Millionaire on benefits- rare of course- but is it time for means testing disability benefits

[Flippityflops]

Close friend is a millionaire .
Has not worked since age 40 .
He now has a disability and on his account s advice , he claims non means tested benefits he says .

if this is indeed true- given that such benefits cater for additional expenses of living with a disability, and he absolutely does not need it .. isnt it time that this benefit is means tested in these different times to prioritise the financialy vulnerable.

He for example told me - unsure if its true - that he bought a beautiful 3k painting wirh the money.
it’s gorgeous ive seen it and it dows add value to daily living .

its a bit like the taxpayer is giving him a huge freebie and we cant afford it and those in his income bracket.

.

I don’t believe this sorry. You need under a certain amount of savings to qualify unless you’re talking about PIP which is a minuscule amount

All disability benefits are non means tested so yes in theory you could be a millionaire and receive them
Both Harvey price and the late Ivan Cameron were/ are profoundly disabled so I would think they would have been and in Harvey's case are the highest rates they are for the child btw,not the parents and are often the gateway for further help
In Harvey,prices case his mother is dysfunctional so it's good he has money in his own right.

Not many I imagine most will be struggling recipients of the parents who are struggling.

People always being up David Cameron claiming for his son
Ivan Cameron was six years old when he died and profoundly disabled ,so he can't have been claiming that long im sure he would far rather have had a healthy son who lived a lot longer than just six years.

Yeah I know what you mean. My friend spends her PIP on tiaras.

Yeah it’s pretty disgraceful because he CUT DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR DISABLED PEOPLE who are poor and desperately need them yet he is a trust fund millionaire worth £27 million claiming money he could spend himself for his own family. You don’t think that’s hypocritical and worth criticism AT ALL?!

That’s not true. PIP is the only one that’s not means tested. Look it up. I don’t know about benefits for kids but other than PIP it is means tested.

DLA for disabled children isn't means tested.

DL A and attendance allowance are non means tested these along with PIP are the only actual disability benefits you look it up

Sick of these threads. This goady bullshit about benefits is just designed to keep people squabbling.

No it shouldn't be means tested. If he's entitled he can claim it.

Everything else now I believe comes under universal credit,which does have elements for disability and various other things but are not specifically disability benefits .

Child benefit and winter fuel allowance are means tested and not disability related.

I do agree with you about them being a gateway to other things which help (I claim PIP primarily for this, although the money does come in very useful for taxis on days when my pain means I struggle to drive, and when my car got written off)

He did yes.

Multi-millionaires.

It's the height of hypocrisy. Absolutely immoral.

It was his sons money not his..

His son would have been perfectly fine financially given his parents were multimillionaires.

I get lower rate care and lower rate mobility and that's 6k per year, higher rate both is 10k per year. It's much needed to meet the higher costs of having a disability, but I'm not sure that can be described as minuscule amounts?

The Venn diagram of people who overshare their financial situation, people on disability benefits, and people with friends who rush straight to MN about their friends and families finances is literally a circle.

When will people finally understand that means testing benefits in this way is more expensive than just giving them universally. The tiny handful of millionaires getting a few hundred in PiP a month, is not worth the cost of means testing.

Also there is a strong argument for universal benefits rather than safety nets for the most vulnerable. The most equal societies have more universal benefits eg childcare, child benefits, pensions, disability benefits, when everyone is getting something from the state everyone is in it together. The abolition of universal child benefit in the UK was absolutely the slippery slope predicted with benefits overall to the poorest and most vulnerable being next to go and more hostility to those who need to claim benefits.

some disability benefits aren’t means tested
would the cost of mean testing everyone be covered by the savings
As a millionaire he’ll of probably put as much into the system by the way of deductions as I earn a year. why shouldn’t they get some benefit of the system due to the enormous amount they pay in

You can't get a blue badge without PIP.

You can, but it’s not automatic

I thought he proposed it but then actually listened to concerns raised and didn't implement the proposed cuts, and total spending on disability benefits went up during his time as PM?

And not all disabled people are poor - this adds fuel to the 'benefit scroungers' type comments around PIP, many of us who claim PIP are working taxpayers. Yes, I'm not on the breadline but we still incur extra costs due to my disability which PIP helps with.

The % of those claiming who would exceed the threshold for help would be so small. So much would be spent on the bureaucracy.
And it’s more than the financial aid - having a registered disability is required for other services that they might need.
The vast majority claiming disability do need the money.