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woolybananasbrother
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Thank you WB

Those of us living in the UK & paying UK tax do have a right & an interest in the UK government not wasting any more than they presently do.    Goodness knows what the national debt will be once this useless government is gone.

And, the percentage is high for fraudulent IB claims - difficult to put a figure on it, in fact the OP who stated that it was tiny can only be guessing, do the fraudsters perhaps confess ?   I accept that some, a tiny few, are discovered, but the number of fraudsters is rather like the iceberg equation - most you do not see!

 The total cost is  £12.5 billion pa and increasing year by year - a massive increase in the last decade.   2.64 million claimants - clearly many are valid and the public would always support them,  but a large number of young claiments now, and many do not have a valid claim. 

I know more fraudulent claimants than honest ones - one I met some years ago had a bad back- supposedly, and played golf daily & had a single figure handicap.  He was on a permanent holiday.   And is probably on full pension now, his NIC also paid for by the taxpayer.  Many  honest workers not managing to get a full pension.

Unfair, to say the least.

Tegwini

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The stats for fraudulent claims are surely only those that have been proven, as far as the DWP is concerned all those claimants in France and Spain for that matter, are genuine because they have all been "assessed", but we all know that is just not the case.  Its not very depressing or stressful pocketing an extra £80 a week whilst lying beside the pool or touring round the country in the new car, hundreds of miles away from that job that was so stressful/depressing/or back breaking.  As far as I am concerned IB is a form of unemployment benefit paid to those who genuinely cannot work, not those who choose not to do so.

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The full amount for IB can be substantial when everything is added up & included - it NOT just £80 + pw, but can amount to a few hundred  pw with all the allowances etc.  Many work full-time for less.

Some IB claimants are unemployable after being on benefits for years - or decades, and would need at least an after-tax and NIC senior management or professional  salary/position to receive the same amount of tax-free money.

Most were not capable of such a job to start with.

How can this be defended ?  How can this be fair ?

 

Tegwini

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Incapacity Benefit is paid at three weekly rates:

  • short-term (lower) IB is paid for the first 28 weeks

  • short-term (higher) IB is paid from weeks 29 to 52

  • long-term IB is paid from week 53

How much do you get?

Current weekly amounts

Weekly rate AmountAmount if you're over State Pension age
short-term (lower rate)£63.75£81.10
short-term (higher rate)£75.40£84.50
long-term basic rate£84.50You're not eligible for long-term basic rate IB

You may be able to get an 'age addition' with your long-term Incapacity Benefit if you were under 45 when you became too ill or disabled to work.

You may be able to get extra benefit for your spouse or civil partner or the person who looks after your children.

SOURCE

EDIT: Just noticed that Benjamin posted similar earlier.

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Hi Russethouse

I am still working (although should be retired) part- time in education.  Working  full-time at present,  and in the holidays.   OH was self-employed for years, so I have seen both sides.

Not sure why, but in Wiltshire, near Salisbury,  there seems to be loads of IB claimants that I know about,  none of whom are remotely deserving of the funding they get.  

 And, they do get hundreds per week if you add it all up.

Regards

Tegwini

 

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How do you know they're 'not remotely deserving of the funding they get'?  Sorry, you're medically qualified to know this information?

Isn't this the popular conception of scroungers - if you think that they're on the fiddle, ring the confidential line and dob them in, that way you have done the country a service by reducing the number of illegal claimants and saved the State a few quid at the same time.

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[quote user="tegwini"]

The full amount for IB can be substantial when everything is added up & included - it NOT just £80 + pw, but can amount to a few hundred  pw with all the allowances etc.  Many work full-time for less.

 

Tegwini

[/quote]

Clearly in the 15 years that Mrs Benjamin was in receipt of Incapacity Benefit she missed out on all these other things that go with it. Perhaps you could state what other benefits are automatically granted and 100% related to being in receipt of IB?

With all this back pay that she's going to get I think we'll drop into the local Ford dealership and pick up a brochure and then we could maybe see about an Autumn hol in Guadaloupe when we're in Leclerc.

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[quote user="tegwini"]

And, they do get hundreds per week if you add it all up.

Regards

Tegwini

[/quote]

Really, how come they get all this money, not just by being on IB they don't, IB is NOT necessarily a gateway benefit, especially if your OH is in work?

I have a form of leukaemia which has caused all sorts of other medical conditions and when I was in the UK I couldn't even get free prescriptions for my chemo or the other medication that I have to use.  And work out the cost of a season ticket for drugs against the value of the IB, I seem to recall it was two weeks benefit or equivalent, so half your monthly income has gone in the month you buy your season ticket.

 

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Lots of IB fraud about- even this useless government now admits it- and their spokesman recently spoke about the amount not known about as similar to the iceberg below the surface.

No one disputes those who DO deserve it, but the increasing numbers of fraudsters warrant an absolute reform of the system.   And UK tax payers strongly object to benefit fraud.   

Categories of claimants have also increased - drug addicts, obese people,  people with excema the depressed & stressed - many of whom could work in some kind of job.  But as I mentioned before,  the benefits often exceed the amounts such people could ever earn - understandable many battle to get on IB and  GPs are pressurised and even threatened to comply. 

Tony- it doesn't take any medical training, but rather common sense to be sceptical when someone supposedly too ill to work can extend & renovate his home; & another one I know of manages to garden for others, and do admin & etc for the church:   another one  with 'back problems' manages play golf daily with a golf handicap of  2;  an ex-employee of OH had a wife with a 'problem back' & was on IB for 15 years and fit & healthy managed many activities requiring a level of fitness not many have, and  even managed to have a new Volvo estate on IB funded by the state- a newer, better car than her husband's professionally qualified employer !   I also knew a rep on IB, he travelled extensively for Woods of Windsor - car also funded by IB. I suppose he was at least working,  perhaps paying tax,   but how illogical is this ?   He was even proud to show his IB parking badge- major advantage that,  for a rep. 

The link below also of interest here.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7358878.stm

Tegwini

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[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"]Easier to report them then.[/quote]

But they don't, do they?

They just come onto public fora like this and post drivel. When asked to substantiate this with facts it is simply ignored.

These type of postings are insulting to people on Incapacity Benefit as a group .

 

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People here have been careful to differentiate those who have to have the benefit and those who are bloodsucking leeches. And there are inspectors doing the rounds. However we only ever hear of the big cases. I am sure the little ones often get hit too.

The new changes should sort it by the look of things. It all depends on the regime of testing and acceptance.

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[quote user="tegwini"]

Tony- it doesn't take any medical training, but rather common sense to be sceptical when someone supposedly too ill to work can extend & renovate his home; & another one I know of manages to garden for others, and do admin & etc for the church:   another one  with 'back problems' manages play golf daily with a golf handicap of  2;  an ex-employee of OH had a wife with a 'problem back' & was on IB for 15 years and fit & healthy managed many activities requiring a level of fitness not many have, and  even managed to have a new Volvo estate on IB funded by the state- a newer, better car than her husband's professionally qualified employer !   I also knew a rep on IB, he travelled extensively for Woods of Windsor - car also funded by IB. I suppose he was at least working,  perhaps paying tax,   but how illogical is this ?   He was even proud to show his IB parking badge- major advantage that,  for a rep. 

The link below also of interest here.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7358878.stm

Tegwini

[/quote]

What an absolutely perfect example of when somebody believe's that someone else is “fiddling” the system.

Firstly, it is highly unlikely that someone working as a sales rep is in receipt of IB. You can not receive full IB if working more than 16 hours a week, so are you sure he is receiving it? Unless of course he was working for the sort of small business which “fiddles” it's tax returns & the Government has not spotted that the same NI number is recorded for a recipient of IB.

The car has nothing to do with IB . They are for people who receive the High Rate Mobility Award of DLA, which is awarded regardless if you are working or not, who then have their payments paid directly to the mobility company. Neither are the cars free especially if you are driving something like a Volvo Estate, for your job. If you choose anything over a low priced, basic model car you have to pay the difference.

Blue parking badges are issued to people on the high rate mobility award, by the Department of Transport – once again, nothing to do with IB.

So thank you Tegwini for perfectly pointing out that a lot of people just “assume” that someone is on IB & fiddling the system. It makes me wonder how many other “fiddlers” mentioned here are also being unjustly accused.

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"Firstly, it is highly unlikely that someone working as a sales rep is in receipt of IB. You can not receive full IB if working more than 16 hours a week, so are you sure he is receiving it? Unless of course he was working for the sort of small business which “fiddles” it's tax returns & the Government has not spotted that the same NI number is recorded for a recipient of IB."

And of course, the person concerned may be in receipt of Disability WORKING Allowance which has been paid to get people with disabilities BACK into work!!!

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