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 do not think people are lying to get it. I think they probably are eligible under the current roles based on their own perception of the extent to which their conditions impair them.
I think the rules need to be narrowed to cover a reduced spectrum and allow funds to be focussed on those who are seriously/permanently disabled

Completely agree. I belong to forums for health conditions that I have and there is a high volume of people who claim PIP and there are always discussions on how to successfully claim it. There is also the focus on describe your worst days, which isn't every day. Many of us work and manage significant health conditions without claiming.

In the last 20 years we have developed a culture of "over" claiming benefits. It's supposed to be a safety net but that isn't the case now.

I think the housing crisis/high rents and stagnation in wages have driven some people to use benefits as a financial top up.

Some are, yes.

And yet no consultant has ever written me a letter for my full pip
But that's you. Maybe you are perfectly genuine. Maybe you git another 'expert's reporting what you said to them rather than what they think.

The point is that if you suffer from an ailment, want to claim PIP, understand the process and get support from someone who can write the application with what needs to be written to get the points, or what needs to be said, and you are prepared to go through it all, you can get PIP.

i haven't had one written specifically for pip. What i did do was submit the consultant letter from him to my GP with his report on his findings in our appointment, which included his diagnoses.

You wouldn't get pull pip for just being unable to talk to people. There's would be other criteria her daughter meets

if you're that determined to defraud PIP by spending months going through the process of an incorrect diagnosis, there is more wrong with you than defrauding DWP
When PIP or dla for children mean you can afford not to work, give you a total income higher than what you could earn working, of you are a sahm anyway but could do with extra money, when you can access education and everything else that come with being on pip/dla, yes, I do believe people are prepared to do it. Itsnot more stressful and demanding then dealing with the uc pestering you with all their demands.

considering that i claim PIP for myself, but have also claimed DLA and now Pip for my child, who i'm a carer for, and i happen to also be a single mum.. i can tell you that is it NOT easier than claiming UC... which i also get (and carers allowance)

oh, and none of it is higher than what i would get if i were still working, because i had to give up being a full time SEN TA to look after DS.

considering that i claim PIP for myself, but have also claimed DLA and now Pip for my child, who i'm a carer for, and i happen to also be a single mum.. i can tell you that is it NOT easier than claiming UC... which i also get (and carers allowance)
Itsnot about claiming, its the fact that once you get PIP, you are left alone. You don't have to justify half of what you have to justify when you don't get it.

You're not left alone at all. Its normally every 3 years you have to go through the whole process again. I have RA. Unless there is a miracle I will always have RA. My joints are too damaged now for any cure. Ive had 4 of my joints replaced. Having another replaced in 2 weeks along with having another joint fused. But I still have to prove I am disabled enough

same, i have disk degeneration and early onset OA, and they aren't going to miraculously get better.. both are degenerative, but i'll have to resubmit every 3 years.

I'm due to be reassessed soon after being left alone for 9 years. Just in case there's been a cure for my underdeveloped eye muscles. I can't even get a proper diagnosis let alone any treatment

Oh wait when I had my first pip assessment, I was that I'd grown out of my sensorineural hearing loss which is physically impossible

Maybe they know something we don't. And there will be a miracle cure all drug that regrows healthy joints and stops them fucking themselves up again

To claim DLA for my DD I had to provide sooo much evidence, Dr letters and School reports, it took days to complete. Surely it’s the same for PIP and you need evidence to be awarded so I don’t know how people can blag it and be awarded.

Well now:

She waited 18 months to see CAMHS
She would struggle to talk to a counsellor. She certainly couldn’t make an appointment herself.
She’s tried 2 antidepressants which didn’t work. Currently trying 3rd
She can ride a bike, but finds traffic and noise from traffic overwhelming.
She won’t go in a shop alone.
She couldn’t apply for PIP herself. Dh is her named person,
When we had the telephone assessment the assessor raised her number of points.
She can’t really interact with other people

Shes 19 years old. She doesn’t want this life. We don’t want her to have this life. It is what it is.

Then people like you come on bleating about it. What is she supposed to live on? Her parents? Is someone going to employ someone realistically who is too anxious to speak.

You act as if we’ve done nothing to help her. We’ve been trying everything since she was 14. She self harmed. No follow up appointment or support.

She wouldn’t be able to attend an interview. One of us had to speak at Gp or official stuff with her.

They will also suspend PIP payments immediately when they have any suspicion that you shouldn't be getting it.

My 18 year old profoundly disabled son's was suspended 3 days after he moved into his supported living house because the DWP thought he might not be entitled to it.
They didn't tell me ( his appointee) and I only found out when checking bank statements. They also had not tried to source the information that showed he was entitled to it.

You're not left alone at all. Its normally every 3 years you have to go through the whole process again. I have RA. Unless there is a miracle I will always have RA. My joints are too damaged now for any cure. Ive had 4 of my joints replaced. Having another replaced in 2 weeks along with having another joint fused. But I still have to prove I am disabled enough
What's the point of stating individual circumstances? I'm not saying everyone claiming PIP is a fraudster. I do believe the majority genuinely have a need for PIP. The point is that a growing number of people play the system.

You say that assessments are every three years yet just below someone says it's been 9 years. Perfectly appropriate for those who are genuine, a massive incentive for those who are not.

The length of award varies. I was born with most of my disabilities (apart from my hearing loss) and the award length is because they don't believe my needs will really change

The length of award varies. I was born with most of my disabilities (apart from my hearing loss) and the award length is because they don't believe my needs will really change
And it make sense that they should indeed focus their resources on claimants whose circumstances are more likely to change.

You stated that people on PIP are left alone. I am telling you that they aren't. Don't put a blanket statement if you don't want to be corrected

To claim DLA for my DD I had to provide sooo much evidence, Dr letters and School reports, it took days to complete. Surely it’s the same for PIP and you need evidence to be awarded so I don’t know how people can blag it and be awarded
Evidence doesn't mean needs is proven. As said, evidence is about ticking boxes. Dr letters will report what you tell them. School what they see at school.

It's not a case of waking up one day, making an appointment with the GP, making up an imaginary story, applying for PIP and getting it.

But if you experience some struggles in life, the line between how it affects you and how it results in extra needs is very grey and blur. This is where 'evidence' can be tailored to tick the right boxes.

I've had mine since around 16. Was, looking back at my childhood a long time before then too but it was just put down to me being 'tall' etc. I'm 35 now. I do think that they need to extend the people with disabilities that arent going to change. Even 5 years.

Everyday there is another benefit bashing thread on MN, with the same ignorant and hateful narrative being bleated out. So tiresome.

You stated that people on PIP are left alone. I am telling you that they aren't. Don't put a blanket statement if you don't want to be corrected
You ARE left alone for at least a couple of years which is much better than risking to lose your UC each month if you don't do what they expect you to. People receiving PIP and claiming UC do not have anywhere the same expectations to find a job.

I've had mine since around 16. Was, looking back at my childhood a long time before then too but it was just put down to me being 'tall' etc. I'm 35 now. I do think that they need to extend the people with disabilities that arent going to change. Even 5 years
Totally agree.