Peoples acceptance of disability/illness

bundly

I am 51 and on IB after an accident at work that has long term repercussions. It looks like I will probably never be able to work again.

I have some savings which I intend to invest in buying and letting a property. If I make enough income from this I can come off IB. In addition, hopefully the property itself will increase in value and I can sell it in 10/15 yrs time, giving a nestegg for my old age -- after all, as I am no longer working I am not in any company pension scheme.

With regard to buying a place to let, I posted questions on the property section of this forum and have been viciously attacked with enormous venom by more than one member of this forum for being a greedy state scrounger who "expects the taxpayer to fund" my property business. This is even though I have explained more than once that the capital I intend to invest is money I have built up over 30 years of saving up and from buying and selling previous properties.

All I get from the taxpayer is £90 IB, (no income support or rent, for example). Obviously all of that goes on food and bills.

I am 100% certain that if I had posted the SAME queries, but said that I was employed and not on IB, there would have been nothing but helpfulness and respect.

It as though once you are unable to work and are drawing benefits, some people want you to stay that way. The men who have attacked me so vehemently don't want me to be able to raise myself up a bit, get a bit more income, or become independent of state help. It's like they want me to stay on benefits, and yet at the same time they want to attack me and call me names for being on benefits -- that does not make sense, yet it is what they are implying, even though it is contradictory.

You'd think people would say -- good on you! Instead of wallowing in misery and self pity at not being able to work, you are trying to become self supporting through the self employment of being a landlady, but NO, they attack and abuse my plans! I find this truly incredible.

seven-day-weekend

People are like that Bundy, about IB. They don't seem to understand that you must have worked to get it, as it is contributions-based. Also they don't realise that you can have savings up to any amount, that, as you say, you built up when you were at work.

My husband took early retirement from teaching five years ago, owing to ill-health, and he claims IB as well as his Teachers' Pension (the IB is reduced because of the Pension); anyway, there are about three people apart from me, his Dr and the DWP who know he is on IB. He never tells anyone because he knows what the repercussions will be.

Some people will always resent anything you try to do if you claim a State Benefit, regardless of the fact that you have always worked, that it is not your fault that you now can't, and that some Benefits claimants (my husband is one) are still taxpayers. Some people even seem to resent someone else getting their State Pension!

bundly

I just popped over the the property forum so I can show you exactly what one forum member wrote to me about my plans to buy a property and get myself off IB:

"I do take offence to tax payer money being used for property speculation, couldn't give to hoots about your accident. The money you get from the state is not for property speculation. Just like I took offence to the govt using tax payer money to bail out the banks who were in reality brought down by property speculation!"

He also wrote:

"you're greedy, misguided and a fool."

and his last message was:

"You are a greedy scum bag and are looking to use tax payer money to fund your wretched speculation!!"

His name is Brock Landers

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/member.html?u=830067

bundly

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

there are about three people apart from me, his Dr and the DWP who know he is on IB. He never tells anyone because he knows what the repercussions will be.

I agree entirely with your hubby --- NOBODY that I know in "real life" know that I am on IB. It's bad enough the abuse one gets on anonymous internet forums, lordy I would NEVER let any acqaintance, friend or even family members know. It isn't anyone's business, anyway.

I run a small business that makes about a couple of grand a year. I guess people I meet assume that I make maybe 20k or leastways, enough to live on, and I am happy to let them think that.

People do not understand how hard it is to get IB. They talk as if all you have to do is turn up at a dole office, say you are feeling a bit peaky, and suddenly Giros are gushing through your letterbox like there's no tomorrow.

Not only does your GP who knows everything about you in great detail have to certify you as unfit, but you have to see an independent physician, working for the government, who is extremely cynical and wary of all the scroungers with imaginary bad backs and the like. These doctors are not fools -- they are highly trained in spotting invented conditions, and on top of that have been ordered by the govt to reduce the number of people on IB by 1.5million, so they are looking hard for any excuse to reject your claim.

Having been through the system, I have no doubt now that all IB claimants are genuine, because of the vigorous process that is set against anyone undeserving getting it.

Incidentally I only get IB, no IS or anything else, yet I am still attacked for scrounging.

And as you say, I am also a taxpayer! Not only from working 1974-2000 but I still pay tax now.

bundly

Fen1 wrote: »

I tried to view it as funny that strangers regarded me as mentally incompetent when I was in the wheelchair, when all the matter was my feet.:rolleyes:

I saw a train guard get a wheelchair user out of the train. On the platform the station porter took over, was going to take the wheelchair user to a taxi. Imagine this -- porter and guard were facing each other, the wheelchair user was between them, facing the porter. The porter talked right across the w/chair user's head, and asked the guard: "Do you know what address he's going to, mate""

seven-day-weekend

bundly wrote: »

I agree entirely with your hubby --- NOBODY that I know in "real life" know that I am on IB. It's bad enough the abuse one gets on anonymous internet forums, lordy I would NEVER let any acqaintance, friend or even family members know. It isn't anyone's business, anyway.

I run a small business that makes about a couple of grand a year. I guess people I meet assume that I make maybe 20k or leastways, enough to live on, and I am happy to let them think that.

People do not understand how hard it is to get IB. They talk as if all you have to do is turn up at a dole office, say you are feeling a bit peaky, and suddenly Giros are gushing through your letterbox like there's no tomorrow.

Not only does your GP who knows everything about you in great detail have to certify you as unfit, but you have to see an independent physician, working for the government, who is extremely cynical and wary of all the scroungers with imaginary bad backs and the like. These doctors are not fools -- they are highly trained in spotting invented conditions, and on top of that have been ordered by the govt to reduce the number of people on IB by 1.5million, so they are looking hard for any excuse to reject your claim.

Having been through the system, I have no doubt now that all IB claimants are genuine, because of the vigorous process that is set against anyone undeserving getting it.

Incidentally I only get IB, no IS or anything else, yet I am still attacked for scrounging.

And as you say, I am also a taxpayer! Not only from working 1974-2000 but I still pay tax now.

I agree with the vast majority of this post.

My husband worked from 1964 until 2004, with just a three-year-break to train to be a Teacher. He paid tax and NI all the time and still pays tax now, and still will when he gets his State Pension.

Why he should be begrudged a small amount of Government money because he had to retire from teaching five years early due to ill health, I don't know. Especially as his ill-health dates from 1990 and he kept going until 2004.

Indie_Kid

Bundly - that is disgusting. Good for you for wanting to do something though.

Last night, (bearing in mind said forum was a disability forum) someone said that unless someone is a wheelchair/crutch/stick user, there's no reason why they need a blue badge. So glad he doesn't make the rules then.

Trialia

Just to point out, those of us who were diagnosed with disabling conditions before the age of 18 and have never been well enough to work after leaving school can get IB without NI contributions, but it's not much and it's a pain in the neck to evaluate for...

GlasweJen

not any more you can't, IB is closed to all new applicants and has been replaced with ESA.

LameWolf

Caution - Rant Alert.

Why is it that when an organisation I belong to set up a meeting in a new venue (ie a pub we haven't met in before), I always and invariably have to email to find out if it's wheelchair accessible? They know I use a chair - for cryin' out loud, I used to be on the committee! But no, they can't be @r$ed to give that bit of basic info in the email telling us where we're meeting.

Rant over - I feel better for that!:o