The state benefits system mega-thread.

[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by Hugh

And the full text is

The word 'currently' makes the difference....

For instance, one of my team leaders has Lupus - at times, she is not capable of working, but most of the time she is; we cater for this, and work together to mitigate the impact of her condition.

There is a difference tho between someone already in employment getting an illness and someone trying to find work. Not to mention senior staff are more likely to be accommodated.

I think the statement on WRAG is not worded well, but what it is supposed to mean is that the person has been assessed as unable to work during their prognosis period but are expected to recover at the end of it and as such should make preparations for going back to work e.g. keeping their CV up to date.

I think the idea of WRAG was ok, but the implementation has been aweful. The DWP had an opportunity to genuinely help people but instead relied on a system of threats and sanctions and like to call it helping people. This has in turn just made most claimants fearful of appearing able to work and ultimatley less enthusiastic then was hoped.

Charities seemed to have not learnt their lesson from last time, they will probably be told all sorts of promises by government officials and then something different will happen to what they been told. The clue is in the wording of statements e.g. one statement mentioned the SG was targeted to only have 10% of claimants in it but actually has close to 50%, so one primary reason for the rehaul will be to get that down to the target in future, in other words reinventing disability so less people are classed as unable to work. The people found fit for work will probably get no more help than before, I may sound negative, but my comment is based on whats happened in the last 20 years of reforms.

If PIP is used as a precedent, I can forsee them increasing payments to those who qualify so they can claim more help is been provided but alongside changes that make a lot less people getting support.

[Taf]

The Benefits Cap reductions kick in soon. Wait for the wailing and protests.

[RichardCoulter]

Hot on the heals of the sensible decision to stop pointlessly putting the most severely disabled through the Work Capability Assessment is some rather less welcome news.

A green paper has been published regarding the consideration of ALL sick & disabled people being required to take part in mandatory work related activity as a condition of receiving benefit:

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com...support-group/

This would include everybody in the ESA Support Group (even the terminally ill).

I urge those opposed to this to make their views known.

You can do this via a questionnaire here:

https://consultations.dh.gov.uk/workandhealth/consult/

Or let the DWP know your views here workandhealth@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

[Taf]

UK inflation registered a surprise fall in October............ (CPI) slipped to 0.9%, from 1% in September, the Office for National Statistics said.

Not a surprise at all, it's the month HMG uses to set any increases in Benefits next April AFAIK.

If indeed there will be any increases at all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37986365

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Taf

Not a surprise at all, it's the month HMG uses to set any increases in Benefits next April AFAIK.

If indeed there will be any increases at all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37986365

If there were any hidden increases, those increases would appear anyway in next years figures.

Hardly big differences involved.

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) slipped to 0.9%, from 1% in September, the Office for National Statistics said.
That was below the 1.1% predicted by economists, who said sterling's fall would push October's CPI higher.

Any increase in production costs wouldn't appear immediately in prices. There are contracts and price lists in place that have to be amended. That takes time. If may jump next month, but as I said that jump will appear in the next benefits change. They have to pick a fixed point each year. It is not about picking the "best" month.

[RichardCoulter]

New article about Government plans to force all disabled people to become work focused:

http://www.disabledgo.com/blog/2016/...o-green-paper/

[Arthurgray50@blu]

Sorry to say this, for all the Tory lovers out there. This is typical of them. What the problem here is. They are all always attacking the Disability budget.

Why don't they change the record and bring out the Mansion Tax for all the rich.

I read recently that a House in Hampstead fetched 40 million for a 15 ROOM mansion. Who the bloody hell needs 15 ROOMS.

This is where the extra money would come from.

The Tories always hit the vulnerable of this world. They don't want to hit the rich, as they put money into the Tory coffers Makes me sick

[Mr K]

Come the revolution Arthur I'm right beside you. Clarkson is first on the list... The 'list' goes on a bit so I'll stop there.

[mrmistoffelees]

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

New article about Government plans to force all disabled people to become work focused:

http://www.disabledgo.com/blog/2016/...o-green-paper/

SWMBO used to work for DWP there was a guy who worked there, who had no legs & one arm missing

Outside of work he was a foster carer, heavily involved in the disabled footballers supporters association, He also carried the torch in the Olympics relay.


If someone who has one functioning limb can work FT hours. Is it a massive ask? I dont know?

There is nothing wrong with helping those who could work to get work they are only doing what those people want anyway, but assuming everyone can work is taking it too far. If them telling me I'm fit for work made it so I'd save up some money and pay them but sadly it doesn't work like that. Using myself as an example i leave with pain 24\7 and that's just being in the house, tomorrow i go to see my rheumatologist the hospital is 700 metres away it'll take me 45 minutes to get there and just over an hour to return home. Thankfully i have an excellent Dr who understands by the time he see's me pain will be affecting my concentration so he speaks slowly and takes all the time needed. I'll get home by about 11:30 and the main pain will start to ease off about 21-2200 if I'm lucky I'll be able to sleep.

Now if i had to repeat the same trip tuesday it would take just over an hour and a half to get there and a good two to get back home with the pain substantially increased and it would not ease off till mid morning wednesday. Doing it for a 5 day week would make me completely useless to a company by wednesday my concentration levels would be seriously compromised and my general mood wouldn't be good I'm told i get snappier the more pain I'm in which I'm not aware of at the time. For the last year and a half I've been getting very severe headaches which can last months current one has been going for about 18 weeks and the cause is currently being sought. I haven't included that on any forms as there isn't a cause and specific diagnosis even though it further compromises my ability to concentrate. This is why the assessment in the current form isn't doing as much as it could and needs to be improved.

Like so many other terms in modern life disability is used to describe many people that don't match the image many people have from a couple of decades ago. It's also a term some think explains everything and puts any debate to bed and it doesn't, I've always believed that more could and should have been done to help the public understand how the term disability was being applied and how it's meaning hadn't so much changed as expanded to cover other things. I also would support very heavy penalties on anyone found to be commiting fraud using disability.

[pip08456]

Even though the cause hasn't been found you should include the headaches as they effect your everyday life which is what the form is all about.

Normally i would but with no medical reason or proof beyond me saying i have them i don't feel it's right to list them as a condition yet my rheumatologist has some theories and I'm waiting for an appointment with a neurologist. I was sent to a pain management clinic but after touching my head in eight different places he stated there were no major issues and just doubled one of my meds not sure how reliable touching is but he was a doctor so till another says different I'll go along with him.

[pip08456]

Matters not about medical evidence although that sounds stupid. You should tell it how it is, the neurologist may find something so if/when you have to have a medical you would then have evidence to hand.

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by mrmistoffelees

SWMBO used to work for DWP there was a guy who worked there, who had no legs & one arm missing

Outside of work he was a foster carer, heavily involved in the disabled footballers supporters association, He also carried the torch in the Olympics relay.


If someone who has one functioning limb can work FT hours. Is it a massive ask? I dont know?

The same disabilities affect different people in different ways, as does any treatment/medication taken to help with them eg cancer.

After I posted about someone with cancer being told that to receive any benefit, he would have to stop his anti cancer treatment and look for work instead (basically he had a choice, die of cancer or starvation), someone once posted on here that he worked with someone who had cancer that managed to stay working throughout.

I explained that it all depends on what type of cancer, how it affected him personally and how any medication affected him personally that mattered.

I think that some people have a little experience of things and wrongfully assume that every case is the same.

Then there are the disabilities that untrained people believe that they have a right to comment upon and make assumptions about eg mental illness.

Untrained people that have been doing the face to face interviews for PIP have been coming out with ridiculous and offensive remarks like:

- To a man with acute depression who said that he had a history of suicide attempts"how come you're still alive then"?

- To a person affected by Thalidomide "Do you have any idea when your leg will grow back again"?

This is purely a cost saving exercise and has nothing to do with helping disabled become more independent etc.

I used to work full time, but have had to go part time. Who knows, I may need to give up work altogether in the future.

This will be my decision and not someone like the idiots quoted above.

[denphone]

Mistakes in ESA benefits claims could cost up to £500m to put right.

The errors identified by the Department for Work and Pensions affect the main sickness benefit, the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Frank Field, chairman of the Commons work and pensions select committee, said the problem was on a scale of "historic proportions".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42012116