Sue Marsh reports on the Mail and Telegraph misreporting of disability benefits.
Sue Marsh blogs at Diary of a Benefit Scrounger
Oh how very depressing days like today are if you’re sick or disabled. Disability campaigners spend months trying to build up awareness of sickness (ESA) and Disability (DLA) benefits, only to have their work totally undone in just a few minutes by a government intent on twisting the facts to suit their agenda and a media who don’t even know the difference between the two benefits.
“Two million claimants on disability living allowance face being stripped of payments”, shouts the Telegraph, whilst listing a range of at best dubious claims from the Department for Work and Pensions.
The most persistent of these claims is that claimants are simply given DLA by the wheelchair-fairy based on no evidence and are never checked again.
This is nonsense. Claimants must fill in a 40-page form accompanied by evidence from consultants and health professionals. Their claims are reassessed regularly, usually every three years unless an indefinite award has been granted.
The Mail go further, claiming:
• Up to 500,000 are ready to start work immediately;
• People on lifetime benefit are more likely to retire or die than get a job;
• 38 per cent just need the right support to get back to work.
Sadly, the Daily Mail actually have the wrong benefit.
Letters aren’t, as they claim, being sent out today to people claiming DLA asking them to submit reassessments. Letters however are being sent to those claiming Incapacity Benefit summoning them to assessments for the migration to Employment Support Allowance (ESA).
In a staggering bit of misreporting, the Mail also claims:
“Out of the 1,626 people assessed in Burnley and Aberdeen a third of those questioned were taken off the DLA and instead put onto Jobseeker’s Allowance.”
No, that would be Incapacity Benefit too.
Of the 500,000 “ready to start work immediately”, the Mail forgets to point out that assessments have been called “unfit for purpose” by every main investigation into them, including the Citizens Advice Bureau and the government’s own advisory committee. whilst 40% of these “miracle cures” are being overturned at tribunals, costing the taxpayer £19.8 million.
Most people awarded DLA for life have severe, degenerative conditions that will never improve such as cerebral palsy, severe learning disabilities, total paralysis or kidney failure. The government seems unduly shocked that people with lifelong disabilities should receive awards for life.
Surely constant reassessment of those people whose conditions will never improve is the single most ridiculous waste of taxpayers’ money since someone decided MPs ought to get expenses on top of their already generous salaries?
Coalition plans to reform ESA and DLA are flawed and many of us spend our lives trying to inform people and fight for modifications to the welfare reform bill that could end up saving great distress.
This level of reporting is not only lazy, but it could be dangerous. Sadly, all the while the DWP are happy to twist the figures themselves; I can’t imagine things will improve.
121 Responses to “Right wing press need to check facts before screaming at disabled”
LYNNE HEAL
I was diagnosed with SPMS in 2009 xmas 2009 I recieved NO benefits at all after working 25 years of my life .It took months to get any money at all for 25 years of my life.This is the 3rd disease I am fighting.Genuine ill people suffer more than ones beating the system .I went back work 3 months after major surgery and worked full time to be treated like dirt.
Emma Ford
RT @BendyGirl: RT @leftfootfwd: Right wing press need to check facts before screaming at disabled http://bit.ly/hy8tWV
Sue Marsh
I didn’t personalise it, I was answering your questions.
Yes, all IB claimants are reassessed every three years at least.
The 8% finding work are …..drumroll….. exactly the same percentage finding work without help.
My problem with people who say “Obviously those truly disabled should be helped” is they tend to ignore the overwhelming evidence that those in real need are not being helped.
I finally didn’t say anyone WANTED people to suffer or die, but if that is the result of some of these policies, then surely the government would WANT to change them now, before it’s too late?
Surely the point here, is that my article was about misinformation, misguided press releases and scaremongering – won’t you address why that is happening?
Anon E Mouse
Munguin – I’m not sure I’m not mixing up the two…
Tris – My point is that I worked with the elderly and disabled doing IT for Social Services in South Wales and during that time four or five of the regulars got jobs and the change in their outlook was profound. Their parents had to run them to work and stuff but they were never sick, never late and never had a hangover.
At a supermarket in a nearby town here, a young man with Downs has been working with the public on a till and the change in him over the last couple of years is also amazing.
I just think that people need to work if they can and whilst it is difficult when unemployment is high and yes there are easier ways to save money, the incentive to work must be paramount.
I don’t see people as disabled, merely more or less abled. Perhaps it’s me…
Anon E Mouse
Sue Marsh – I just disagree with the headline of your article – I do not believe the right wing press are “Screaming” at the disabled.
Since you wrote the article please tell me on what basis you can say 500K aren’t fit for work? From what I understand IDS believes that a wheelchair bound individual is perfectly capable of working in a call centre just as much as an able bodied person. I agree with that.
I realise there are jobs people don’t want to do irrespective of their ability but hey that’s applicable to anyone.
Work gives meaning to people’s lives, a reason to get up in the morning – it’s a good thing.
Finally on what basis do you say “The government seems unduly shocked that people with lifelong disabilities should receive awards for life”. I see no evidence of that at all…