Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

The management of the DWP give staff policies, procedures & guidance to work to. No doubt Government ministers have leaned on them to use the areas open to interpretation and reasonableness to the detriment of claimants. This is then cascaded down to frontline staff.

Eg is it 'reasonable' to sanction a man for 'failing to complete a medical assessment' because he had a heart attack in the middle of it? Most right thinking people would say no (even though the reason for the sanction is technically correct). I'm confident that DWP staff would have made a sensible decision in the past, but under Cameron's continuing 'stricter benefits regime', he was sanctioned for this.

Man with broken back has enough of being repeatedly found fit for work eventually kills himself:

https://welfareweekly.com/benefit-cl...r-work-by-dwp/

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

It is clear to all with a reasonable and objective view that the Welfare System under the Tories is not fit for purpose. The callousness of the current administration should not surprise anyone. It really is all about the money to them, nothing else matters.

Yes, you will get the Tory apologists coming along soon with a weak excuses but these will just be shallow attempts at redirection & spin. The evidence is there for all (except the ideologically blind) to see ..

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

Hugh is not a Tory apoligist l can guarantee you that as one cannot blame the staff who are making the frontline decisions as they have to be politically neutral civil servants in their jobs and they also have to adhere to the rules and criteria set in front of them no matter who the government of the day is.

Don't forget Labour have history with the ESA fiasco so its not just the Tories involved in these benefit fiasco's.

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

Bless.
That's classic comedy gold :rofl:

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

Hey, what does a smurf know?

The welfare safety net is not fit for purpose says Work and Pensions Committee

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

Quite.

A committee made up of (at time of formation) five Tory and six opposition MPs. By the time the report was published there were only 3 government bench MPs named on it. Politically neutral, it isn't.

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

Interesting, you think the opinions of Parliament Select Committee should be ignored on the grounds of "not enough Tories". The members of committees are selected by their parties through an internal ballot, for agreement by the House - see https://www.parliament.uk/business/c...-agreed-17-19/

I think in light of the current brazen and consistent lies of the Tory Party, they are probably the last ones who might qualify for such an important role.

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

Err, no, what I think is what I posted. The committee is not politically neutral and its report should be read critically, not simply posted on an Internet forum as if its mere existence were the final proof of the point someone is trying to make.

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

It makes it all the more poignant when you see the faces of those killed by the welfare cuts/changes:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...terity-5642530

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

The heart attack case will be miscommunication between the assessor and the DWP or the DWP missed the reason. The DWP will have been informed the assessment wasn't completed. The assessor won't have known at the time that it was a heart attack. Even a hospital doesn't immediately know without further tests.


The "broken back" case doesn't specify too much. Eg Why wasn't the condition medically treated? When did it start?
Link

That would suggest before 2010, ie died in 2017 aged 62. So first turned down under Labour and their rules.

Although this should have helped his situation.

Not being able walk without significant discomfort isn't the only measure. Although back problems would also likely lead to problems using a manual wheelchair.

---------- Post added at 21:18 ---------- Previous post was at 21:06 ----------

Any article that includes this:-
Cannot be taken seriously. They were all receiving benefits at the time.



If I asked for the number of deaths in Labour controlled councils, would that have any significance? Of course not.

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

So far, 43% of disabled people have lost their adapted cars as a result of being moved onto PIP:

https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2018/...-adapted-cars/

Meanwhile, it appears that Esther McVey is being called out again with her falsehoods. This time by a fellow Tory MP regarding the Motability Scheme (Lord Sterling who founded the scheme):

https://voxpoliticalonline.com/2018/...on-motability/

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

And?

There recently was a documentary (on channel 5?) about problems with parking. One person was a Blue Badge holder. He didn't really care how far away from his destination he was, he just wanted priority. If the distance didn't matter, was he really eligible? If distance doesn't matter, then you're in the same boat as everybody else who doesn't have a Blue Badge or even a car.

Eg Amputation of one leg may make you eligible at first for PIP or DLA, but as the stump settles down, you may NOT be eligible any more. Nothing new about that. People incorrectly assume that loss of a leg means automatically eligible. That isn't the case and never has been. Loss of both legs above the ankle is another matter. That situation IS automatically eligible for DLA/PIP, and that is specifically set out in the rules.
DLA Decision Makers Guide
PIP
One awkward situation around this issue, is that they lose the car fairly quickly, when a reconsideration or appeal may reinstate entitlement. Not sure how you can get around that. Difficult to justify the DWP continuing to pay out for a car, but not paying non-car drivers the benefit instead. Especially if they lose the appeal, and then appeal to the Upper Tribunal etc which could delay things for more than a year.


Too many misconceptions about entitlement and the rules. There are errors and outright "misconduct in public office" issues with DWP staff, but it is important to differentiate between those and public misconceptions.

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

Most have lost their cars due to them changing the goalposts when they are transferred over to PIP.

Since the loss of their adapted cars, many disabled people are now isolated. Ironically, some have had to give up work...

Some good news about this young man. After suddenly being declared fit for work, this profoundly disabled young man has had his benefit restored after the DWP did a U turn:

https://www.maldonandburnhamstandard...ts/?ref=twtrec

These assessments should be made fit for their actual purpose, what if this man hadn't have had family to stand up for him?

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

Petition to save public money and, at the same time, make life easier for those with irreversible disabilities or progressive conditions:

It's time to scrap Cameron's obsession with testing all disabled people over and over again (to her credit, May has already scrapped this for pensioners):

https://www.change.org/p/government-...ive-conditions

Re: The state benefits system mega-thread.
 

Define irreversible.
I've already given an example of something that might appear irreversible but the overall situation can improve. Eg Leg amputation. Plus you have reported examples of fraud where people have got away with faking a condition, even something like blindness.
There will be cases that are fully diagnosed and aren't likely to improve, but it's not as clear cut as people are making it out to be.