Damn the DWP

[delicatemoth]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh shit, it's the health and disability Green Paper, just in time to chill people with long term post-COVID symptoms.

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.co...s-green-paper/

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

In defence of the consultation process, at least there IS a green paper out for full public consultation. Having been involved in that process in the past I'm glad to see it's been followed (dare I suggest insisted on, by Civil Servants?).

I do appreciate, a bit like Douglas Adams did years ago, that the consultation process in itself can be a bit like "what do you mean no-one told you, it was freely available in a drawer in the unlit basement of the council offices in a locked office with a sign on the door saying 'beware of the leopard', but yes, sometimes, opposition in this country does require active mobilisation.

[delicatemoth]

Labour still into this vile shit.

https://twitter.com/mrfrankzola/status/1442006268458196993

[delicatemoth]

These measures appear to give the DWP impunity to persecute anyone they like.

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ne...ch-and-seizure

"The DWP is to get the power to arrest claimants, search premises and seize evidence as well as being able to fine claimants where they do not have enough evidence to bring a criminal case for fraud, the government has announced."

[Duncan Gardner]

They're evil. I'll say more after they get rid of me

[Balderdasha]

This reminded me to post my PIP review form. I had to get a three week extension on filling it in because it arrived when I was in a deep depression and not opening any of my post. By the time I got round to opening the backlog of letters, the deadline had almost expired. I find the whole process completely traumatic because last time I did this, I got called to an appointment / gruelling interview, where my claim was rejected and I had to go to appeal. It was reinstated and back-paid but unnecessarily stressful. I'm fully expecting them to reject my claim again this time due to the fact I'm managing to hold down a job, even though my underlying lifelong condition has neither miraculously gone away, or even massively improved.

[Sporting]

This is plain fucking wrong.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Well, reading the proposals, it's not exactly a huge new change. None of these new powers are things that HMRC hasn't had for decades. Management of a number of tax credits is moving from HMRC to DWP so the powers are simply moving with them in relation to handling those particular tax credits. And bear in mind, this will also lower the bar for conviction for falsely claiming benefits from a criminal fraud trial (which could render you virtually unemployable in future) to a civil penalty resulting in a fine, the same as now for speeding or minor tax avoidance, so may actually reduce the overall penalties some people end up incurring (as there won't be huge court costs added onto fines). Among the most common forms of false claims currently taken all the way to criminal prosecution are failing to declare small amounts of paid work when claiming to be unfit for any kind of work, and falsely claiming to be living alone when cohabiting, neither of which really are offences or errors which should be clogging up magistrates courts unless they are worthy of prosecution as blatant and exemplary fraud.

[DCI Harry Batt]

This reminded me to post my PIP review form. I had to get a three week extension on filling it in because it arrived when I was in a deep depression and not opening any of my post. By the time I got round to opening the backlog of letters, the deadline had almost expired. I find the whole process completely traumatic because last time I did this, I got called to an appointment / gruelling interview, where my claim was rejected and I had to go to appeal. It was reinstated and back-paid but unnecessarily stressful. I'm fully expecting them to reject my claim again this time due to the fact I'm managing to hold down a job, even though my underlying lifelong condition has neither miraculously gone away, or even massively improved.

They are bastards. Hope you're wrong and it doesn't get denied.

[delicatemoth]

Good grief, I post an article showing that the DWP are about to get police powers that will enable them to terrorise claimants far more than they already do and that's your response?

I'm still repaying an alleged overpayment from the last century, a decision I wasn't allowed to dispute because I did not find out about it at the time.

"The sweeping new powers will mean that designated DWP staff will be able to arrest claimants, search premises and seize any evidence they find without needing to use the police. The DWP say this will put them on a par with HMRC and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA)."

"The DWP will be able to impose civil penalties on claimants based on a percentage of any overpayment, where the DWP does not have enough evidence to prosecute. This will be in addition to having to repay the whole amount of the benefit the DWP consider to have been fraudulently obtained."

[delicatemoth]

This reminded me to post my PIP review form. I had to get a three week extension on filling it in because it arrived when I was in a deep depression and not opening any of my post. By the time I got round to opening the backlog of letters, the deadline had almost expired. I find the whole process completely traumatic because last time I did this, I got called to an appointment / gruelling interview, where my claim was rejected and I had to go to appeal. It was reinstated and back-paid but unnecessarily stressful. I'm fully expecting them to reject my claim again this time due to the fact I'm managing to hold down a job, even though my underlying lifelong condition has neither miraculously gone away, or even massively improved.

I'm sorry Balders, best of luck. I didn't even know I was entitled to it until my case worker in the hostel suggested I apply, and helped me with the application, came with me to the assessment and helped me with the mandatory reconsideration. I'm scared of the review because I no longer have this support.

[Balderdasha]

Thanks all. I'm going to have to ring them again on Monday because I only sent it off yesterday special delivery, but because of the jubilee, the post isn't running so they can only guarantee it'll arrive on Monday, which is my new extended deadline. They'll use any excuse to stop my PIP.

[Balderdasha]

Then after that, I have to phone the DVLA and see if there's a chance of getting my driving licence reinstated. It was revoked earlier this year after my psychiatrist said I was not safe to drive.

[delicatemoth]

Spokespeople from the SNP, Plaid Cymru and Lib Dems, along with Green MP Caroline Lucas, have called for a public enquiry into benefit-related deaths. Shadow Work & Pensions Secretary Jonathan Ashworth has not joined them, nor has he responded to me politely asking him why not.

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ne...benefit-deaths

[Etienne]

https://twitter.com/Celeb_FC/status/1599725529241858049?s=20&t=eCCGIj8RMLjLq5L73ILMTw

So, I volunteer at the refugee hub in Oswestry, and one of our Ukrainian guests needs to contact PIP to register a change of address. For some unfathomable reason this can only be done over the phone. Her English is very limited, so she needs to do it from here, as she needs someone to translate. We've been trying to get through to the line for over an hour, so I was checking Twitter to see if anyone else was reporting difficulties.

And it's only because I did that, that I know that thousands of disabled people, in a cost of living crisis, in a time when heating bills are through the roof, when the weather is significantly colder, have not got a payment, have not been informed of that, or the reason why, nothing has been added to the phone line message to inform them, and so no-one can get through to the enquiry line to find out.

This would clearly be a scandal if anyone in our political and media class cared about disabled people. That it's basically gone unnoticed, indicates that they don't.

[delicatemoth]

Fiona Robertson on the DWP, as related to their new video that MsD mentions on the Steps to fascism thread.

https://twitter.com/FionasWriting/status/1649417552009871362

[MsD]

Thanks, dm x. Fuck them to hell.

[Sunderporinostesta]

That video is pure unadulterated evil.

[delicatemoth]

DWP staff are completely overwhelmed by workloads and the system is in a state, according to the PCS union.

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.co...ate-of-crisis/

[Antepli Ejderha]

https://twitter.com/Feargal_Sharkey/status/1738238020967416131?t=Lt6aK26rUumNfleSBBQ52w&s=19

I've no idea what to say.