Re:The Unemployment Rate in Every Region of Europe
by DanBC on Thursday May 03, 2018 @11:28AM
(#16986852)
It's really hard to play the system.
Here's someone who was signed off work for heart problems. He had to have an independent medical (because DWP doesn't believe doctors) before he could claim disability benefits.
During the independent medical he had a heart attack. The healthcare professional had to stop the assessment and call for an ambo. The ambo staff arrived, and took him to hospital.
To you or me this is proof that he wasn't faking his heart problems and he is genuinely ill.
To the DWP it's failure to complete an assessment, and he was sanctioned for this non-completion.
Here's someone who was signed off work for heart problems. He had to have an independent medical (because DWP doesn't believe doctors) before he could claim disability benefits.
During the independent medical he had a heart attack. The healthcare professional had to stop the assessment and call for an ambo. The ambo staff arrived, and took him to hospital.
To you or me this is proof that he wasn't faking his heart problems and he is genuinely ill.
To the DWP it's failure to complete an assessment, and he was sanctioned for this non-completion.
(Read the Debbie Abrahams comments here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm13... )
There are literally thousands of these.
So, while it's possible to defraud benefits it's not easy, and it's not common. It's certainly much tighter than it used to be in the 90s.