Another despicable Government scam !!!

Yet again the despicable scumbag 'nasty party' are attempting to deprive sick and disabled claimants of their rights to claim Social security and disability benefits !!!

Exposed: the government is misleading doctors about their patient’s disability benefits. They’re telling GPs to stop giving sick notes to ill and disabled patients who are appealing benefits decisions, even though they need them to get the benefits they rely on. [1] It's pushing people into poverty and damaging their health even more.

Anti-poverty charity, Z2K have uncovered this scandal and got an influential MP to start kicking up a fuss. [2] But the government are still getting away with it because hardly anyone knows about this dodgy behaviour.

So Z2K have set up a 38 Degrees petition. If thousands of us sign, we can build up enough public pressure to expose the government’s actions. We can get it splashed across the papers and they’ll have to stop this dodgy practice.

Geoff, it’s not right that sick or disabled people are being denied the support they’re entitled to. Will you sign the petition now to make sure the government can’t get away with it anymore? It takes 30 seconds to sign:

SIGN THE PETITION

It's a bit of a complex situation. People who get denied benefits can still get money whilst they're appealing the decision - as long as they still have sick notes from their doctor. But the government are sending misleading letters, telling doctors to stop providing sick notes. It means vulnerable people are losing the help and support they need.

People like Louis, who was too ill to work, but had his benefits denied. And because of one of these dodgy letters his doctor stopped sending him sick notes, which meant he couldn't get benefits while he was appealing. [3] He was forced to turn to food banks, fell into debt and was faced with the risk of eviction from his home. He finally won his appeal, but suffered unnecessarily in the process.

And he's not alone - 69% of ill and disabled people win their appeals, but these letters block many from getting benefits until the appeal is over. [4] It’s really hard for people like Louis to take on the government alone, but when thousands of 38 Degrees-ers come together we can force them to do the right thing.

Geoff, will you sign the petition to pile the pressure on the government to stop misleading doctors and forcing vulnerable people further into poverty?

SIGN THE PETITION

Re: Another despicable Government scam !!!

I was reading that News Article yesterday. It is quite disgusting the way they are treating the sick and disabled people.

Re: Another despicable Government scam !!!

Bottom line

If a person has been ASSESSED and deemed suitable for work, then it is surely wrong for GP's to be signing them off work.

This comes down to where the authority lies in terms of who makes the decision whether someone can or can not work.

If the government (or delegate party) is doing the assessing then that's where the authority lies.

Unfortunately we live in a society where, for a very long time, patients who are very friendly with their GPs and have perhaps been their patients for years, have been able to nudge and coerce the GP to write them sick notes. It's no skin off the GP's back after all.

Government is clearly trying to stamp that out so what they are doing is surely correct.

Again, bottom line. IF a person has been ASSESSED and deemed fit for some type of work, then that is surely that.
No more silly "sick notes" from GPs.

If the GP or patient disagrees with an assessment decision then he/she presumably has a course of action to appeal it.
All fair and square.

So the issue at stake appears to be whether government should continue to pay the benefits AFTER a person has been assessed as suitable for work but where the patient is appealing.

The focus here on GP sick notes is garbage.

I can see there is definitely a case for government to continue benefits where appeals are pending however if they did, you can bet they'd all be appealing as a matter of course just to get the bennies.

So it all seems to boil down to 2 issues:

1) Are the assessments fair and producing the right results?

If not who says so, on what basis and authority and what process is needed to change/reform the assessment process?

2) Should bennies continue to be paid until appeals are done with?

If so there needs to be some kind of upfront analysis and categorisations of the appeals, i.e. No chance vs high chance
of a decision overturn. Probably pay the bennies for the latter.

Either way GPs should most certainly not be undermining the assessment process by continuing to write "sick notes"

Re: Another despicable Government scam !!!

UJ,

As you're aware we rarely agree on anything.
However, I do commend you for fighting to help those who are in genuine need / genuinely cannot work for good reason.

But, I'm also sick to death of my taxes supporting those that are perfectly able to work and just play the system (and I know a few!)

So, I often find myself reluctant to sign such petitions, because how do I know I'm not signing to assist the scroungers to continue scrounging?

Re: Another despicable Government scam !!!

It's a great sounding statistic isn't it UJ but it hides the real numbers.

According to the DWP there were some 2.9 million assessment decisions made (for PIP) and only 8% of them were appealed.

Sure, of those appealing, a high number are successful in getting the decision over-turned.

None of that takes away from the great work the government does and continues to do to rid society of the benefit scroungers and spongers.

Those numbers mean that 92% of decisions made ARE NOT appealed.


Presumably you are very chuffed that the government has helped rid society of these sponging barstewards yes?

Re: Another despicable Government scam !!!

Your caution is well placed Fender imo.

In this specific case the petition is specifically about GOs continuing to write sick notes when the government has already assessed a person and deemed them capable of work.

The petition is stupid. Hence I have no intention of signing it. It's clearly more of an anti-government PR stunt.

Re: Another despicable Government scam !!!

If all is to be levelled, bring back the Poll Tax.

The proposition is fine, the administration is a nightmare.

Re: Another despicable Government scam !!!

I agree it is not the new legislation that is the problem, it is the sourcing out to untrained people paid on results to do the testing that is the disgrace. Adding of course that some areas are now implementing up to one year for an appeal to be heard. I think they call it "Staving claimants out".

Re: Another despicable Government scam !!!

Definitely!