Do people really think PIP claimants are fraudsters?!

[Greedybilly]

As someone with a chronic illness in the middle of claiming PIP I think it's important to point out it's very stressful to go through the process and actually get the benefit.
To those who were inferring it's an easy blag - I would say yes there will always be a few scammers who claim fraudulently ( though god knows how tbh?) the majority have to struggle for years/go through appeals/give up.
Just saying this for balance as I feel MN is turning slghtly into the Daily Fail.

I went through the PIP claim with my son. It is far from “easy”. He answered every question with absolute honesty and was awarded it but I keep it very quiet for the reasons you outline as I feel there can sometimes be judgement about who “deserves” it. The 3 previous claims for DLA for him had been all paper based and that form took me days to complete. The PIP assessment was more in depth, rightly so, and I’d tell anyone who asks that it’s very challenging.

A friends partner blags it, the cleaner at my work blags it (and brags) in my experience of life LOADS of people cheat the system. It ruins it for ppl like you. These thieves are taking your money away im afraid.

What a load of crap.

I don't. How would people know a load of strangers are faking it? It's just mainly ableism and benefits bashing snobbery.

I needed loads of evidence for my claim. I don't see how people can get it without this.

Imagine branding the disabled a bunch of lying work shy scammers? I think it's appalling.

I think far too many do.

The media does love a good story about someone faking a bad back to get twenty grand a month, a seven bedroom castle with a moat and a holiday to Disney World every 6 weeks.

And every one of the believers also apparently has a friend or family member who openly tells everyone they're committing benefit fraud so they know for certain it's all true.

But.........you've said yourself that there will always be fraudsters!

Those few bad apples spoil it for genuine claimants.

It can't be that onerous to claim as a ridiculous number of people are already claiming and the numbers just keep going up and up!

This. It's my job to help people claim PIP and whilst most are genuine, I'm afraid the ones who aren't are really grating on me and for this reason I am desperately looking to get out of this line of work sadly.

The rise in knowledge about motability, and the rise in knowledge about autism being awarded pip or dla has made people jealous

The same ones who support farage secretly want the sen budget cut

I saw a tiktok of a woman saying she reports mums of sen kids to the benefit fraud department if they piss her off. Nasty

Edit its so hard to claim pip, I dont think anyone on it is lying

What's wrong with it?

Are you saying you don't believe some people fraudulently claim?

Or that there are people who do legitimately claim and need it?

Or that people who commit fraud are in part responsible for the lack of money to support public services?

Because all of those are facts, not opinion. I'm struggling to see how its 'a load of crap'.

@BMW6well don't let my lived experience cloud what you've read in The Fail.
I stand corrected 'it's not that onerous'.

The system is at fault. People are just taking advantage for monetary gain.

I had an award, then it was revoked at review - my disabilities will never change, I’d completed the forms accurately. It took me almost 10 months and an appearance in court to get it reinstated.

So no, it’s not easy to claim, not in the slightest. Why people think it is, I have no idea…

Nobody has ever branded 'the disabled' as a bunch of scammers. There are legitimate claims and fraudulent claims. Is not that hard to understand.

I find it hard to believe they'd openly tell you they're faking it

I always find it odd that people claim to know so much about other people's finances and health

Yes. There’s literally info / websites online to guide people in how to get PIP. The health professionals have to believe what a patient tells them. So will sign it off. Then PIP has the docs approval all they need to do in answer the questions correctly. It’s horrendously abused. As PP said - making it much worse for genuine claimants.

But you still need the evidence. They're not going to take your word that you can't walk 20 metres

I think that there are far more people not claiming who would be entitled than those de-frauding the system.

@HoskinsChoice-- well they said that haven't they? The Tories? Norman Tebbit?

Yup, as is the case with benefits in general.

@Absentosaurhave you ever applied for PIP?

Like many people I struggle to understand why mental health conditions warrant payments that raise income to similar levels of people who work full time. Not really an incentive to get better is it?

@Ilovepastafortea--absolutely! I just feel like we're sliding to the right so quickly in this country in many ways - not least making claimants feel like crap.

You can work and claim pip

I receive PIP. Mumsnet is incredibly anti benefits though. It was really hard to get awarded it, they contacted several professionals about me.

I think it is because of the financial mess the country is in, that some people see fit to punch down and blame the disabled. The press pretty much encourages it and there are enough threads on here about it that proves people are believing what the press is telling them.