Benefit tests 'not money driven'

[pompeyfaith]

A system of assessments to encourage more people on benefits back into work is "not a financially-based exercise", a minister has said.
Work and Pensions minister Chris Grayling said that work capability assessments were all about identifying people with the potential to work.
The government is seeking to reassess all 2.6 million people on incapacity benefit - and its successor, employment and support allowance (ESA) - by 2014.
Some charities criticised the move.
'Life-changing experience' The assessments determine whether applicants are entitled to the highest rate of ESA - for those deemed unable to work at all due to sickness or disability - or are considered "fit for work", in which case they are put on jobseeker's allowance instead.
The test, first introduced by the last Labour government and being rolled out by the coalition, can also place applicants into a "work-related activity group", where they will be expected to take steps to prepare themselves for work in the medium to long term.


Speaking to the Commons Work and Pensions Committee, Mr Grayling said the assessments were potentially "quite difficult" and a "life-changing experience" for some people on benefits.
However, he said it was the correct thing to do in the long term.
"[It is] a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform people's lives for the better," he said.
Earlier this year, six charities - including the MS Society and Parkinson's UK - said the assessments were declaring sick people fit for work, and called for changes to the system.
Earlier in June, campaigners - including charity Mind - strongly criticised the assessments, saying the changes were causing "huge" distress and had resulted in suicides.
Some changes have been made to make the assessments "fairer", following an independent review by Prof Malcolm Harrington.

Total bullsit it is a well known fact atos are paid bonuses to get people back to work

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Benefit tests 'not money driven'

Mate, the personal advisers that you see when you visit a JC+ also get "points" per new benefit to work which if they meet target, increases their pay at their review (ie a percentage of the increment is based on performance & targets)....

I'm sorry to say I'm ex JC+ but left when I realised we assisted immigrants over our own. Case in point; a Dutch woman with 100 kids just landed gets hostel/benefit/council house - equivalent UK woman that's worked all her life but quit for whatever reason: gets sanctioned (for quitting).. Then you have her lose her home (repo) as her hubby turned into abusive alcoholic. She runs away, gets refused housing cos she was in adequate accommodation and gave it up voluntarily prior to being assessed by social services.

So, she could have been killed by then! Why can that be allowed to happen! It's utter BOLLOCKS!

Anyway, hope you see my point from the inside speaking out.....

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Benefit tests 'not money driven'

Niddy,

Yes I see you point.

When I was first made redundant in Sept 2007 I signed on it was a first for me and was the most humiliating experience I have had to deal with.

Yes I went to many interviews about 75 in total before I started feeling demoralised you see with my health issues claw hand drop foot weakness down my right side hypertension etc no employer was interested in me there where plenty of fit people in front of the queue.

As harsh as that sounds that is the reality One employer even told me that straight within 1 minute of entering the room that I should be medically retired lol

Driving back home I was in deep thought about that comment in that maybe he is right The JC was happy to just put me on stupid courses that was of no help to me with my disabilities so I went to my doctor and had a good chat with him and he decided to sign me off so I could switch me to incapacity benefit and then sort out my DLA claim.

Not sure if you remember but Cameron publicly said on TV that no one should claim benefits unless they have a real need well that had been me for the past 20 yrs never claimed a penny even though I was entitled too as DLA is not means tested (wish I did now) but I had morals in that I was financially stable and did not need a government helping hand.

However despite saving the DWP about £86,000 by not claiming that did not make it any easier now.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Benefit tests 'not money driven'

Chance of me getting a paid part time job in todays climate is remote to say the least, however I am fookin bored staying at home so I have changed tack.

Am looking for voluntary work to do for a while in the hope it will look good on my CV and give me some more hands on training.

Plus no one can accuse me of being a scrounger as ill be earning my incapacity benefit.

Good I wish Cameron did not use that word as it is affecting the wrong citizens, anyway anyone know if voluntary work will effect my benefits?

[PriorityOne]

Re: Benefit tests 'not money driven'

Total bullsit it is a well known fact atos are paid bonuses to get people back to work

Where is all this "work" then?

Ah yes, the Gov. must mean those useless zero hour contract jobs, temporary and/or seasonal jobs that do little else but muck up people's lives by mucking up their Benefits.... without giving them a hope in Hell of getting a secure future.

All the Gov. is interested in is massaging figures to disguise the mess this country is in. The real unemployment figures are around the 8 million mark but we're not told this because only certain Benefit recipients are counted in the official stats.... and young people are shoved on useless courses to keep them off the NEET stats (Not in Education, Employment or Training)....

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Benefit tests 'not money driven'

P1,

Where is all this "work" then?

Ah yes, the Gov. must mean those useless zero hour contract jobs, temporary and/or seasonal jobs that do little else but muck up people's lives by mucking up their Benefits.... without giving them a hope in Hell of getting a secure future.

All the Gov. is interested in is massaging figures to disguise the mess this country is in. The real unemployment figures are around the 8 million mark but we're not told this because only certain Benefit recipients are counted in the official stats.... and young people are shoved on useless courses to keep them off the NEET stats (Not in Education, Employment or Training)....

And all the non jobs advertised on the net and at the job centre the amount of money i have wasted chasing non jobs is unbelievable.

[PriorityOne]

Re: Benefit tests 'not money driven'

P1,

And all the non jobs advertised on the net and at the job centre the amount of money i have wasted chasing non jobs is unbelievable.

Doesn't do a lot for your self-esteem either Pompey....

I'm also outraged by the new(ish) type of X-Factor style interview that seems to be the norm these days; where people are all in the same room at the same time.... jumping through hoops, etc.... and more or less get voted off!!

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Benefit tests 'not money driven'

P1,

No it does not I went on 75 interviews in total over a 6 mth period in 2007/08 and no employer was interested in me knowing that there was plenty of able bodied citizens chasing the same job.

The fact remains the government can do all they like training the disabled, but unless they also train the employers as to the benefits nothing will change.

My last interview was a simple job washing and steam cleaning heavy plant like diggers etc a job I could easily of done.

The employer refused to interview me and said I would be better off claiming disability benefits I was well pissed off as that was not the point.

Oh well will carry on with my search for voluntary work although that is in itself is becoming hard due to the amount of people applying.

[garlok]

Re: Benefit tests 'not money driven'

Hi PF,

Sorry to hear of your troubles here. A couple of things for you. You CAN work whilst receiving full incapacity benefit plus the other bits. It is called permitted work and there are three options if you look at it. That is how we have survived and its all legitimate and takes you almost out of the ATOS scene as well because you have made the effort and are "contributing" of your own volition. You can start a little business and earn certain amounts without penalty.

I know of someone up in Lancashire who is much younger then me but has similar disablities. He carries on with a small business, in receipt of his benefits and he had some serious help from the Prince's Trust to get him going. Something I wished we had looked into and had got as we would be in a much better position now. We just put whatever we had in to it.

regards
Garlok

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Benefit tests 'not money driven'

Garlok,

Thanks for that m8 think I might put an add in the local paper job pages requesting voluntary work.

Regards