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Illegal Behaviour

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Comments

  • asdaprice
    asdaprice Posts: 34 Forumite
    1. When in receipt of DLA, is it not the case that the claimant would also be in receipt of some sort of weekly payments benefits from the DWP also? Then surly work (receiving monies) is classed as fraudulent.

    Definitely not - what benefit anyone claims is up to them, if they are sucessful in claiming one I wouldnt blame anyone for not going through all the hassle of trying to claim a second - some people are busy trying to live their lives and really dont want to spend their precious time filling out forms and attending tribunals and reviews - its sometimes abouit quality of life and not just money

    And maybe the DLA makes it possible for them to work - ie having money to pay for a taxi instead of trying to struggle on public transport when disabled, can make all the difference to whether someone can manage a working day. It may even mean they can do it themselves without having to take an escort
  • Fran
    Fran Posts: 11,280 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    kev1n3 wrote:
    1. When in receipt of DLA, is it not the case that the claimant would also be in receipt of some sort of weekly payments benefits from the DWP also? Then surly work (receiving monies) is classed as fraudulent.
    . No it is not the case. DLA is not reliant on what your income is or where it comes from but is purely related to disability and anyone can claim it.

    Someone might be claiming Incapacity Benefit for example, which is not an income based benefit but relies on contributions already paid. On IB you can do "permitted work" . Or they might be on another benefit which has other rules.
    Torgwen.......... :) ...........
  • kev1n3
    kev1n3 Posts: 567 Forumite
    pboae wrote:
    So do I report the pensioner who does odd jobs for cash in hand, because he can't afford to heat his house on his state pension?

    Do I report the single mother for earning a little extra cash on the side to put a roof over her and her kids' heads (after being forced onto the streets by the violent husband)?

    What about the nurse who fiddles her tax to try and make ends meet?

    Yes I agree that benefit fraud is a huge problem, and harms those who need it most, but it just isn't always that clear cut. Add to which, I don't trust the benefits agencies to treat people decently and to be fair, honest in their investigations, regardless of whether the claimant had done something wrong or not. So personally, I would be very wary of reporting anyone unless I was absolutely sure that they were doing something that was both legally and morally wrong.

    to qualify for DLA Mobility the person must be unable to walk 50 yards without suffering sever pain. My argument is.. Standing a car boot sale for 5 hours on a sunday far exceeds the 50 yards theory. Also i often see the said mobility claiments walking into town together on a weekend to do there shopping, they return with 4 or 5 FULL shooping bags, the town center is far more than 50yards from where they live.. (its about half a mile)

    I have no problem with the nurse who fiddles her tax to try and make ends meet or the single mother for earning a little extra cash on the side to put a roof over her and her kids' heads (although it iligal) I think you have missed the point completly.. What bothers me, amd many more honest hard working people is the man/woman in his/her late 30's that has given up on work and is trying to cut him/herself a good deal by conning the system and getting as much out of it as they can.

    If a person is able to claim DLA Mobility because they have a stammer, http://www.stammeringlaw.org.uk/benefits/dlamobility.htm is it just me or are we living in a nanny state?
    Your tax bill is the penalty you pay for not helping the right candidates get into office.:D
  • kev1n3
    kev1n3 Posts: 567 Forumite
    Fran wrote:
    . No it is not the case. DLA is not reliant on what your income is or where it comes from but is purely related to disability and anyone can claim it.

    Someone might be claiming Incapacity Benefit for example, which is not an income based benefit but relies on contributions already paid. On IB you can do "permitted work" . Or they might be on another benefit which has other rules.


    But then if not claiming Incapacity Benefit for example, wouldnt they be claiming income support?
    Your tax bill is the penalty you pay for not helping the right candidates get into office.:D
  • Fran
    Fran Posts: 11,280 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    kev1n3 wrote:
    But then if not claiming Incapacity Benefit for example, wouldnt they be claiming income support?
    Not necessarily, they could have savings they are living off or be supported by a partner in a job.
    Torgwen.......... :) ...........
  • 24skins
    24skins Posts: 1,773 Forumite
    kev1n3 wrote:
    to qualify for DLA Mobility the person must be unable to walk 50 yards without suffering sever pain.

    This is not exactly true, although many people seem to think that there is a '50 yard rule'.

    People are legally entitled to higher mobility if;
    They cannot walk without severe pain.
    They are 'virtually unable' to walk, ie they suffer from lung or heart problems etc which would be exacerbated by walking (also some people with mild learning difficulties may qualify under this rule because of the speed or manner of their walking).
    They are both deaf and blind.
    They are severely mentally impaired with severe behaviour problems.

    My son receives higher mobility under the last criteria, as far as I know he is not in any pain when walking and the DWP accepts this. He qualifies for mobility because of he would be a danger to himself and others if allowed to walk without close supervision and support. It does not affect my earnings in any way as it is not a means tested benefit.
    Quid quid latine dictum sit, altum videtur
  • asdaprice
    asdaprice Posts: 34 Forumite
    kev1n3 wrote:
    to qualify for DLA Mobility the person must be unable to walk 50 yards without suffering sever pain. My argument is.. Standing a car boot sale for 5 hours on a sunday far exceeds the 50 yards theory. Also i often see the said mobility claiments walking into town together on a weekend to do there shopping, they return with 4 or 5 FULL shooping bags, the town center is far more than 50yards from where they live.. (its about half a mile)

    I have no problem with the nurse who fiddles her tax to try and make ends meet or the single mother for earning a little extra cash on the side to put a roof over her and her kids' heads (although it iligal) I think you have missed the point completly.. What bothers me, amd many more honest hard working people is the man/woman in his/her late 30's that has given up on work and is trying to cut him/herself a good deal by conning the system and getting as much out of it as they can.

    If a person is able to claim DLA Mobility because they have a stammer, http://www.stammeringlaw.org.uk/benefits/dlamobility.htm is it just me or are we living in a nanny state?

    Seeing someone stand does not mean they can walk

    Being able to walk on a "good" day does not mean they dont qualify over an average of days - there may be days that counteract it when they cant get put of bed

    You seem more at home with people acting illegally (ie fiddling tax, not decalring income) than with someone who may have be a genuine claimant with a serious health condition

    The stammering example only leads to lower rate mobility

    You cant make accurate judgements about a persons ability or lack of it based on the snapshots you see of their lives - they may not be able to walk the rest of the time, or even the next day, due to what they had to do to get their shopping

    DLA forms specifially say that they do not take into account the ability to carry things, so judging them on carrying bags is irrelevant
  • PabloNeruda
    PabloNeruda Posts: 1,264 Forumite
    I am an accountant who works for the DWP and I have seen some threads in this discussion area wondering if they should report someone for fraudulent behaviour.

    Those who steal from the public purse to feed their own laziness and should be punished accordingly.

    Think of the people approaching retirement who lose sleep at might wondering if their state pension will be enough to support them – even after paying NI for 40 years.

    Think of the nurse who cannot afford to live because her pay is so bad.

    The single mother who has been forced out on the street because of a violent husband.

    People sat on NHS waiting lists for months needing an operation.

    Lying about circumstances to have better benefits is stealing from the most vulnerable people in society. There should be no question over whether to report them or not

    Anybody in receipt of benefits needs to seriously examine himself or herself to see if they can support themselves rather than dilute the pot for those people who may need it more. There are plenty of jobs in this country (enough to employ over half a million immigrants since the EU was expanded.) Those who choose not work, while being capable have stunted economic growth in this country for decades.

    Working the system to bleed a couple of more quid out of it is immoral. Corrupt and fraudulent individuals not only steal financially from the poor, they also tarnish those who need help with a terrible reputation.

    I would exhort anyone who knows of somebody who cheats the system to report them as soon as possible.

    Benefit fraud is a drop in the ocean compared to the tax fraud committed every day by millions of British self-employed plumbers, electricians, carpenters, couriers, taxi-drivers, ebayers, vendors etc etc etc. Oh, and that's an even tinier drop in the ocean compared to the billions and billions of tax avoidance perpetuated every day by huge multi-national bankers, insurance brokers, accountants, retailers etc etc etc. Oh, and let's not forget the billions wasted every year on occupying foreign soil.

    Still, far easier to scapegoat the most vulnerable in society, eh?
    Only when the last tree has died
    and the last river has been poisoned
    and the last fish has been caught
    will we realise we cannot eat money
  • kev1n3
    kev1n3 Posts: 567 Forumite
    asdaprice wrote:
    Seeing someone stand does not mean they can walk

    Being able to walk on a "good" day does not mean they dont qualify over an average of days - there may be days that counteract it when they cant get put of bed

    You seem more at home with people acting illegally (ie fiddling tax, not decalring income) than with someone who may have be a genuine claimant with a serious health condition

    The stammering example only leads to lower rate mobility

    You cant make accurate judgements about a persons ability or lack of it based on the snapshots you see of their lives - they may not be able to walk the rest of the time, or even the next day, due to what they had to do to get their shopping

    DLA forms specifially say that they do not take into account the ability to carry things, so judging them on carrying bags is irrelevant



    But walking into town every Saturday (a quarter of a mile) would arouse anyone's suspicions that there High rate award of the mobility component would need investigating. I have no problems with people that genuinely need DLA to improve there quality of life as I previously stated.
    Your tax bill is the penalty you pay for not helping the right candidates get into office.:D
  • peter999
    peter999 Posts: 7,102 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Benefit fraud is a drop in the ocean compared to the tax fraud committed every day by millions of British self-employed plumbers, electricians, carpenters, couriers, taxi-drivers, ebayers, vendors etc etc etc. Oh, and that's an even tinier drop in the ocean compared to the billions and billions of tax avoidance perpetuated every day by huge multi-national bankers, insurance brokers, accountants, retailers etc etc etc. Oh, and let's not forget the billions wasted every year on occupying foreign soil.

    Still, far easier to scapegoat the most vulnerable in society, eh?
    Here here !!
    .
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