Benefit Cheats?

Even taking all the advice, cooking from scratch etc you still have to have enough money to buy the basics in the first place. And that does not seem enough to live on to me phoenix

Good morning all, just popping on with some figures for you.

I have spoken to JSA this morning and they have confirmed that we will get £112.55 per week, but paid fortnightly from 26th March. This is the amount that the Gov. say we need to live on.

We will get Council tax benefit, but will still be liable to pay £33.72 per month. It would appear that there are no other benefits we are entitled to at this stage, apart from free prescriptions etc. We have a mortgage so are not eligible for Housing Benefit, although I believe that after quite a long period, we may be able to apply for money towards the interest on the mortgage. (it is actually an interest only mortgage, but if we were to get help it would definitely not cover the whole amount payable per month)

Bearing in mind that we have to run a car as the public transport here is extremely limited, you will probably be able to see that it is difficult, if not impossible to manage on this amount.

Perhaps you disagree, perhaps I'm just wantonly extravagant!

Do we mean actual cheating the system or people who are not taken to task in the same way as others?

The case I referred to was a mother now aged 40. She has four children, one child is going her own way; working and living away from home. So three children at home. Mother has never worked. They live in a large council house and receive benefits. At one point in her life it was reasonable for her to have help; a pregnant schoolgirl. But now her family are growing up she could find a job and be less of a strain to the system. This is not a reportable case, technically she is doing nothing wrong.

Because she has never worked, the system does not accuse her of lying or cheating. Her benefits are not threatened, that pleasure is saved for those who, through no fault of their own, are in a very difficult position, who cannot work more than 16 hours a week because should they do so benefits would be stopped they would lose the roof over their heads.

[steam out of the ears emoticon]

I watched some of the television programmes about fraudulent claims. Two things struck me. One was the industrial scale on which some frauds were carried out, claiming housing benefit for several properties, often owned by members of the family, claiming for lots of non-existent children, claiming for illnesses and disabilities which had never or no longer existed. The other was the time and effort and cost of investigating claims believed to be fraudulent. I know people like penguinpb who have to jump through hoops over and over again to be able to claim. So what is going wrong with the deliberately fraudulent claimants?

Petra, if I was trying to fiddle the system, I certainly would not go around telling people how I did it.
Far too many people on here complain about people doing just that, and saying they know others who fiddle the system. If you know that, it is your civic duty to shop them. If you can use a computer, you can do it without anyone knowing who you are. As Galen says, lots of people have to go to tribunals.

None taken DebnCreme.

Oh dear why do I spot things as soon as I have posted, despite reading through several times. I did mean your treatment by DLA penguin was unreasonable not your comments. Sorry if this caused any offence.

(((hugs))) penguinpaperback. That does seem to be remarkably unreasonable.

I see that I was the OP'er. Hardly recognised the thread from my original intentions. DLA should not be regarded as a benefit but a right. Although a certain level of checks need to be made, sadly because of the few, no-one in receipt of this support should ever be made to feel they are cheating the system.

I won't bother to explain, Durhamjen. Very confrontational reply from you.
Re. ' By the way, how do you know'
For the others here, I was just trying to give you an idea of how it's done.

I haven't read all of this thread so sorry if this has been mentioned but just wanted to agree with durhamjen in that my DLA, I've still not changed over as yet to PIP, but I have had to re apply for my DLA many times even though I am never going to get better. I live with breast cancer that has spread and while it is being controlled at the moment by treatments it is terminal in that I will die when I either run out of treatment options or I am too ill to receive further treatments. Every time I have had a review letter my Oncologist has filled in parts of the form for me but I still only get the benefit for a couple of years at a time before I have to deal with the same forms all over again. I have/had made friends with other women all stage 4, like me, who have been turned down the higher payments and who have died without ever receiving the higher payments. The forms are very intrusive, I'm not complaining about that but applying for DLA if you are very ill and to be honest, frightened and concerned it is a nightmare.

So shop them, Petra, if you think they are cheating the system.
By the way, how do you know? Why would the man with depression tell anyone that?

We have a saying: the squeaky wheel gets the oil. I will give you an example of what that means.
One of the people I know on DLA ( for depression) doesn't wash or shave for as long as he can before he is called in for an interview. To add to that he splashes water around his groin area.
They can't get him out of the office quick enough.
If that isn't hard enough to believe: he has never seen a Doctor for depression and claims that he 'self medicates.
Every word of this is true.
The other person I know had a fit in the good old 80s when the job centre couldn't wait to get you on disability and he was put down as an epileptic. He never had another fit and hasn't worked since.

Btw. If you go to appeal, all the evidence that was available to the dwp, is sent to the claimant.

Marginally, depends which benefit.
Around here, gps are refusing to give reports for free. If you or your rep are willing to cough up I suspect you could get one.
The report that is requested by the dwp, they have to do as it's part of their terms and conditions. But to be honest it's very basic and often not much help as the fee is minimal.
I despair of the money grabbing propensities of my profession these days!

By the way, Galen, I am talking about over two years ago, so three years since he had to fill in a form, which I had to do for him as he could not write properly by then. Have the rules changed since then?

I seem to recall, Galen, that some GPs are now refusing to give supporting evidence. How does a claimant know whether or not their GP has done it? You used to be given the option of being given a copy of the reprt sent to the DWP. We always said no, because we knew the GPs report would be okay anyway.

djen the trouble is! the majority of the time! the DWP do NOT contact the GP, even if the claimant has asked them to. The onus is on the claimant to provide any supporting evidence.

I agree the forms are difficult and have helped several people to complete them.
That included my own husband when he had terminal cancer.

Belated response to Galen and Charleygirl re. additional benefit, the JC seem to think not, although we are getting some Council Tax benefit, but of course that goes straight to the LA, which is only right really.

When we get our next payment on 26th, I think it will be around £220 for a fortnight (might be a bit more, not totally sure of the exact amount, still waiting for the official letter) but I do know that it is impossible to manage on, even with the best will in the world.

My husband had also been diabetic since he was 11, Joelsnan. Had the lot, didn't he?

I know that, Joelsnan. My husband died of brain cancer four months after he had been diagnosed. However, he had also had cerebellar ataxia for five years that we knew of, and had fallen off a ladder and broken his back and was doubly incontinent and in permanent pain for ten years before that.
I was just giving the friend as an example of being asked silly questions. He always told them that he had not grown another leg. He did work. You get DLA even if you work. It's to help you get around because obviously your transport needs cost more if you have to get a motability car.

You can always report my post if you think it was rude. I find your hectoring tone irritating, but I accept that you have a right to air your views.

I asked if you had seen the forms because then you would have seen that filling in the forms is a medical assessment in itself. That's just the first step. Then the DWP gets in touch with your GP to verify your statements, as well as with every other doctor that you have listed.
The reason I was asking Galen questions is because it's easy to criticise if you only know one side of the problem. I would hate to be in her shoes.

As for the rest of your post, I have no idea what you are talking about, but you have no right to be quite so rude. Hope you never have been or have to be in my shoes.

That crossed with Joelsnan's post by the way, and was not a response to it.

Perhaps that is why there is such a fuss about it all now and more publicity because it is becoming more difficult to cheat the system.

Thanks Durhamjen however! having ones legs amputated or indeed having diabetes does not automatically exclude a person from the workforce.
I have worked with someone who had terminal cancer who came to work till almost the bitter end (poor chap) and those diagnosed with terminal cancer who were sure they would be back at work once cured (sadly never cured). A lot is down to mental attitude. The Paralympics show what can be done with a disability and positive mental attitude.