MSE News: Half a million could lose disability benefits

mcculloch29

Anubis wrote: »

The absolute best post I have ever read on MSE :T

I agree Anubis, it's a cracker. If Laptop80 can see all that without personal experience of disability, it's only too clear that Ian Duncan Smith is actively choosing to ignore the evidence.

If they make it a means-tested benefit it will just provide further evidence that we aren't all in it together, as Call Me Dave claimed it for his late son Ivan despite his huge personal income.

Even though there's been some vitriol and rubbish posted here you should have seen what was on The Telegraph's 'Tell The Telegraph' debate pages on this very topic. Scary to think that people can think like that and not be locked up.

50Twuncle

How many DLA claimants actually use the money just for the purposes for which it was designed (ie Specifically for expenses other than "normal day to day living expenses") ?
I bet that the vast majority just add it to their meagre income as a small top up for paying for food/transport/heating etc etc


I know that I do .....

Anubis_2

mcculloch29 wrote: »

I agree Anubis, it's a cracker. If Laptop80 can see all that without personal experience of disability, it's only too clear that Ian Duncan Smith is actively choosing to ignore the evidence.

If they make it a means-tested benefit it will just provide further evidence that we aren't all in it together, as Call Me Dave claimed it for his late son Ivan despite his huge personal income.

Even though there's been some vitriol and rubbish posted here you should have seen what was on The Telegraph's 'Tell The Telegraph' debate pages on this very topic. Scary to think that people can think like that and not be locked up.

I can well imagine the far right wing comments. In my twenties when I used to go the gym, I befriended a lady there who was totally against the benefit system. She was very acidic in her attitude towards anyone on benefits and could be quite nasty.

She was totally incapable of putting herself in someone else's shoes (surprising how many people lack compassion to do this) because in her world she had her nice house, her 2 kids, hubby, all working and working wonderful.

She would have no problem calling people scroungers (and more besides) to their face and used to get into many an argument etc (The irony was she was only 4ft 10 but boy her tongue made up for it :rotfl: )

Roll on a couple of years....I hadn't seen her for a while. I then spotted her near town and boy she looked ill. We had a natter and it turned out she was on benefits, in a council house, struggling to adapt as her hubby had had an affair and thrown her out and she had lost her job around the same time :eek:

Talk about karma - needless to say her attitude changed. Considerably.

Dunroamin

21Twinkle wrote: »

How many DLA claimants actually use the money just for the purposes for which it was designed (ie Specifically for expenses other than "normal day to day living expenses") ?
I bet that the vast majority just add it to their meagre income as a small top up for paying for food/transport/heating etc etc


I know that I do .....

Misuse of public funds ( however legal) is nothing to boast about.

MissMoneypenny

POLO_BINT wrote: »

So, after this huge essay, I will retreat back to my lonely pit and await a humiliating grilling from ATOS (or whoever they employ) in the not to distant future in an environment away from my home ..... whilst my Dr, physio, chemist etc all take the time to make an effort to save me the pain, discomfort and STRESS of travel!

Is someone else using your account? Because I recall you went on holiday to India last year when you won a competition.

Edit: yes it was you and quite a hectic travel plan too with tours every day.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2250207
won a holiday to india for 2 weeks private tour, fly into delhi then towards the end of the holiday fly to mumbai for the last few days.

zzzLazyDaisy

It is not misuse of public funds - the information provided with the DLA pack expressly states that the money does not have to be used for a specific purpose. Which is just as well since someone may get hrc because they need care and support during the night - but the princely sum of £77.45 would probably not buy in even one night's agency care.

On the other hand - people with low mobility, and chronic health problems often also feel the cold much more and need to have the heating maintained at a constant temperature. This means their bills are higher and being in the house 24 hrs a day compounds this. This is an expense directly related to the disability, and for many if they get cold their condition can be severely affected, thus uncreasing their care needs. So in my view it is perfectly legitimate to spend DLA on this.

This is just one example.

And yes, I do know that some posters on this forum argue that disabled people who live on their own and who don't actually get their care needs met due to lack of funds should not be entitled to ANY help from the state. However, you could just as well argue that a disabled person with a spouse providing for all their care needs does not need the money, and it would be better spent on ensuring that people who live alone, have an adequate standard of care.

ineed

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Is someone else using your account? Because I recall you went on holiday to India last year when you won a competition.

Edit: yes it was you and quite a hectic travel plan too with tours every day.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2250207
won a holiday to india for 2 weeks private tour, fly into delhi then towards the end of the holiday fly to mumbai for the last few days.

Maybe polo wasn't so bad last year, some conditions can fluctuate. I'm not sure exactly what condition polo has, but it might be she has good periods. Or maybe she wasn't sick then, I haven't read her full posting history. I know my condition developed very quickly.

Edit: And it could also be she asked on behalf of someone or allowed someone to use her account to ask as you say.

Anubis_2

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

It is not misuse of public funds - the information provided with the DLA pack expressly states that the money does not have to be used for a specific purpose. Which is just as well since someone may get hrc because they need care and support during the night - but the princely sum of £77.45 would probably not buy in even one night's agency care.

On the other hand - people with low mobility, and chronic health problems often also feel the cold much more and need to have the heating maintained at a constant temperature. This means their bills are higher and being in the house 24 hrs a day compounds this. This is an expense directly related to the disability, and for many if they get cold their condition can be severely affected, thus uncreasing their care needs. So in my view it is perfectly legitimate to spend DLA on this.

This is just one example.

And yes, I do know that some posters on this forum argue that disabled people who live on their own and who don't actually get their care needs met due to lack of funds should not be entitled to ANY help from the state. However, you could just as well argue that a disabled person with a spouse providing for all their care needs does not need the money, and it would be better spent on ensuring that people who live alone, have an adequate standard of care.

I agree with this even though I have spousal care in place. If it came to the crunch and benefits were cut so much, IMHO those with disabilities who have to live alone, should get priority over those with care in place (such as myself.)

If I was alone I know I certainly couldn't afford to implement the hours of care I need out of DLA.

FBaby

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Is someone else using your account? Because I recall you went on holiday to India last year when you won a competition.

Edit: yes it was you and quite a hectic travel plan too with tours every day.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2250207
won a holiday to india for 2 weeks private tour, fly into delhi then towards the end of the holiday fly to mumbai for the last few days.

That makes me so cross:-( I really felt for that message. How can someone able to handle the mobility needs and stress of a trip to India for 2 weeks be so certain that they couldn't handle a health assessment? I'm sure the response will be a deterioration during that time but we were made to believe it it had been going on for years. This its exactly why I've become more and more cynical about posts from people screaming outrage about anyone daring to challenge how poorly they are especially clinicians.
I really fell for that one imagining a poor single mum with no support relying solely on her daughter's care at home and extremely limited with her ability to go out :-( :-(

MissMoneypenny

ineed wrote: »

Edit: And it could also be she asked on behalf of someone or allowed someone to use her account to ask as you say.

That's what I wondered (which I why I said that) as she is very active and helpful on the competitions board and had some great pictures of her and her longterm boyfriend on their tour of India competition win, where he proposed to her (I loved her elephant picture); yet this poster talks about her daughter being her carer and seems to be saying she is bedbound or housebound for 16 years and being unable to take the stress of travel.