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.

But most women chose to have children. I didn't ask to have a brain that didn't develop the way it did. Nor did I choose to have an accident in 2017 where I was left with vertigo

If you means test disability benefits you're means testing the things that come with it such as travel passes, motability, discounted car tax, carers tickets, etc

Try seeing a pyschiatrist on the nhs. They only do really complex cases

Why wouldn't you means test those other things. If people are wealthy they can afford to buy themselves, if they aren't they get the PIP to fund.

Then you're going to have someone who is pennies over the threshold who can't afford those things

This is exactly what has happened to child benefit

But people choose to be parents. You can plan for being a parent. How do you do that as a disabled person? Especially when it's from birth?

Absolutely! We have already clarified that this poster has zero experience or knowledge of PIP assessments or the wider benefit system, but it would be very interesting. Perhaps they could attempt to implement their vouchers of shame idea too 😆

Perhaps they could apply to be a pip assessor

Children didn't choose to be born. Ultimately the money is intended to be spent on them and their needs, not the parents that chose to have them.

I don't think it follows that means testing disability benefit automatically means that we must means test all of those things in your list. For example, we offer children under 5 free travel on buses irrespective of whether their parents qualify for CB. You also get discounted or even free children's tickets to places. Car tax and Motability is an interesting area. I imagine that these probably will fall under means testing if it was introduced.

You are completely and utterly wrong. You have not clarified my experience of the benefit system or PIP as I have not afforded you that information. You and other posters are hell bent on making crazy assumptions, misrepresenting what has actually been written whilst simultaneously being completely incapable of having a sensible, mature debate about an area that is going to be under a huge amount of scrutiny in the coming years.

Yes, that would be a suitable job for many of the haters and shamers on this thread… a real opportunity to punch down and withhold money from disabled people. Oh and finally attempt to get some evidence that apparantly most claims are fraudulent.

I hope people are taking this thread with a hefty pinch of salt as the ignorance is laughable.

Some/many disabled people earn a lot of money. They choose a job unrelated to their disability. I think it is reasonable for them to arrange their affairs to cover their costs, which is a relatively small part of their income. Means testing would result in allocating less resources to the wealthy which would give more resources to those who have limited income. I think that is fair.

It is very clear you don’t have experience. Why not just say otherwise other than being purposefully obtuse and evasive? You are more than happy to stick your beak in and make judgements about other people’s personal situations, and make demands that disabled people itemise their expenses. But you certainly don’t like being on the other side of the questioning!

But why should a disabled person be worse off than their non disabled work colleagues because of their disabilities?

As I have said before. You are unequivocally wrong in suggesting I have no experience. I don't need to detail my experience on here nor do I ask anyone else to do this.

I'm not sticking my beak in on anyone's lives. They have offered up information on this thread to counter my suggestion and I have given my opinion. I haven't asked them further questions or sought more detail. Again, the misrepresentation is tiresome and somehow always seems to come down to disrespecting people that disagree with you.

The state can't insulate everyone from their weaknesses. Should we be paying for a billionaire's glasses because other billionaires have great eyesight and don't need them? Should we be paying for their fillings? At some point we obviously need to draw the line and accept that we simply don't have the money to make everything fair and completely equal. If you can afford to shoulder your own costs and meet your own needs why shouldn't you? Why would you want to take money from an over stretched state that is trying to help people that are in much greater need than you are?

You’ve clarified nothing. Just because the poster hasn’t chosen to share their experience of the benefit system doesn't not mean they don’t have experience. You do like to project don’t you

There have been posters in this thread who think you just rock up at the office and fool a consultant into a diagnosis because their 'medical code' means they have to believe what a patient says.

The ignorance is astounding.

i could not agree more with your reply to this particular poster who seems to want to bully people off this thread with aggressive and ridiculous statements all because people disagree with them. You have been polite in your replies and a shame others haven’t reciprocated

Why should an ugly person be worse off than a beautiful person, Why should a intelligent person be better off than a thick person, there are all sorts of things that lead to different outcomes. It is not the states job to make everyone the same.

I didn't ask to be disabled. Nor did I ask to have an expensive disability

Nor did the thick person ask to be thick, their still not getting a job at a top law firm. We don't compensate people born with low intelligence.

What the hell has that got to do with anything???

So being disabled then is just, tough shit?