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.

How do you know so much about the financial situation of a ‘millionaire near us’?

It's not how the benefits system (including state pensions) works though.
I'm older, I've worked and paid high rate tax all my life. I don't begrudge that or see that money as mine.
I've also benefitted from being able to buy a home at a ridiculously cheap price compared to current property prices. DH and I bought a 4 bed detached in a lovely area for twice our combined salaries. It would cost our DD and her partner 10x their combined income if they wanted to buy it today and they gave similar professional jobs to their parents.
How are today's youngsters, with their devalued wages and ridiculously high mortgages (if they can afford to buy at all) meant to fund our benefits? People have to take responsibility for their own care and needs if they have the means to. There should always be means tested benefits for those that can't afford to.
That is why I support the removal of winter fuel allowance for those who don't need it, as I know so many people who used that as their Christmas champagne fund.
Give twice as much to those who need it, but please stop giving it to those who don't.

Final point to add to my post… I would happily swap the ‘riches’ of disability benefits for not having a disabled child. I genuinely cannot understand the bitterness towards people who are either sick/disabled themselves or are caring for a sick/disabled child. Wanna swap?

It costs money to means test things. You need to rebuild your automated systems to handle the new options, hire staff to deal with assessing cases, the infrastructure to support it. Investigators to look into suspected over claiming. Support for people who need help figuring out if they can claim or not. And a lot more.

In many cases the cost to means test a benefit is more than they would save themselves from paying out. The majority of people on PIP don't work (I know some do but it's about 1 in 6).

Yes some people are claiming when they don't need it but I'm not convinced there are any real savings to be made here.

Struggling with cancer and treatment here, my job will be gone soon if I don’t get better. I need my PIP right now, so this relative better not fuck it up
for me!

I am one of the PIP claimants (standard rate mobility) who work. Was full time when I applied and am now part time to care for my DS.

PIP isn't just about the money. It is the main way a working age adult can prove they have a disability and access reasonable adjustments.

My PIP enables me to get a disabled person's railcard and a freedom pass. DH and I are both medically unfit to drive so I haven't bothered getting a blue badge (my LA would grant me one on the basis of having 10 points for moving around). The money helps me pay my additional costs - taxis for distances most people could walk, specialist socks which reduce symptoms and enable me to walk a bit further, a snip at £15 a pair. Replacing socks and shoes frequently as my dressings, creams and altered gait wear them out quickly. I can only wear skechers as I need comfy, cushioned shoes which are breathable. I also need more shoes than normal as I need to rotate them frequently.

All of these things make my life a little bit easier. It's a drop in the ocean compared to the impact having Epidermolysis Bullosa (and all my other conditions) has on my life, however.

I’m just not convinced that if he didn’t claim it that there would be more to go around for everybody else I don’t think it works like that.

However, Lots of poor people take the moral stance that they couldn’t sleep at night claiming for things that they are perfectly entitled to. What a shame the Rich don’t have that same moral compass but then I guess that’s how they became Rich in the first place

I agree and I’m surprised at all the comments to the contrary.
The country’s economy is in a mess. Our biggest expenditure by far is welfare (of which pensions are the largest, followed by UC and then PIP)
So yes, these things should be means tested. Doesn’t have to be a low threshold, but I can’t see why a millionaire should be able to claim anything from the state.

Yes, you can. So much misinformation peddled on three threads.

My dad has a blue badge and doesn't claim anything.

Because, as has been said repeatedly on this thread, the cost of means testing would be larger than the amount they’ll recoup. So it won’t make any difference to expenditure, and will not mean there’s more money to go around.

Yes, but it would be automatically awarded, under certain criteria of the PIP, if it is applicable.

That’s not what the poster is saying though, she’s saying you can’t get it without PIP.

And my mum qualifies for a blue badge because she has enough PIP mobility points but she doesn’t get a blue badge posted to her automatically, she still has to renew it and pay £10 each time.

Yes, this.

If his disability means he can’t work, surely you’re not expecting 1 million to sustain him for the rest of his life?

Yes, of course it would still need to be applied for, but they would not have to have a further assessment for it.

Ladykenya, we all know this. You’re the one who said it’s automatically awarded.

I have just explained what I meant. It is up to you if you wish to nitpick. Good Day.

You’d have to be able to guarantee that the cost of means testing is less than the amount that would be saved by bringing it in. I highly doubt that’s the case, especially as they’d end up with court battles all the time.

You’re preaching to the converted, it’s unnecessary.

Nope. It is an access benefit. I benefit just as equally from the extra support I get from being on PIP as I do from getting the money itself.

Different council. Most will only give blue badge on production of PIP award.

Ive got £120k and apparently that is meant to sustain me for the rest of my life 🤣
It’s all relative of course but to suggest that 1 million isn’t enough, absolutely ludicrous

No.

Edge cases like this aren't going to justify the costs of means testing, and meanwhile it would create an incentive for people to drop hours in order to remain under the threshold. We have too many of those already, and they're invariably a terrible idea in a society with labour and skills shortages.

The cost of main Testing would be coming down every year. I would imagine as they collate the necessary data. It won’t be long before it is cost-effective to test hopefully.

Always assuming they don’t lose the data, of course