Disabled couple snooped on and accused of fraud by the DWP

I have to be honest, I’m unsure about whether we should be awarding such high percentages of claims to alcoholics, druggies and the obese.

Although I suppose they could be short lived claims, granted while the claimant is in rehab. But if the claimant refuses to attempt rehab, should we continue funding their self inflicted harmful lifestyle?
 
robfosters said:
I have to be honest, I’m unsure about whether we should be awarding such high percentages of claims to alcoholics, druggies and the obese.

Although I suppose they could be short lived claims, granted while the claimant is in rehab. But if the claimant refuses to attempt rehab, should we continue funding their self inflicted harmful lifestyle?
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Hold up, I can get money for being fat?!?
 
BowdonUK said:
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.
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Yup

IIRC a large part of it is questions on what you can do, and if you can do them reliably, safely (important) and as needed.

So something like "writers cramp" might sound stupid but if it's a proper diagnosis it indicates an issue with the use of the hands, from memory "writers cramp" if it's the full on version means you can have a loss of control of the muscles in your hands/wrists (spasms etc), which means you are unable to reliably use them for certain tasks, and some tasks could be actively dangerous (if you have a spasm whilst trying to carry a hot tray for example).
[edit]
My friend with something similar had massive problems until she had a diagnosis, and it turns out that there are several diagnosis for it (I think writers cramp is similar) depending on how/were it affects you, and the professions it was first noticed in so for the hand version it was "musicians" something or other.[/edit]

There are certain diagnosis and conditions that do make it much easier to get, but as I think one of the links shown demonstrates even something like "loss of lower limb" may not be enough to get it (or presumably the mobility part).
 
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robfosters said:
I have to be honest, I’m unsure about whether we should be awarding such high percentages of claims to alcoholics, druggies and the obese.

Although I suppose they could be short lived claims, granted while the claimant is in rehab. But if the claimant refuses to attempt rehab, should we continue funding their self inflicted harmful lifestyle?
Click to expand...
There is the question there that then comes up, was the person needing PIP purely because they were obese, or was the obesity a result of something else.

If you cannot exercise much due to a medical condition, and cannot shop and cook your own healthy meals it is exceptionally easy to put weight on, especially if you're stuck in a house because you can't get out much.

I had an acquaintance who died a couple of years ago, she was exceptionally big, in large part because she liked eating, but that wouldn't have been as much of a problem if she hadn't had major leg problems and by the time she hit her late teens was largely unable to walk and the weight piled on in the space of a year or so and no matter what she tried after that she couldn't hold the weight off.
You see something similar with a lot of people who due to age or illness stop being active but don't adjust their food intake fast enough and they can pile on the weight much faster than they can then lose it.

It really doesn't help when it's often actually harder and more expensive to get "healthy" meals if you're unable to cook from scratch yourself.
 
Werewolf said:
There is the question there that then comes up, was the person needing PIP purely because they were obese, or was the obesity a result of something else.

If you cannot exercise much due to a medical condition, and cannot shop and cook your own healthy meals it is exceptionally easy to put weight on, especially if you're stuck in a house because you can't get out much.

I had an acquaintance who died a couple of years ago, she was exceptionally big, in large part because she liked eating, but that wouldn't have been as much of a problem if she hadn't had major leg problems and by the time she hit her late teens was largely unable to walk and the weight piled on in the space of a year or so and no matter what she tried after that she couldn't hold the weight off.
You see something similar with a lot of people who due to age or illness stop being active but don't adjust their food intake fast enough and they can pile on the weight much faster than they can then lose it.

It really doesn't help when it's often actually harder and more expensive to get "healthy" meals if you're unable to cook from scratch yourself.
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Ok, but what about the drugs and alcoholism?
 
Werewolf said:
There are certain diagnosis and conditions that do make it much easier to get, but as I think one of the links shown demonstrates even something like "loss of lower limb" may not be enough to get it (or presumably the mobility part).
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To be fair, I regularly find myself considering amputation of my lower right leg as a viable improvement to the constant issues I'm having. I just don't want it done (yet) as it turns out I'm quite attached to the thing.
 
arknor said:
Anything wrote on those forms is irrelevant, it doesn't matter how you word anything, they don't pay any attention to them.
It's basically evidence they can use against you, and nothing else.

Only what the assessor says at the interview counts and any medical evidence you have to back up your claims.

It's extremely difficult to get PIP.

why do you think disabled people literally kill themselves over it?

like
www.disabilitynewsservice.com

Philippa Day: Flawed PIP system led to young mum’s death, says coroner

Flaws in the disability benefits system were “the predominant factor and the only acute factor” that led to a young disabled mother taking her own life, a coroner has concluded. Gordon Clow, assist…
www.disabilitynewsservice.com www.disabilitynewsservice.com
She probably just didn't want to work and her only other option was suicide?
She was living on 60 a week for four and a half months due to a DWP series of mistakes btw.

She probably spent all her money on takeaways, cigs and booze

www.disabilitynewsservice.com

Claimant deaths still linked to systemic flaws in benefits system, DWP document shows

Scores of deaths of claimants in the last three years have been linked to persistent, systemic flaws in the way benefits are managed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), an official docum…
www.disabilitynewsservice.com www.disabilitynewsservice.com

insert British people are lazy mantra here
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These idiots in the thread should try using one of those websites and get pip.

They have no idea the information pip assessors use when speaking to you to determine your award.
I find it so funny they think simply typing out some paragraphs in the application will get them PIP.

IMAGINE it was that easy, not the hell that it really is where the majority of accepted pip claims are done at tribunal.
 
arknor said:
how can an appeal take 2 and a half years?


You start a claim then wait 4-7 months for an assessment.
lets say mandatory recon takes a month.(it doesn't)
Then say tribunal wait is maybe 6 months max.

Thats like 1.5years believable with the delays in assessing people currently..

2.5 seems like a tall tale.

and I doubt she got anything purely for agoraphobia, theres probably something else they aren't telling you about

at a tribunal she would have to convince 3 people btw and I doubt they are taking anyones word for it.

probably something happened in her past you don't know about because she doesn't want it public.

if she was at a carnival and you have proof report her to the DWP https://www.gov.uk/report-benefit-fraud
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Its not uncommon for the back and fourth to take so long that people end up getting it 2 or 3 years down the line at tribunal.

I saw a lot about that when I was looking into pip/lcwra for my mom.
 
BowdonUK said:
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.
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This is exactly it.

This and how it effects your DAILY living. Your award is based on how badly you are effected on a daily basis.

So listing by condition doesn't really tell us much, that person with a writers cramp may have a whole host of other side effects and health/mental health conditions behind that.
 
GIBURROWS said:
Add in the fact that people who don't want to work will not want to go through army training and neither should they have to, I wouldn't want anyone to have to fight for the profit of corporations/government
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But what if doing your duty shall we say was the only way to get a vote, how would you go then?
 
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