receive PIP who have anxiety or depression but this isn't the reason they get PIP. My fil was on anti depressants from his GP for years but the reason he got DLA was the loss of a limb and then a stroke. My son is medicated for anxiety but the reason he gets PIP is a severe learning disability.

Yeah, those stats on main disabling condition or however its worded are odd. I have loads of conditions but there's nowhere for you to specify which one you think is your main condition and i have no idea how anyone else would decide which was the main one from a claim.

The simple fact is that PIP is not an out of work benefit. People unable to work also claiming it does not change that fact.
If it was an out of work benefit, anyone working would not be eligible.
Actually there is no such thing as a purely out of work benefit anyway. You can work if you claim ESA/LCWRA but a limited amount of hours/pay.

Yes someone posted on here about having ADHD and claiming PIP. But she does not claim PIP for ADHD but you have to list all your health conditions when you apply.
So when someone gets mad because they think people are claiming PIP for mild depression and anxiety, their anger is misplaced. Many disabled people have mild depression as a condition secondary to their disability.

And it’s still totally irrelevant because PIP is still not an out of work benefit. It doesn’t assess for the ability to work and is intended to contribute to the extra cost challenges disability presents to preserving independence in society. And taking part in society includes holidays. The clue is in the name of the benefit itself.

And for clarity in 2024/25 approximately 18% of PIP claimants were in work. Around 12% of those work full time, and the rest varying part time hours. So of those PIP claimants who work, the majority work full time

It’s perfectly true. I was a disability outreach worker for over 20 years. In that time l never came across a single claimant who secured a PIP award for a stand alone MH condition unless they were under the care of a second line, consultant led mental health team. Where a successful claim was made for GP treated anxiety and depression, it was usually in conjunction with another condition. The PIP descriptors for mental health set a very high bar which is difficult to meet.

IME based on observation of PIP assessments, even when the claimant reported and had medical evidence to support severe conditions requiring secondary care, some assessors would use observations made throughout the assessment to try to minimise the condition and deny the claim. Phrases like ‘made good eye contact’ and ‘no visible signs of distress’ were peppered throughout the reports to give the impression that the condition was not as the claimant said - despite robust evidence to the contrary. I’ve seen assessors’ reports in direct contradiction to medical evidence supplied by a consultant take precedence in decision making.

And it also has to be remembered that some of the PIP descriptors used to assess MH conditions are also used for assessment of learning and cognitive disability as well as those with ADHD and ASD spectrum disorders.

People seem to think it’s much easier than it is to claim
I've just been made redundant from a job that had adjustments for me including full time WFH, and I was struggling with the hours
now I’m going to likely to have to go back in an office so add a commute on and try and conceal pain/tens machine/painkillers and work 42hrs a week
I struggle so much but I’m not unwell enough for PIP and there’s no other help

While this scenario would undoubtedly be very challenging for you, why do you have to work in an office for 42 hours with a commute? Do you live very rurally? Even if you do, plenty of people in a variety of industries WFH full time, can’t you apply for those roles? Full time is generally 35-37 ish hours, is there a reason you have to work 42? It all sounds harder than it needs to be.

i am not in a sort of (sorry can’t think of the word!) role or qualified to do one that’s high paid
I was very very lucky to get the WFH as an adjustment and the job also had commission, I worked 40hrs
Most of the jobs I am looking at are 40-45hrs and none are WFH because I’m not qualified for anything that is
FT when I am looking is often 8-5.30 or 8-6

basically unless I can afford to drop pay (which I can’t) then to get the higher pay of around 28-30k I’ll have to be office based which means a commute and I haven’t found a job yet that wants less than 40hrs

But you have just posted on another thread about daily steps… you do average of 28000 steps a day!!

I have to keep moving, I was told so by my specialist. Just because I have disabilities doesn't mean i have to sit at home all day suffering because people like you think that's all we can do. I'm a single mother and obviously have to take care of my children and my home because nobody else will, that's why my step count can be high. I don't drive, I don't have family and I don't have a partner.

Now sit down and think about how stupid your comments have been.