Current Affairs The Conservative Party

[Kurt.]

I went to a PIP assessment with someone once for support.

The assessment blatantly lied. As in the report they sent for turning down the application bore no relation to what was actually said or what happened.

They won the appeal thankfully, but it is absolutely true that these assessments are a complete sham.

I’ve sat in more PIP assessments in the past 18 months than I care to remember mate. Honestly, in one the assessor never even averted her eyes from her laptop as she rushed through the assessment.. it’s shocking. Unofficially 65% of claims are refused first time. 80% of them are overturned at appeal. The theory is that they believe people won’t bother going through the appeals process, part of my job is insisting people do and supporting them through the process.

 

[catcherintherye]

Oh goodie, that old chestnut. Neville Chamberlain says hi. The sad reality is that Iraq had a swine in charge, and the people of Iraq were going to suffer had he remained in power. It's the Corbynite fallacy that such decisions are easy peasy though and the people of Iraq would have been on the path to nirvana had we only sat on our hands. I know we like to portray history as ridiculously straightforward and make judgements with the benefit of hindsight, but things are seldom so straightforward.

It's all fair and I don't think anybody makes the argument Saddam was a good leader, or anything other than a tyrant. The argument is more, that in general if you invade somewhere, often with very dubious evidence in doing so, you generally strengthen the most regressive forces. The fact that ISIS grew out of that vacuum is pretty solid evidence for this.

There is also a degree consistency here. If you want to go around getting rid of despots that's fair enough, but why were British Prime Ministers on friendly terms with Gaddafi, or Mubarak? It's a bi-polar foreign policy and ought to be called out. You might even say it is ridiculously easy and needed no benefit of hindsight!

 

[Kurt.]

Alan Cairns resigned, just Rees Mogg now and it will be a great day.

 

[Tubey]

I’ve sat in more PIP assessments in the past 18 months than I care to remember mate. Honestly, in one the assessor never even averted her eyes from her laptop as she rushed through the assessment.. it’s shocking. Unofficially 65% of claims are refused first time. 80% of them are overturned at appeal. The theory is that they believe people won’t bother going through the appeals process, part of my job is insisting people do and supporting them through the process.

You work at CAB mate?

 

[Kurt.]

You work at CAB mate?

No, i work with people in the community who need a little assistance in regards to housing issues, benefits, bills etc. PIP assessments and UC assessments are become more and more common now, both are set up in a disgusting manner which practically makes people beg for what little they get and then has the audacity to make them wait for weeks with nothing to live on (unless they apply for a loan which later gets deducted monthly from their benefits) until they reach a decision.

What makes me bang my head against the wall is the awards are made and comply with what the law states is the minimum amount per week required to live on... yet they got e you to take a loan and then deduct it from the lawful minimum amount... it sets people up to struggle from the start... so wrong.

 

[dwightschrute]

No, i work with people in the community who need a little assistance in regards to housing issues, benefits, bills etc. PIP assessments and UC assessments are become more and more common now, both are set up in a disgusting manner which practically makes people beg for what little they get and then has the audacity to make them wait for weeks with nothing to live on (unless they apply for a loan which later gets deducted monthly from their benefits) until they reach a decision.

What makes me bang my head against the wall is the awards are made and comply with what the law states is the minimum amount per week required to live on... yet they got e you to take a loan and then deduct it from the lawful minimum amount... it sets people up to struggle from the start... so wrong.

Sounds like you're doing a great thing mate. This is what we're fighting for and no amount of mud slinging and media barrages will stop us from seeking justice and easing inequality

 

[Kurt.]

Sounds like you're doing a great thing mate. This is what we're fighting for and no amount of mud slinging and media barrages will stop us from seeking justice and easing inequality

Just a level playing field would be nice. People don’t stand a chance at the moment. Fairness is all that’s needed.

 

[JimmyJeffers]

No, i work with people in the community who need a little assistance in regards to housing issues, benefits, bills etc. PIP assessments and UC assessments are become more and more common now, both are set up in a disgusting manner which practically makes people beg for what little they get and then has the audacity to make them wait for weeks with nothing to live on (unless they apply for a loan which later gets deducted monthly from their benefits) until they reach a decision.

What makes me bang my head against the wall is the awards are made and comply with what the law states is the minimum amount per week required to live on... yet they got e you to take a loan and then deduct it from the lawful minimum amount... it sets people up to struggle from the start... so wrong.

It’s mental. PIP claims must be a whole industry. All the DWP staffing and admin involved to process MRs and appeals can’t equate to any significant savings. It’s just a Tory tick box exercise so they can say they’ve cut benefits.
You getting loads of tax credit overpayments from like 15 years ago popping up and getting deducted at about £70 a month from the UC?

 

[LostLegend]

I’ve sat in more PIP assessments in the past 18 months than I care to remember mate. Honestly, in one the assessor never even averted her eyes from her laptop as she rushed through the assessment.. it’s shocking. Unofficially 65% of claims are refused first time. 80% of them are overturned at appeal. The theory is that they believe people won’t bother going through the appeals process, part of my job is insisting people do and supporting them through the process.

I’ve been to a couple with my mate who suffers from various mental health conditions and a chronic lung condition.

He usually gets the appointment letter a week or 2 before the appointment which for starters puts him in a bad place. He’s very aware of all the horror stories regarding these assessments, so he spends the 2 weeks in a serious panic on top of his other issues.

One one occasion, before he’d even sat down, one of the assessors said “What’s wrong with you then? You look ok to me!”

The way she spoke to him throughout made me want to flip the table over, so god knows how he felt.

Despite weekly appointments with various councellors, mental health teams and lung specialists for his various conditions, and relevant reports from each, they still demanded he have a 1 to 1 with their own ‘in house’ doctor!

Fortunately everything went through OK, but the process is at best maddening and at worst compounds people’s existing conditions with further worry or stress.

 

[JimmyJeffers]

I’ve been to a couple with my mate who suffers from various mental health conditions and a chronic lung condition.

He usually gets the appointment letter a week or 2 before the appointment which for starters puts him in a bad place. He’s very aware of all the horror stories regarding these assessments, so he spends the 2 weeks in a serious panic on top of his other issues.

One one occasion, before he’d even sat down, one of the assessors said “What’s wrong with you then? You look ok to me!”

The way she spoke to him throughout made me want to flip the table over, so god knows how he felt.

Despite weekly appointments with various councellors, mental health teams and lung specialists for his various conditions, and relevant reports from each, they still demanded he have a 1 to 1 with their own ‘in house’ doctor!

Fortunately everything went through OK, but the process is at best maddening and at worst compounds people’s existing conditions with further worry or stress.

Oddly enough, in my experience, those who are on the fiddle seem to have the least problems. They know how to act and to not give any signs that you can do anything.
The whole system is an utter disgrace.

 

[Kurt.]

Oddly enough, in my experience, those who are on the fiddle seem to have the least problems. They know how to act and to not give any signs that you can do anything.
The whole system is an utter disgrace.

I don’t wish to infer anything either way but from my experience the people who genuinely need the help find these whole ordeals mentally and physically painful. Some others though who may be playing the system seem to find it an acceptable embuggerance and have the front and confidence to sail through it.

 

[Tubey]

No, i work with people in the community who need a little assistance in regards to housing issues, benefits, bills etc. PIP assessments and UC assessments are become more and more common now, both are set up in a disgusting manner which practically makes people beg for what little they get and then has the audacity to make them wait for weeks with nothing to live on (unless they apply for a loan which later gets deducted monthly from their benefits) until they reach a decision.

What makes me bang my head against the wall is the awards are made and comply with what the law states is the minimum amount per week required to live on... yet they got e you to take a loan and then deduct it from the lawful minimum amount... it sets people up to struggle from the start... so wrong.

Yep it's been worsening. I used to work at CAB myself, then Jobcentre Plus - it's astonishing how badly people are treated. They're not seen as humans in many ways.

Well in for doing such a worthwhile job mate.

 

[bluebark]

Just a level playing field would be nice. People don’t stand a chance at the moment. Fairness is all that’s needed.

Fairness costs rich people a tiny fraction of their wealth so it obviously won’t ever be fair.

 

[bluebark]

Yep it's been worsening. I used to work at CAB myself, then Jobcentre Plus - it's astonishing how badly people are treated. They're not seen as humans in many ways.

Well in for doing such a worthwhile job mate.

Because they’ve been demonised for over a decade.

 

[Kurt.]

Yep it's been worsening. I used to work at CAB myself, then Jobcentre Plus - it's astonishing how badly people are treated. They're not seen as humans in many ways.

Well in for doing such a worthwhile job mate.

Ironically I’m actually having to take time off at the moment as it’s become a bit much the past 24 months and it’s taken it’s toll a bit... hopefully a little rest will straighten things out and I’ll get back soon.