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Disability claims can’t be made on ‘unverifiable assertions’, argues Sunak in benefits crackdown

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Edited

When pressed on the hardship that vulnerable people on low incomes would endure without Pip, he said: “That’s why it’s so important that we stick to our plan that’s easing the burden on the cost of living.”

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means

Knowing the Tories they probably mean they don’t want them living any more, that easies the burden. They’re just ghouls.

They've killed off tens of thousands of disabled people before. Why not again?

Austerity killed over 300,000 people (increase in excess deaths in groups affected by austerity) before pandemic hit.

https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/mortality-rates-among-men-and-women-impact-of-austerity/#:~:text=A%20recent%20study%20argued%20there,policies%20pursued%20by%20the%20government.

Dodgy Dave left the undertakers with more work.

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Boris literally murdered thousands of our loved ones because he was so shit at his own job during COVID.

I kind of love how the narrative here is still a sort of "they did the best they could".

Meanwhile Germany has - An older population, a larger population, no sea border, was hit earlier than us by that deadly first wave, and then also had a much later vaccine rollout.

And they still came out the other side with over 60,000 fewer covid deaths than us.

In all fairness, they DID do the best they could. For their friends and donors.

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Just don’t look at Japan either…or indeed any country bar the USA for that matter

Tbh judging by what we heard. It sounds like they were running a glorified student union rugby group piss up for most of it. The UK that is

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Germans tend to be better at sticking to rules, they're pretty well known for that. Plus they didn't get a ton of the antimask bs from the States.

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Their strategy was ‘herd immunity’. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/15/the-governments-herd-immunity-plan-is-callous-and-dangerous Despite the nation wanting to enter lockdown as the virus began to ravage other countries, Boris Johnson and the Conservative party stuck to their original plan, despite this plan having 800,000 deaths envisaged by the government themselves. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/05/25/herd-m25.html China went into lockdown on 23rd Jan 2020. Despite this, special ‘repatriate’ flights from Wuhan to the UK were still permitted by our government. With a flight landing 8 days later on the 31st Jan 2020. Where even those travelling from Wuhan were surprised there were no checks upon their arrival. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/china-coronavirus-uk-china-heathrow-wuhan-flight-screening-monitoring-a9298761.html The exact same day, 31st Jan 2020, the first cases of the virus were detected in the UK. Italy went into lockdown on the 22 Feb. Despite knowing the virus was killing people, Boris Johnson, (3rd March), boasted of having shaken hands “with everybody” on a recent visit to a hospital. The same day, Sage cautions “against greetings such as shaking hands and hugging, given existing evidence about the importance of hand hygiene”. The first British person to die in the UK was one day later on 4th March. Almost 20 days later, (23rd March) the UK government finally calls for a lockdown. Not until after allowing the Cheltenham Races to go ahead. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/government-cheltenham-festival-coronavirus-a4419376.html At this time the government was being accused of ‘actively encouraging’ people to attend events. Nor were the Cheltenham races the only large event given the go-ahead despite the worsening pandemic, as concerts continued at some of the UK’s largest music venues. While Liverpool’s Champions League meeting with Atletico Madrid took place in front of a capacity crowd. Images of tens of thousands of fans, packed in close proximity in betting rings and grandstands received widespread criticism as the UK death toll soared. The meeting’s official attendance across the four days topped a quarter-of-a-million. Herd immunity plan. At this point over 100 people had died in the UK from Covid. With thousands of confirmed cases. On the 8th July 2020 the government rolled out their ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ initiative. Where as long as you ate in a restaurant you would receive £10 off a meal, paid for by the government. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/eat-out-to-help-out-second-wave-coronavirus-rishi-sunak-covid-b1446586.html No good for takeaway orders though remember. Sunak, Boris, and the rest of them had a plan, they carried it out. This in turn lead to our loved ones dying alone behind a plastic curtain. Family members not allowed to comfort those they lost. While Boris and others continued to get together socially for his birthday ‘gathering’. It all seemed so unusual at the time. Are they not worried about the public’s health?. No, they planned for herd immunity from the start.

They went through 2 years worth of midazolam in care homes in 8months culling the elderly and disabled, sending them to infected care homes with DNR and nil by mouth and a morphine and midazolam script! Wasnt boris signing all those DNRs

They even ordered more from France, as they used that much of the stuff, as Matt Handcock bragged about in an interview. The Covid care act wasn’t to save old people but it was to cull them by using nil by mouth as a technique of doing so.

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u/kahnindustries avatar

100% this, they are curing the disabled… just not in the way people would expect.

Absolute evil

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Exactly this. Survival of the fittest. It’s disgusting.

“Survival of the richest” - FIFY

Yes more accurate, thank you

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Or you could call it a form of eugenics - economic eugenics

u/Jaffa_Mistake avatar

Fascism by economic selection. 

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u/HeftyPackage avatar

Its probably worth noting here that Labour's thoughts on disability benefits aren't any better

That’s not what they’re saying though: Steadman said afterwards: “Supporting disabled people to find long-term, fulfilling work can only be achieved by taking a supportive approach. Punitive action does not work and only pushes disabled people further into poverty. Whoever forms the next UK government should restore trust in the benefits system by establishing a commission led by disabled people to redesign benefits assessments.”

Mark my words when I say they want to bring back the poor houses and are doing so by transferring wealth to a select few families.

I hope to god they carry through with that, but I'm very very sceptical of them keeping any promises at this point. 

u/AnonymusBosch_ avatar

Let's hope this is true.

Covid has left me disabled for the last two years. I've never before been treated with the same level of deception, contempt and dismissal as by the DWP last year.

The system is broken in a way that's invisible to anybody who's not been through it.

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u/MyInkyFingers avatar

This is a man for who if buying a top end rolls Royce wouldn’t even make his account flinch .

How can someone who has never known what it’s like to live on low income possibly understand or comprehend or even empathise with the issue .

Rishi sees himself as the ruling class and people are expendable

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Edited

That’s one of those bollocky answers that avoids answering anything at all.

True politician.

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u/TNWhaa avatar

Even when you have verifiable evidence you still get denied anyways because they don’t give a shit, I provided them with hospital documents, surgery confirmation letters, an actual letter from my surgeon written to them, had two in person meetings about my claim in which I demonstrated how shitty my physical long term disability is whilst wearing a fucking knee brace with my recent surgery scars visible and all I got was a generic rejection letter

I only provided verifiable doctor's notes as evidence for the horrible condition known as endometriosis, but they still denied to give me enhanced PIP because of pitiful things like not already having a blue badge.

This is disgusting because to get a blue badge, you have to score 12 points on the mobility component of PIP. Don't have a blue badge? Can't get PIP. Don't have PIP, can't get a blue badge. It's literally a witch hunt at this point

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Something like 7 out of 10 people who go to tribunal get decisions like this overturned and are given what they are entitled to. It's a miserable process because the DWP are a nightmare to deal with, but I'd really urge you to appeal this.

u/TNWhaa avatar

I already appealed it and still got denied, the day I got the letter was also the same day i found out I needed another two procedures so being told I was I was yet again “fit for work” has made me lose hope in getting any claim period

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Tribunal isn’t appeal, it’s independent through the court

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u/Direct-Fix-2097 avatar

Tribunal mate.

They will read the dwp the riot act if you bring the medical evidence.

The dwp also won’t contest it because they know they’ll lose. So take it to that stage, cos they just want you to quit.

u/BobTheJoeBob avatar

There's a stage after the first appeal with the DWP where an independent tribunal looks at your case. Had to do it for my sister. DWP gave her 0 points for mobility issues; when it went to the tribunal she got the max amount you can get for mobility.

u/Ballabingballaboom avatar

Just goes to show how much of a scam it is and if refering people to 'healthcare specialists' isn't a dog whistle for more of this shit then I'm a turnip.

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You are able to take this to the tribunal for appeal, and it likely would be.

u/eairy avatar

Isn't that because they have targets for denying claims? At that point it's not a real assessment, it's just a charade.

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u/Direct-Giraffe-1890 avatar

They sure do love to deny despite overwhelming evidence to then lose on appeal and cost taxpayers millions dont they.I suppose it doesn't help that the people assessing you flay out lie with no consequences.

They know for a fact that most people don’t challenge the lies they tell. My mum was told that she could go in the paid not fit for work support group as she has really bad COPD and has just come out of an abusive marriage, which was only going to go one way, her being killed. They then said a few days later they had made a mistake and she wasn’t meant to be in the paid group but only the one that doesn’t pay.

They have even lied in one of my PIP reports saying my left wrist isn’t fussed when it has been that way since I was 19. I only know this as I did a freedom of information act, under the GDPR laws when they wouldn’t give me money that they legal had to. I openly and clearly said “ if your going to make my life hard then I’ll make your life’s harder by having all the information you have on” I was asked if I even needed it but I said “ no I don’t, but you’ll see the amount of work you have to do increase, just by doing things that are legal to myself”

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u/sobrique avatar

Was going to say. Point me at anyone who's making claims successfully with 'unverifiable assertions'.

The whole system is such a shit show that I can think of significant numbers of people who are refused for utterly spurious reasons, because they're pretty much just structured to 'lol nope' anything they can, and hope you'll give up and go away anyway.

Doctor's reports, diagnosis? Nah. You got up the steps into the assessment, and opened a bottle of water unaided when you were there, so you're fine.

(I'm not even kidding - my partner got 'downrated' on her ability to do things based on opening a bottle of water during ... however long the assessment was).

They just outright lie about everything, and dismiss anything that isn't literally impossible to dismiss, because they figure you'll appeal and go to tribunal if you're serious.

I suspect - ironically - it would be easier to claim fraudulently by a significant margin, than if you y'know, actually need it.

u/gavebirthtoturdlings avatar

They'll say that you can work from home or behind a desk

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Whilst simultaneously encouraging people back to the office to keep their mates who have invested in offices and general corporate real estate rich

u/gavebirthtoturdlings avatar

Yup, it's all fucking bulshit

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u/improbablistic avatar

Even though the number of full-time work from home jobs has plummeted

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As a disabled person. I probably could work from home on condensed hours. But there isn’t anything to do. If they made more job available to us a lot of us could it! But they dont.

I could do a bit of work when I was able but I certainly can’t go out of my home or work too many hours. But they wont help us to do that. And society doesn’t have these things available.

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Wtf? :(

My friend with severe epilepsy keeps being told it's a mental health condition by the DWP.

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u/Banditofbingofame avatar

Wasn't the Tories idea to bring in people who aren't doctors to make unverifiable assertions?

Rory Stewart said something about the Rwanda plan the other day talking about why people have strong opposition to something a party/government does. It was something like if it is nice but ineffective or cruel but effective.

Like Rwanda this is both. Attacking people with disabilities is horrific and people can see it for what it is.

The EU, foreigner, trans people and now the disabled, they are running out of people to 'other'

u/masterblaster0 avatar

Wasn't the Tories idea to bring in people who aren't doctors to make unverifiable assertions?

Yes, and they regularly ignore medical information from a patient's doctor when doing assessments.

They'll ignore direct facts when doing them. They decided my mum, who could barely stand up, could walk 50 metres unaided. She arrived with a cane and had to take a break simply walking into the building.

u/LaMerde avatar

My auntie got cancer and the DWP deemed her "fit for work" because she could lift an empty box. It's so ridiculous it sounds unbelievable.

The people making these decisions do a very easy, and ultimately completely worthless job (Decision maker at the DWP), so they wrongly assume every job is like that.

Source, ex DWP. 

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I hear theres a boom in the market for people who can lift empty boxes.

Like what actual bearing does being able to lift an an empty box have.

Hope you auntie is dealing with her condition well.

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u/Highlyironicacid31 avatar

They said my dad was perfectly mobile because he could take off his glasses. He has neuropathy in his feet…

my grandma has bad arthritis they followed her to the door and she pressed the button with her elbow and they still said she did it with her hand

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They declared my sister in law fit for work while she was waiting on a heart/lung transplant. She literally couldn't get out of bed was on oxygen 24/7, had carers coming in daily to administer medications etc. The consultant filled out her DLA forms for her and they still denied her. It was of course overturned on appeal and back dated juat in time for her to die.

The system is shite by design so as to make as many people as possible just throw in the towel and give up

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They literally lied on my assessment, which I only found out about because we're going to tribunal and they had to send their notes to me.

The lies were really blatant, like there is no way I am just misunderstanding things. I'm in supported accommodation, and the assessment was through a video call. Somehow, my mum is the one who manages my medication and helps me with my day to day life, despite her living in another country. They also miraculously managed to check my grip strength through the screen and saw me get up and go to the door to collect a parcel, despite me being upstairs and nowhere near the door. Whole thing was a load of nonsense.

Not the first time it's happened and it won't have been the last.

hoping for the best for the tribunal!

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Also from what I understand if you don't have anything they can see, they think you are okay for example cancer.

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The EU, foreigner, trans people and now the disabled, they are running out of people to 'other'

Crazy how they've gone back to targeting disabled people right after Cameron comes back into the fold. Almost like he has a personal agenda.

It's part of the tory agenda, he's just brought this part back to prominence

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Capita contracts ftw

Everyone knows a Government contract is a major cash cow. Turn down claimants and make them appeal as Capita get's paid again, same for Armed Forces medicals....all a con

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u/rjwv88 avatar

after decades of stigma around mental health precisely because they were conditions that were often invisible and hard to address, i thought we’d finally been making some progress… then you get this rich fuckwit taking us straight back to the boomer-era attitudes that led to so many suffering in silence

I was unemployed over the pandemic because of mental health issues, the policies he’s proposing would have led to me taking my own life as i was not in a fit state to look for work and barely survived off the meagre benefits the state does provide… it was a close call as it is… shockingly the thing that turned it around for me - actually getting treatment (ADHD in my case, though of course i had to go privately) and now i’m back working full time and haven’t had a depressive incident in over a year

so if the tories are genuinely concerned about the rise in poor mental health how about fixing the fucking NHS… though that would take some actual competence, much easier just to punch down and rile-up the more depraved elements of your voter base instead ><

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Ahhhh but haven’t you heard? Debbie who reads the Daily Mail had a bad period in her life and going to work kept her sane thanks to the routine. If she can do it, so can the rest of us. Therefore people like us were looking for an excuse not to work.

u/flabbybumhole avatar

There's no genuine concern from him, there hasn't been from any of the Conservative leaders.

For them , money is little more than a status symbol. "The poor just need to accept their place, because poor people don't deserve nice things." "They just need to carry on with their sad little boring lives"

Yet 21 billion has gone missing under the tories over the past few year. While they're fucking over the disavantaged in order to save at most hundreds of millions. Bailing out billionaires who could bail themselves out, forgiving debt, ignoring loopholes.

My wife urgently needs treatment and should have started being seen recently, but the department she's dealing with had a bunch of people quit after Rishi's announcement so now could be months and is putting her life at risk.

u/InuraBera avatar

This is what always winds me up with all of this stuff. If the health service was where it needed to be, they'd be paying less 'benefits' long term as people would get the help they needed.

Very few want to feel like a complete burden, we want to work our way in some fashion - but our issues, physical or mental, is what prevents it.

I would never, ever choose the situation I've struggled through over just being able to work normally, never.

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What annoys me the most about his attack on the PIP benefit is that people who get PIP can still work. To imply that everyone who gets this benefit is work-shy is terrible.

I used to work as a live-in carer and I have worked with loads of disabled people who had jobs. Getting PIP actually made it easier to cover the extra costs of being disabled which meant they were able to work.

 Getting PIP actually made it easier to cover the extra costs of disabled

Literally the entire point of it isn't it? Just madness they say they want to help people get treated instead, but then the only "help" is financial punishment like this, while the healthcare and support services continue to devolve to the point people are just basically just being left to fend for themselves.

That's what exposes this for the absolute pantomime of cruelty that it is. It's literally not enough to live off like they are making out we are doing. Many people still work in some form and use this to help support that. Take it away and they probably won't be able to work at all. 

I get the lowest amount of pip possible and had to fight for years to get it despite dozens and dozens of pages of proof, from drs reports to literal MRI scans etc. 

Now I use my pip to pay for therapy. Because the 4 week zoom call group appointments i was given as NHS support didn't really cut it in making any improvement (for the anxiety and depression caused by years of my original problems going undiagnosed and untreated). I'm fairly sure I've got PTSD from years of gaslighting and living in a constant state of pain and stress, and the endless roundabout of different appointments, scans, tests etc. 

I break out in cold sweats and shake just thinking about going into a hospital again.

The threat of this policy change alone is going to be too much for some. 

Exactly we don’t work ? I have bipolar and have a job. Billionaire cant understand the idea that the condition limits your ability to progress as far in a career therefore income ? or at times you need time off ? Plus I have to pay for a psychiatrist, doctors and therapy as any help from the NHS is allusive. Idiots..

u/BigPecks avatar

Conveniently, the Tories have thus far failed to mention this crucial fact.

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