PIP claimants: All 1.6 million claims to be reviewed

EarthRod

Just been awarded PIP. Went through a year of sheer hell. Sometimes what gets published and the positive slant the government try and put onto things are very different from the everyday reality of the process.

Having worked as a high rate tax payer for many years before my health declined, I can assure you there are a lot easier ways to make good money than to be on benefits. Maybe some have an easy life from it, but it's not my experience nor those whom I've got to meet and have discussions with.

Bl4ckGryph0n

I missed the bit where the government promotes disabled people being physically attacked, beaten up and abused.  Harassed with these ill informed PIP assessments, yes I get that.  I might have skimmed over some of the longer posts though.

Toko Black

Corellation between increased negative government messages about emphasising the number of benefit claimant cheats including those claiming disability, increased public hostility and negative attitudes to benefit claimants and a rise in assaults and harassment against the disabled backed up by reports from the UN and the Crown Prosecution's report.

tapzilla2k

Final time I'll ask.

What government messages?

Not sure how many times I need to ask before you either provide some, or admit they don't exist.

IronGiant

I read somewhere (obviously from some left-wing newspaper) that "the government is to review 1.6 million disability benefit claims after the High Court ruled the system was blatantly discriminatory against people with mental health problems."

I also read (from some left-wing newspaper) that "The Government’s own welfare experts have attacked a controversial decision to deny disability benefits to 160,000 vulnerable people – and urged ministers to shelve it."

Obviously these negative comments are not to be believed - I mean who writes this rubbish?

Toko Black

Actually it is exactly the system we have. Unless you top up the basics yourself there is no fancy/nice lifestyle. And I’m ok with that as it should be he individual determining what level of lifestyle they want to continue. It should not be the state, the state should provide the safety net.

Btw I love you final sentence, like being in primary school; “more [yet not actually quantified] agree with me, so there you are wrong nah nah nah nah nah” Anyway I’m perfectly ok with that, I’m happy to formulate my own opinions and not google them.

Toko Black

Are you for real ?

Take any poll, survey or voting record for the last 80yrs and you'll see majority support politically and publically in the UK for welfare, state pensions, state healthcare and state education.

or it is a case that a one off Brexit vote is democracy in action while expressing my experience of years of voting, polls and perception of the public and political system in the UK is 'like being in primary school' ..... because you ideologically support one and disagree with the other.

The 'culture' and desires of the majority of the UK public and political system is diametrically opposed to your position as you have expressed it - that being one of personal responsibility and that of 'choices' being superior to one of social empathy/support which allows for the diverse spectrum of human behaviours to keep them covered and able to get help and support even when they are their own worst enemy.

If anyone is being particularly childish it's those choosing to infer others are 'googling' their opinions instead of formulating their own.

IronGiant

They rushed in changes to the PIP regulations to save money by denying the Mentally Ill points for psychological distress, later challenged in the courts. They've not saved a penny as this will cost £3.7 billion or more to correct and who knows how long to go through all 1.6 million PIP claims/awards.

The Government has been pretty consistent in ignoring Parliament and it's own experts about things that could be done to improve various parts of the benefit system. I believe Iain Duncan Smith was told 3 or 4 times by Parliament to make changes to the Work Capability Assessment, but he either didn't or conducted limited trials in selected parts of the country.


All I will say is when you go for PIP, you are asked a series of questions that are not capable of figuring out the nuances of a mental health condition. So you end up scoring no points. Then have to wait months for an appeal where all the Medical Evidence is looked at. More often than not you win the appeal, and the DWP has to backdate payments (which can run into thousands, depending on how long people have been waiting for appeal). It's vindictive and makes a mockery of May's goal of parity of esteem between physical and mental health.

Bl4ckGryph0n

The review is a good thing isn't it?  It's hard to tell from some of the replies.

Toko Black

Ah sorry, slightly crossed wires.

My comments are with regards to reviews of for example the benefits system and the dwp's running of it, ie oversight and regular select commitee reports and evaluations.

The 'review' of actual claims is being forced as a result of the DWP not listening to previous advice and 'reviews' on their practices.

In simple terms - I'm talking about reviewing the DWP is good, but that it is bad that the DWP need to review client claims because of their own systemic failures that were pointed out many times and yet remain unchanged.