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”
Gerald Phillips
The article by Sue Marsh was superb and accurate. For al of you crowing abot getting seriously ill people back to work, don’t crow too loudly your turn could come. Are you immune from illness ? Is your job truly truly safe ? NO. I didn’t think so. You may well be hospitalised and need long term treatment, you may be diagnosed with a slowly prgressive cancer. Tomorrow your boss might tell you that you can be done without. Be careful you may need the welfare state yourselves. I hope not but wouldn’t take a bet on it.
Mason Dixon, Autistic
But you don’t see people as human beings Anon and it’s plain obvious from your repeated dismissal and dodging of studiously documented evidence and giving the system almost unquestioning support.
I don’t think anyone should take you seriously until you post some evidence to back up your mythical version of reality.
Kate Wilson
I had cancer. I have Diabetes. I have hearing loss not fully corrected by two hearing aids. I have depression. I have chronic fatigue. I am left disabled by side effects of cancer treatment and I have to take tablets every day.
I have been left for the last 6 weeks without any income because the ESA say I am fit to work. I am appealing this decision. I am waiting. I am one of hundreds.
thomas Rae
comments by anon e mouse should be disregarded, indeed should not have been allowed in the first place since he or she is too cowardly to even give a name!a self elected(or worse)cheap trick agent provocateour!who should be ignored by all(these people hate that)lest someone actually gives credence to their penny dreadful rabble rousing!
Daniel Weichman
RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd: Right wing press need to check facts before screaming at disabled: http://bit.ly/ehtIkb says @suey2y