Disabled couple snooped on and accused of fraud by the DWP

[BowdonUK]

The DWP have falsely accused one couple of having an ISA and current account. When they denied it, the DWP said prove it or the disability the mans wife gets for MS will be suspended until they pay 88p!

But the man couldn't prove he didn't have an ISA and current account because the bank refused to write a statement due to him not being their customer.

DWP fraud investigation wrongly threatens to stop disability benefits over 88p

Vicky receives Employment Support Allowance (ESA) from the DWP and earlier this month the department wrote to the couple to say they had "received information" on an ISA and current account which were believed in Chris' name

www.mirror.co.uk

If only the government attack dogs had half the zeal to find the billions lost in tax rather playing to the crowd harrasing disabled people.

 

[BowdonUK]

The system seems to be setup to push people off disability benefits, as shown by the amount of times the denial decision is eventually overturned.

DWP accused of 'denying people their rights' after rejecting 90% of disability benefit appeals

The DWP said it made the right decision in the 'majority' of cases but has been accused of cruelty by campaigners.

www.bigissue.com

The government is rejecting a record high of almost 90% of disability benefit appeals, sparking accusations it is ignoring court rulings in order to take a harder line on claimants.

If an MR (mandatory reconsideration) is unsuccessful, applicants can go to tribunal, where they have an 80% success rate, including cases the DWP concedes before a hearing takes place. But campaigners say many applicants are too stressed or disillusioned by the MR process to take things further.

 

[BowdonUK]

I think when people talk about jobs if you have a genuine disability then finding the right job is very difficult. Also the disabled person is competing against able-bodied people.

My cousin has a genetic disability similar to one of mine, muscle weakness. He tried to get a job because of the social stigma of not having a job.

The job centre person sent him to a newspaper print house lifting boxes around the place. He didn't last one day at the job, and went missing overnight because he was embarrassed he couldn't do it. This is the real disabled battles. Genuine disabled people want to work.

I know it's natural to highlight people conning the system. But we have to be careful of not making the whole disability subject tagged as scroungers or then the government moves in to make it difficult for genuinely disabled people.

The problem I've had in the past with jobs is not having the qualifications* to be considered for the job. The less qualifications the more manual labour jobs appear.

*The qualifications problem happened because I was in the 'special school system', which is geared towards teaching and helping disabled kids, not for getting good grades in exams. I'm lucky they even taught gcse's, though the ones teaching it had no special interest in the subject.

 

[BowdonUK]

The UN are calling for the UK to talk about disability violations.

UK Government Faces UN For Violation of Disability Rights | Disability Rights UK

www.disabilityrightsuk.org

On March 18th, the UK Government will finally face up to the United Nations (UN), giving evidence on their violations of Disabled people’s rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The UN investigated the UK Government in 2016, with the UK being found guilty of systemic violations in 2017. As a UN committee spokeswoman declared, “the committee can confirm that some violations were grave, some others were systematic, and some were both: grave and systematic.”

So far the UK government keeps no showing.

 

[BowdonUK]

I think pip is more about what you're able to do, not what specific condition you have.

Maybe writers cramp means the person as problems with their hands.

I don't think pip should be listing conditions.

 

[BowdonUK]

I just watched an ITV News video posted last year about the amount of money the DWP lose fighting claims.

When someone gets denied their claim they can have a mandatory reconsideration. If that fails, so you've been denied twice by the DWP, you can take it to a tribunal. This is setup similarly to a court setting were people outside of the DWP are judging the claim. 80% of DWP decisions are overturned at this stage!

UK spent £440m fighting disability claims as system designed to 'block getting benefits' | ITV News

The government has spent £443.5m fighting disabled people who decided to appeal after being turned down for two key benefits, freedom of information data has...

youtu.be

 

[BowdonUK]

Sadly like a lot of things these days the government authorities chooses to put pressure on the reasonable and/or vulnerable people rather than collect proper tax from the big boys.

 

[BowdonUK]

There is supposed to be a UN hearing with the British government over it's treatment of disabled people.

The hearing is happening tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see if the government representatives turn up. So far they haven't want to engage.

 

[BowdonUK]

I've started arranging for some carers to come in to the house to help me. 3 hours per week.

I just got the financial assessment results back from the council to see how much, if any, I have to contribute...

They want me to pay £155! That is above my pip amount per week. Apart from the disability benefits I have no income, and rarely go above £6000 in savings.

Even the social worker said it is way higher than shes seen before.

So I'm now going to have to challenge the assessment, which involves more stress, and hope I can get them to reduce it.

 

[BowdonUK]

I find it difficult to believe that the DWP can't immediately tell the difference between a regular disabled person and a group raking in nearly £54 million over 4 and a half years.

Universal Credit: Gang guilty of large £53.9m benefit fraud

Prosecutors describe the case as the biggest ever case of benefit fraud in England and Wales.

www.bbc.co.uk

If they can't then something needs to be done with the DWP.

 

[BowdonUK]

The DWP missed the last gang. But a guy who ticked the wrong box on a form led to the DWP overpaying him 30p, they are all over him. Demanding the money, taking him to court.

Carer convicted over benefit error worth 30p a week fights to clear his name

George Henderson had to sell his home to repay nearly £20,000, years after ticking wrong box on carer’s allowance form

www.theguardian.com

If you're an honest person and make a mistake they are all over you. If you're a crook and are pilfering large amounts of money the DWP don't see it.

 

[BowdonUK]

But you've had at least 4 years to get some skills and there are admin jobs that can be done from home that don't require much more than data entry or answering the telephone. you could be a virtual PA for someone etc..

I think the key word is "could". In reality I doubt many companies would hire someone they haven't met in person, especially if they have a disability. Also a common issue every worker faces is when you've had no recent employment (or education) it is a red flag.

Also how many companies actually embrace technology? The amount of time wasted going to appointments to have a consultation when it could be done over the phone, or video call, is still very high.

There is still a rigid work system in this country that the vast majority of companies won't bend on anything. The over saturation of immigrant workers means it is easier just to hire someone else.

I remember in the 90s typing to people on the Internet in the US that worked from home doing telesales. But as far as I can see this never came over here, at least on a noticeable scale.

 

[BowdonUK]

That's rather missing the point, most companies require you to come into the office. That doesn't negate that remote work exists even for basic things like VPAs.

I know remote work exists and works. I was replying from the point of a housebound disabled person.

 

[BowdonUK]

If your company expected you to work away from your home office it would pay for hotels, in the case of MP's they are expected to be in London a lot, and paying to rent a flat/mortgage a flat is cheaper than putting all the mp's up in hotels.

I've always thought the government could build an MP apartment block in Greater London somewhere that offered cheap rooms for MP's.

The government could exempt the construction of most taxes and costs.

It's like how mill owners built residential housing for the workers back in the day.

 

[BowdonUK]

If you think ill treatment of disabled people, children, was a thing of the past, think again!

Radio 4 - Listen Live - BBC Sounds

Listen live to BBC Radio 4 on BBC Sounds

www.bbc.co.uk

File on 4.

Three years ago, dozens of memory sticks were discovered in a sealed box at a school for children with special educational needs. There was 500 hours of footage which showed children being held in so-called 'calming rooms.' The videos showed the children being hit and denied access to a toilet. File on 4 investigates why a subsequent police investigation and an independent inquiry didn't lead to staff being sacked. File on 4 reveals how staff who were filmed hitting, kicking, and leaving children sitting in urine have not been sacked or referred to the barring service.

“Horrifying” abuse uncovered at special school in London

Staff caught on CCTV abusing children at a special school in Walthamstow have not been sacked, according to an investigation by BBC File on 4.

www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk

 

[BowdonUK]

We're in a corrupt society when Sunak can near instantly write off around £10 billion connected to PPE. Yet when it comes to the disability bill he and Hunt want to forensically go through every pound and pence.

The governments priorities are wrong.

 

[BowdonUK]

One of the issues with filling in forms and at the assessment is you feel like you're a failure by describing the things you can't do.

The forms are designed to trick you, and the temptation to play down your own disability is the perfect trap.

For example the forms asks you if you can various activities. Let us take one I remember (I'm not sure if it's a current question), you can be asked can you make a hot drink? So you have grip and muscle problems, but you think I might be able to make 1 drink lifting the kettle. So you put that on the form. The accessor sees it and assumes you have no problem at all. But the reality is you can literally only make one drink. For the rest of the day your muscles are aching and you might have to lie down for a while.

What the question should be asking you is are you able to make multiple hot drinks one after the other many times without any issues. If they had wrote the question that way you'd have written that you can't do that.

I think this "benefit dodging" is just an excuse to pick on an easy target.

For whatever reason the Conservative government have had 14 years of running every area of this country down. Interrogating the disabled is just another example.

I was born disabled. The targeting of disabled people through innuendo and repeatedly changing the system as happened all my life. Its no wonder hate crimes happen to disabled people as the government as set the tone that we're living the life of riley.

 

[BowdonUK]

So PIP fraud is being used to attack disabled people, including using it as an excuse to go into people's bank accounts.

It's now come out from the DWP's own data that PIP fraud is statistically nearly ZERO! The main registered fraud is due to a disabled person having a change of circumstances ie if you're taken ill in hospital you're expected to drag yourself to the nearest phone to tell them of the change of circumstance. Don't be using a heart attack or stroke as an excuse for not informing them! The DWP considers that fraud, even though you are still entitled to it and would immediately get it back once leaving hospital if you'd told them.

Almost no recorded cases of disability benefit fraud despite DWP crackdown

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has released new statistics showing that fraud in the disability benefits system is a "non-issue"

www.bigissue.com

They are waiting for disabled people to trip up.

By their own records there is nearly zero fraud happening with PIP.

The other fraud is them repeatedly over paying people and then saying it's fraud because the person didn't immediately spot it and pay them back. I don't know about other people. But I'm not checking my account every day. I just assume the right money goes it. But it turns out if a person doesn't spot their mistake they are accused of fraud!

 

[BowdonUK]

The DWP itself is under investigation.

Disabled benefit claimants may have been mistreated - watchdog

Probe will look into cases like Errol Graham's, who starved to death after his benefits were stopped.

www.bbc.co.uk

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)* is looking at whether the department failed to make reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities or long-term mental health conditions, during health assessments for some benefits.

Equalities watchdog investigating DWP over treatment of disabled people on benefits

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said it "suspects" the department "may have broken equality law" when assessing benefit claimants, as well as in its day-to-day operations.

news.sky.com

DWP may have 'broken the law' over treatment of disabled people, watchdog says

Britain’s human rights watchdog will investigate whether the DWP has “broken the law” in its treatment of disabled benefits claimants.

www.bigissue.com

*This is a good example that shows who the ECHR helps the most, the British people. Don't fall for the anti immigrant ECHR rhetoric. If the government got rid of it we'd be the ones impacted most by removing our protections and ability to hold government organisations to account.

 

[BowdonUK]

I think a problem in the system that could be improved is when there are mental health support.

At the moment adult social care is pitiful. Having to wait months, sometimes years, for an initial appointment is dreadful.