Benefit fraud

Ames

Caroline_a wrote: »

I know of someone who has a motability car. For the most part, his daughter has it to get to work, take the kids to school, etc, and the car stays at her house. He doesn't live particularly near them and the daughter takes him shopping every couple of weeks. The daughter has no mobility issues, nor have her teenage children.

He says it's ok as he can say who drives the car and who doesnt... I say it's wrong. I have no problem with him having the car, as he's on the highest rate of disability and when he does have the car he drives it without a problem.

Motability changed the rules a few years ago so that any named driver has to live within 5 miles of the claimant. They will grant an exception in some circumstances, but I don't know how it works and wouldn't expect it to cover the case of your friend. If they're lying to motability about where she lives then they could be in trouble, and could be voiding the insurance if it's regularly kept at a different address.

RuthnJasper

I wonder what happened to the OP? Back to school after half-term, perhaps.


It must be bad enough for people who need to rely on benefits, without idiot fraudsters muddying the waters and causing trouble for everyone.

micky2phones

Lanzarote1938 wrote: »

This thread does make me wonder about ESA in general. Here we have someone claiming to be too ill to work and receiving taxpayer support for many years.

However he has been working for several years so obviously not that ill. Not even working just a few hours a week either but 47!

How many more are on ESA that are capable of working but simply choose not to? They are all as guilty of fraud as the OP.

Hi, I think that most people on ESA are capable of working, BUT what job could/can they do should be the 1st question.

2nd question should be who would employ them ?

3rd question would be health and safely, time off for appointments and flare ups

Kim_kim

Soulful wrote: »

Who decision is it on repayments or do I have to agree a payment scheme?

Are you asking if you legally have to pay it back?

Kim_kim

This thread does demonstrate that tax/NI & benefits need to be joined up.

So if you are working the benefits office can see that at a glance.

Benefits should be checking against tax/NI contribution so people cannot claim out of work benefits while working.

sangie595

micky2phones wrote: »

Hi, I think that most people on ESA are capable of working, BUT what job could/can they do should be the 1st question.

2nd question should be who would employ them ?

3rd question would be health and safely, time off for appointments and flare ups

I think you have missed the point. People with health conditions and disabilities do not need "special employment" except in extreme circumstances. Past those, all these questions equally apply to "fit" people.

The nature of employment is so wide and varied that there are many jobs that can be undertaken by people with long term health conditions and/or disabilities. The idea that there is no possible work for people, or that they need special work, applies to very, very few. What keeps many of them out of work is attitudes of employers, who see the condition before the person and their skills.

So the answer to who should employ them is - employers!

And health and safety, time off for appointments etc., apply equally to people without such conditions or disabilities. Health and safety needs to be in place for every employee. If people need time off for appointments, that doesn't mean that they have long term conditions - or vice versa. And there is no right to time off for appointments anyway!

The fact is that many people with long term health conditions or disabilities are used to their daily lives. They manage work. They take time off for appointments outside working hours wherever possible. They don't take sick leave because they are feeling a bit under the weather. Many of them fight to be in work because they want that normal life. Employers might assume that they are less reliable - in fact many are exactly the opposite. If employers realised how much effort it takes to stay in employment, they might just be amazed and want more of them.

In saying that, I am not having a go at anyone claiming ESA. Yes, I agree that many probably could do some sort of employment - but the barrier to them doing so is often not them but employers (and society) who seem to think that ill health and disability make people incapable, unreliable and stupid. If you are rejected often enough, it's easy to come to believe that you aren't fit for employment. And whilst the government are keen to focus on the individual claiming benefits and why they aren't getting back to work, they do nothing about the employers who routinely exclude people from employment with various subterfuges, to get around the Equality Act. If you want more people off benefits and in work, then there has to be a willingness to employ those people. Currently that is not there.

Concerned75

I don't really see there's a problem here. You should speak to the CAB, who might advise writing a letter explaining your mental health issues in not remembering to report it and just pay it back in full. You'd have real worries if you had already spent the money.
You should get this sorted out forthwith too!

sangie595

Concerned75 wrote: »

I don't really see there's a problem here. You should speak to the CAB, who might advise writing a letter explaining your mental health issues in not remembering to report it and just pay it back in full. You'd have real worries if you had already spent the money.
You should get this sorted out forthwith too!

Did you read any of the posts? They forgot to report "it" TWICE - two separate jobs. And forgot all the letters they had. And the extra money in the bank. And they spent the money and have almost nothing left. And deliberately lied in the investigation meeting. Mental health issues does not explain any of that, and it's an insult to people with mental health problems to suggest that it does. Having mental health problems does not make a liar or a thief out of people. That's a decision, not a condition.

ev8

Kim_kim wrote: »

This thread does demonstrate that tax/NI & benefits need to be joined up.

So if you are working the benefits office can see that at a glance.

Benefits should be checking against tax/NI contribution so people cannot claim out of work benefits while working.

In all honesty, i really thought they did that already, so they just knew automatically if you was claiming but also in work.

It's so strange that it's not.

ev8

Lanzarote1938 wrote: »

This thread does make me wonder about ESA in general. Here we have someone claiming to be too ill to work and receiving taxpayer support for many years.

However he has been working for several years so obviously not that ill. Not even working just a few hours a week either but 47!

How many more are on ESA that are capable of working but simply choose not to? They are all as guilty of fraud as the OP.

I do sometimes wonder that.

Sometimes I see people online, going here and there all the time with no problems, holidays, activities out, constantly doing things with others and then they are in the support group. I don't really understand at times.

I know I couldn't hold down a job and can barely go out and if I do I'm very ill afterwards. There are an awful lot of people similar to me or worse.

But I do think there are quite a few people who want whatever they can get. I've seen it on other forums too, sometimes you just can know if things do not sound quite right.

ETA, that's not to say that anyone going out is capable of working, I know better then that, I do try to go out some times, but there are some whose blogging/posting about what they are doing on a regular occurrence but then say they cannot work.
I hope that makes sense, I'm very, very tired from my assessment yesterday, don't know if my point has come across correctly.