To dob in family member - benefits

[Dragonsfoot]

I have a relative that does have health problems. They went to tribunal and were awarded higher rate PIP and have a motorbility car apparently supported by a Rottweiler of an advocate. I have no gripe that they deserve something - occasional falls, mild mental health problems, physical health problems that require monitoring and support and mild difficulties dressing themselves due to joint problems but don’t actually need to be helped. They do have a disability.

However, they are able to walk miles most of the time, decorate their home, complete domestic tasks and attend social activities on a very regular basis on foot. Morally torn. They probably will struggle without the money. Would DWP even do anything kind of thing. Either way I feel a bad person.

But… it has nothing to do with you? I supported my late mother in trying to obtain PIP before she passed away, the process is brutal. They were trying to make her go to work with stage 4 lung cancer with multiple metastases.
They were awarded what the tribunal deemed appropriate, keep your beak out.

My, have you nothing better to do? Honestly.

Agreed, they make their own minds up about what they think DLA/ PIP.should be for.

Exactly. What the fuck would OP know about any of it? Nosy judgemental ableist shit. Again.

How arrogant you are to presume you know better than the person whose job it is to assess people’s entitlement to benefits.

Well this is utter BS, isn't it? PIP is not an out of work benefit. Nor is it means-tested so her husband's "six figure salary is not relevant. Your "friend" does not need to wait for it to run out before she can start applying for jobs. In fact, she could have been receiving PIP and working all this time. If you're going to make stuff up, it helps to do a little research first.

As for your work colleague, in what possible scenario can someone choosing to save their PIP for holidays mean that they don't meet the criteria that entitles them to it?

so they went to court and they won which requires evidence. Yet you think you are qualified to judge what benefits they are entitled to ? Are you a nurse, doctor assessor?

This is utter nonsense. You have no idea how PIP is assessed. A mobility award doesn’t just consider how far a person can walk, 20 metres is a guide. If a person is deemed to have a serious impairment to their walking ability - and many factors are considered as l outlined upthread - then they may well be able to walk much further than 20 metres and still qualify for higher rate mobility because of the severity of their difficulties. It’s not as simple as ‘you can walk 20 metres so you don’t qualify’.

This is so true. And yet people can't see that "reporting a parent to social services" because their kid asked for a sweet and mum said no is just as damaging to the people being investigated, and if that was the thread, so many more people would be telling OP it was absolutely her civic duty to report just in case a child somewhere in the country has had a bad day.

I think unfortunately that people are very inclined to see someone who appears to be fully functioning and make assumptions based on that. It drives me mad. My 13yo gets low rate mobility (DLA) for OCD. He can walk and he can definitely talk! But, for example, due to his fears of contamination, he would walk right out onto a road without checking for traffic just to avoid something or someone that might brush up against him. The fear and panic of perceived dangers overtakes his awareness of real danger and he is at very serious risk. This means that, for now at least, he cannot go anywhere without me or some other responsible adult. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but is an example a bit like yours, demonstrating that people can never ever be sure of the difficulties of others just by looking at them.

No, just a smug ableist who thinks they have magical powers to assess disability just by looking at someone. There are many walking among us, this is just another depressing example.

Lots of health issues/disabilities can present intermittently. People can have good days and bad days. Just like people who normally enjoy good health can have a terrible headache one day and be fine the next.

YABVU. I'm fortunate enough to be in good physical shape and have never required any sort of support of this nature , practical or financial but I'm aware that it can be difficult to prove you need it. Tribunals can be very hard to convince. If your relation (and their excellent advocate) were able to do that. I'm very impressed.

You and your extended family should MYOB.

When I applied for DLA for my child I was in the middle of a messy divorce at the time. My dc was classed as ‘severely disabled’ due to their difficulties and my exh complained to the DWP that he didn’t think the award was justified.

Wtf kind of disgusting man is he?

What I have never understood is how do people know enough about, often virtual strangers, to confidently say they are gaming the system?

I can honestly say I have never had a conversation with some random bloke in a pub about the ins and outs of their health condition or benefits entitlements. I'd be very concerned if some bloke I barely knew started chatting at me about his personal financial information, to the point where I would probably contact adult social services rather than the benefit fraud hotline.

Obviously, it is different with family, but even then, it confuses me how people know enough about distant relatives' health and finances to confidently deduce that they are not disabled or even what precise benefits they are claiming.

I know my BIL gets some benefits for disability due to severe mental health issues, but I don't know which benefit, or what his award was based on, because why the fuck would I?

I know his mental health is poor enough to see him sectioned occasionally, but I don't know the ins and outs of how his health impacts him on a daily basis because again, why the fuck would I?

Firstly PIP has nothing whatever to do with the ability to work.

Secondly, if your friend was demonstrably fully healed then her PIP would have been stopped when it came up for review, at which point she would have been required to produce evidence of ongoing disability and probably be interviewed.

Thirdly, you work colleague isn’t doing anything wrong. PIP isn’t means tested and how he spends it is his business - absolutely nothing to do with his eligibility. Some disabled people save PIP for better equipment/wheelchairs and some save for holidays because on average it costs disabled people more to go on holiday because of access a mobility issues that have to be catered for. Which is EXACTLY what PIP is for. The clue is in the name. Personal INDEPENDENCE payment.

Spot on.

This reminds of a someone commenting ‘don’t you feel guilty using OUR tax money to celebrate Christmas’ on a clearly disabled persons tiktok
Disabled people are allowed to live and god forbid even enjoy life

Nope. Entirely wrong on the physical disability and walking distance. 20 metres is a guide. It’s entirely possible for a physically disabled person to be able to walk much further than 20 metres and still qualify for higher rate mobility. It depends many things, including on the degree of difficulty they have, and the ability to repeat it as often as necessary, as well as the time taken and the cumulative effects.

Maybe there should be a rule that if you are a busy body who reports disability fraud and it turns out that nothing is wrong you should be publicly named. People do all sorts of scummy stuff when they are anonymous.

As a disabled person, I'm often reminded that many people don't agree with you.

Funnily enough, these people never want to switch circumstances.

What an appalling attitude YOU have. What a massive, over-judgemental over-reaction. There is nothing immoral about questioning whether a significant chunk of state resources should go to supporting someone who is well enough to socialise regularly and is able to participate in society. If you can participate, you can contribute. The real question is why you have such a strong emotional reaction to this question. Did it hit a nerve, I wonder.

Well, I’m retired so work or not isn’t an issue, although PIP is not an out of work benefit anyway.

But, I pay taxes on my private pensions, and claim no means tested benefits/top ups etc. I pay my full rent and bills etc.

I wonder how you expect me to live though. Should I just stay indoors waiting to die or what?

Yes, I go out, and yes, I socialise. When I can, and with the help of cabs etc.

I’ve worked in benefits, I’ve worked in advocacy, and I know that tribunals will always fully study the health records of anyone that has to attend a tribunal.

The largest fraud in benefits/top ups is with housing allowances, and some claiming to live alone when they have a partner there on the sly.

Perhaps it’s better to leave disabled people be, and sort out that expensive fraud. 🤷‍♀️

I participate.

I contribute.

I also claim PIP.

She has been to Tribunal and they awarded it. That is the end of it. It has nothing to do with you.

Imo, if we are spending a significant chunk of money on sickness and disability benefits, we should be looking at why so many are sick or disabled rather than punishing people who need extra support.

Do people have access to adequate health and social care? (No)
Do people have safe and secure housing? (No)
Do people have the means to access a healthy and nutritious diet? (No)