Disability Benefit Is 'Broken'

[Buce]

IDS's own advisers condemn Work Capability Assessment, and say it is time to scrap it:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/11/disability-benefits-broken-iain-duncan-smith-adviser-work-capability-assessment

[Oxfordfox83]

Not sure this is LCFC specific...

[Vacamion]

[The Stones]

You got to move

You got to move

You got to move-ah-ah-ah-ah

You got to move

[/the Stones]

[Buce]

Don't know how that happened.

I'm sure it will find its way to the right forum..

[RobHawk]

Don't know how that happened.

I'm sure it will find its way to the right forum..

You passed the assessment and are now eligible for disability benefit!

[Nalis]

Its such a difficult issue to police as its subject to avuse by the minority but I do agree that the current set up should be scrapped.

A programme that removes any benefits should replace those benefits with the support structure to give individuals the possibility of work in an appropiate area considering their disability.

[Buce]

Meanwhile, 500,000 disabled people face cuts of up to £150 for 'aids and appliances':

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/mar/12/disability-benefit-cuts-could-see-500000-people-lose-150-a-week

Thracian is fond of describing people as 'inherently evil'; I can't think of a more apt description for IDS - he's a fvcking psychopath.

And now he claims benefit recipients who have been sanctioned are actually 'grateful' - apparently starving and losing their home 'helped them focus':

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/mar/12/labour-refer-groundless-iain-duncan-smith-claim-statistics-watchdog

[Rincewind]

I'm surprised this was not mentioned before on here. Perhaps it seems less important than Corbyn not wearing a nice suit because he is a nasty leftie. 

I have also seen hidden in the rise in employment zero hour contracts has risen. ESA is being reduced by £30 PW to the same as JSA. It does not help the disabled, many who have worked previously and would like to work, when Remploy a souce for them to retrain has closed many of their centres. No doubt because of lack of funding.

Now the thermally ill are being passed fit for work.

There are a great percentage assessment decisions being reversed upon appeal and the DHS is wasting public money challenging them. IDS has been advised by many groups to investigate and restructure the system and look at the failings but so far has refused to revue it believing he is right and everyone else is wrong.

How on earth does he think that someone suffering with depression or a mental illness will be happier if more stress is piled on them by reducing their income or in some cases stopping it all together? It is all well and good saying they would improve in work but are there a queue of employers wanting to take them on if they are likely to lose time or cause problems in the workplace because of their condition? 

I have probably written too much so will stop.

[DJ Barry Hammond]

What seems crazy here is that a benefit such as this, which is rather smaller in budgetary costs compared to some more widely available benefits and is something that is so very essential to those that claim it is so closely scrutinised as opposed to things like pensions / child benefit.

There also seems to be a general misinformed opinion that obtaining benefits is easy... having experienced situations of need myself recently I can confirm its anything but and that the process is in fact mentally draining and soul destroying.

The system at present seems to me to exacerbate a feeling of uncertainty, making it tough for anyone in receipt to properly plan ahead and move to a position where they could come off benefits.

A couple of key changes I'd like to see with the whole system;

*Give councils greater automony to make decisions at a local level on these more niche range of benefits - the top down, one solution for all governance doesn't help. There should be guidelines, but it would be far more cost effective to tailor things to a persons needs.

*where someone is identified as being in a position of need, provide an overall package of support for an initial period - segmenting the benefits from the start into lots of different areas makes it harder for people to make choices on how to help themselves as they end up factoring in what they would lose as part of the decision process.

*ironically the above could be described as a 'universal credit!' The key difference is it wouldn't be the shambles that the current project is.

*put money into building up local councils stock in house services OR encourage local smaller private providers to run them - too much council money flows into large corporations, reducing the buying power of that budget and the flow of money that would have naturally come back into the treasury

*look at more ways to help people give something back for the help they receive. I would imagine most people who receive support would like to feel they are giving something back in return - but if that isn't reciprocated early on, a mindset of dependency can develop, whereby people then become trapped.

If someone feels they are helping themselves in some way alongside support, they will be more empowered to help themselves further.

[GaelicFox]

Cut off all benefits for alcoholics and drug addicts

Stop paying children's allowance to 1m children in Eastern Europe

Cap all benefits at 20k

Unemployment support benefits paid for a maximum of 12 months to any person and 18 months out of 48 maximum

Trial it for 48 months and see how it goes

[Rincewind]

DJ sums it up well.

[Babylon]

Disability benefits should be means tested if you ask me, my partner received DLA and so do many of her friends... Some of them earn £30-£50k a year yet are still able to claim.

It should be there to help those in need, not feather the nests of those already fairly well off, and able to look after themselves financially.

[Rincewind]

When it is their only income is it right to reduce it. I thought if you worked you could not claim the full amount?

I agree with the above. It does seem though that only those at the bottom end are being targeted.

David Cameron had a child with disability and received the benefit.

 

[DJ Barry Hammond]

Cut off all benefits for alcoholics and drug addicts

You do realise the problem with this one specific approach? How do you identify an addict, unless that person self declares in the aim to get support to make a positive change to their life?

Unless your suggesting random members of the public would shop people on benefits because they saw them buy more than 4 tins of larger in Tesco once and this would be a justifiable reason to cut off support, what your approach would do is discourage people from getting the help they need!

And something that should be realised... Being at the depth of poverty, especially in the current climate, is ****ing depressing and is bloody hard work so I'm not suprised a lot of people who find themselves in this situation turn to cigarettes, alcohol or naughty others. It's what a lot of people higher up the social leader turn to at the end of a stressful day, so why should it be different for anyone else - the main difference will be the price and god awful taste for those on smaller incomes.

[DJ Barry Hammond]

https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/disability

Thought the above might help... But Christ there is a lot of reading there!

And therein could be why it's so broken... What we have here is an attempt to cover every type of situation with a unified set of rules, yet given how wide ranging this subject is all that this approach has done is makes things more complicated and harder for those in need to access assistance to become independent.

[Rincewind]

There is also a report out showing that the majority of 'reporting' of benefit fraud by members of the public turn out to be unproven. Of course this will not be confirmed by the government or DWP as they are the ones that set the scheme up. It is costing the taxpayer as much to ru n it and investigate as it saves.

 

MP asked to stand down as patron to a branch of the MS Society after voting for £30 reduction in disability benefits. He has yet to respond to the request. 

 

http://50shadesofsun.com/?p=1906

[Rincewind]

Didn't want to start a new thread for this. It is the closest for it.

 

This bloke has written a letter to David Cameron every day for four years and as yet to receive a proper reply.

 

https://www.facebook.com/jsuknews/videos/813005458832887/

 

I doubt they even get to him and are binned unopened by some secretary upon his instructions.

[Wymsey]

It was broke when a certain Mick Philpott moaned about not working as he had ''anxiety'', now look where he's at.

[Jon the Hat]

How is it even possible in this country to be in abject poverty?  Are we saying that it is not possible to live on the minimum of benefits?

 

I know about santions etc, but that aside is that what we are saying? 

[Benguin]

How is it even possible in this country to be in abject poverty?  Are we saying that it is not possible to live on the minimum of benefits?

 

I know about santions etc, but that aside is that what we are saying? 

 

I think abject is probably the wrong adjective to describe poverty In the UK but essentially yes, I can't see how anyone with disabilities would be able to survive on the current minimum arrangement and feel motivation to earn more money. Perhaps motivation to hang themselves maybe?

 

Motivation comes from being able to achieve greater results not being put in a worse situation and being asked to claw your way out. At least we're paying the debt off though hey so swings and roundabouts.

[Buce]

How is it even possible in this country to be in abject poverty? Are we saying that it is not possible to live on the minimum of benefits?

I know about santions etc, but that aside is that what we are saying?

A single person recieves £73 per week. This has to cover gas/electricity/water rates/10% of Council Tax, before you even start to consider food/clothing requirements, sundry replacement/repair of essential items (ie cooker).

Also, job-seeking has to be done online, so broadband is a requirement (not everyone has access to a library, neither is computer use free where libraries are available). Realistically, job-seeking also requires a phone.

You do the maths.

[Rincewind]

Have you tried calling the DWP. Premium rate numbers. So calling them to ask where a missed payment is that is needed to pay an outstanding bill may mean missing out on food. Plus going to a job interview requires smart clothes and travel expenses.

Some people with disabilities require extras like more heating or toiletry items. Stress over money matters is inevitable when income is reduced or stopped leading to depression.

[Darkon84]

Have you tried calling the DWP. Premium rate numbers. So calling them to ask where a missed payment is that is needed to pay an outstanding bill may mean missing out on food. Plus going to a job interview requires smart clothes and travel expenses.

Some people with disabilities require extras like more heating or toiletry items. Stress over money matters is inevitable when income is reduced or stopped leading to depression.

 

If my memory serves correctly, the DWP number is an 0345 number isn't it? So, as such, is BY LAW forced to charge at the same rate as standard UK geographical numbers such as 01(16) etc and are to be include in any free minutes your suppliers provide you with. The same goes for ringing them from a mobile number. Still, I do appreciate that this might still create an expensive call if you're kept waiting forever, which most services unfortunately tend to do.

[Mickey O'Neil]

The benefits system....ruined by a few. I'm not in no way defending the Tories, but a certain element of claimants infuriate me and I think these are the ones that should be hit.

There's a very high percentage of prisoners (HMP Leicester) that know if you're on certain medications, you have to do f uck all for your benefits money. They are the ones that also claim to have certain conditions and if or when I discharge them, saying there's nothing wrong with them, they come screaming at me telling me they won't get housed if I don't say they've got issues.

[Rincewind]

The mother of her 18 yr old daughter who has learning disability, autism and epilepsy made this video of her going through a ESA/PIP questionnaire. Most of the questions on what she can do she answered 'yes' even though she did not understand what some words meant. Full article here 

She was lucky that she had someone  to help her with the form.