To think benefits need to be cut to fund increased spending on defence

[Viviennemary]

This is absolutely necessary. Keir Starmer shouldnt have backed down the last time. But now with the current situation with Russia drastic steps need to be taken. We simply can't afford to sustain the current benefits bill with the armed forces so depleted. The money is needed to increase defence.

You don’t have to be ill to claim PIP though. Disability and illness are two different things. Permanent disability, and claiming PIP for it isn’t dependent on regular visits to the doctor.

Um no it isn’t a difference of opinion you’re saying something incorrect and clearly do not understand the system.

Excellent question. 😁

Quoting the descriptors and knowing the point levels isn’t the same as actually understanding how and why they are applied, how open to interpretation they are, the laws that protect claimants, or the rules that assessors and decision makers have to abide by throughout the process.

I’m perfectly willing to accept that you hold a different opinion to me. My problem is not the opinion, but the misconception and personal bias it’s based on. And the biggest misconception is that someone on standard rate can’t be just as disabled as someone on enhanced rate, and for a variety of reasons, including human error - assessors aren’t infallible and many unfair decisions are made. That’s partly why we have two rates of disability benefits. The lower rate is a catch all to ensure no-one misses out on support. It’s a safety net. You can’t arbitrarily remove that safety net snd then try to justify it by saying it’s to support those with greater need. That’s not how it works.

You don't have to claim the child benefit though.

Bless your cottons, OP.
How about going after the tax dodgers instead??

I think OP started a thread about that a while back. Same MO. Throws a grenade and then disappears when the explosion is too hot to handle.

All this arguing about PIP, the amounts and points etc. The points and amounts, or even claiming at all, should not be used to dictate if someone is disabled or not, or how disabled they are compared to others. It is like calling out the numbers on a Top Trumps card.
Many disabled people do not claim PIP at all... either because they don't feel they need the money, they are put off by the process, or they tried and were turned down and could not face trying again.
I have heard it said that people get awarded PIP not based on their needs etc, but by the mood of the person who looks at their forms.
I know a few people who have lost their PIP recently after re-assessment. They are still very much disabled.

NI contributions as i don't earn enough to fill them.

No, you've continually said that there are two components and quoted the amounts of benefit that can be awarded in response to multiple of my posts. All info that i am more than aware of. As well as mis quoting me and not being able to show me where ive wrote things you said i did (because i didnt say them). Youve also made gaping false assumptions. What i've posted isnt incorrect (removing lower/ standard rates if changes are made so high/ enhanced still gets paid) especially as it's opinion based.

No you said

”So are you saying somebody on standard /lower has been assessed as requiring the same as somebody on enhanced/ higher? If so why do they score more points and get more money?”

This illustrating you clearly don’t know it works or how disability can’t be put in a neat levelled box- hence the system,

I thught you get credits for state pension if you are on universal credit

I think the armed services should be told not to recruit any more people. The numbers in the army, navy and airforce would slowly reduce until eventually they reached zero
The saving of money would be immense

No problem. I'll give up the universal credit and carers allowance, and you can pick up the social care bill for DD1.

What does this have to do with award of carers allowance ? Just because someone has a family carer doesn’t mean they don’t interact with health care professionals. And how often you see a healthcare professional isn’t an indication of how disabled you are. Disabled doesn’t necessarily mean ill, so many people are in the care of their GP only.

Carers allowance can be awarded whether you work or not, with the exception of those claiming income replacement benefits like ESA, UC or state pension above the rate of carers allowance. It’s based on the needs of the disabled person as assessed by PIP/DLA, and in some cases AA, and you can’t claim it unless the person you care for gets one of those benefits. In all cases it’s £86 per week for 35 hours of care. £3 an hour.

Policing this paltry sum would double the admin costs, and personally, given how much family carers save the tax payer in social care costs, l think it’s mealy mouthed to be chasing down every hour. Especially when you realise it’s deducted £ for £ from UC and attracts a pathetically low earnings threshold.

I notice there are’t many benefit bashing threads advocating for the abolition or reduction of child benefit. Or eye watering nursery fees payable via UC. Just the disabled asked to make the sacrifice.

DS1 can’t work. (I shall await posters popping up to demand to know why not, and am I quite sure. I once had someone on MN doing exactly that. They claimed to be a PIP assessor whilst apparently not knowing what a Legal Appointee is.)

DS2 is just finishing Y13. Over the past year he’s sent off dozens and dozens of applications for a part time job. Nothing. In just the past couple of weeks he’s started doing one day a week in a coffee shop. He’s available for a lot more if he can get more shifts. He’s willing and keen to work part time now and during university, and full time once he graduates. But where are the jobs? If he can’t find a job he’ll be relying on benefits.

The "black economy" which is nothing to due with Starbucks etc but small businesses, self employed, cash in hand workers, VAT evaders, etc is the largest component of the official tax gap. Yes, your friends, family and neighbours are probably some of those offenders not declaring all their income, not registering for VAT, taking cash in hand, paying staff "under the counter" to avoid PAYE/NIC, buying duty free alcohol and tobacco from friends/pubs etc. It's tens of billions lost every single year from people living on your street.

You can smh me all you like, I stand by my assertion. Why should your business be propped up by the tax payer.
It's ridiculous.

A fair proportion of "tax dodges" (ie black economy) will ALSO be benefit fraudsters via not declaring all their income etc.

Saying the lower level is there purely as a catch all is incorrect. The system reflects that some people are more impacted/ more disabled than others as well as differing disability impact (eg mobility with physical rather cognitive). The system does need to be changed regardless of any benefit reform as it doesn't adequately provide descriptors for those with conditions such as autism.

By applying your reasoning I would interpret that you could not say someone was more disabled than another and that just isn't true. There are vastly different abilities and some people are obviously more disabled than others.

You do. But for those working and claiming UC it depends on whether they are earning enough to attract NI contributions and at what level.

Ive not said disability can be put into boxes, ive said the opposite.

The benefits bill absolutely needs to be cut. There’s lots of people out there who can work but choose not to. Rather than increasing the benefit bill, Keir Starmer would be better off having a return to work programme in place to help people find work using incentives for the workers and the employers. Once more people are paying in, we can increase defence spending. It was an embarrassment having to rely on the French recently.

Ah now we get down to it-

“The system does need to be changed regardless of any benefit reform as it doesn't adequately provide descriptors for those with conditions such as autism”

Um points are awarded based on how a health condition or disability affects your capability, rather than the condition itself.

Do you really not know this?