The Burnham Years - Can the new(ish) broom sweep clean?

[egg]

2 hours ago, badgerx16 said:

Don't assume all the abuse of the system is from shirkers. I know of instances where PIP assessments have been contracted out and the agency has been given quotas of case refusals to meet. I have sat in as a witness to assessments where the final report bore very little semblance to the actual interview, including not only altered answers, but manufactured responses to questions that were not asked. Thankfully the appeals process works.

I have a similar experience. Sadly, not everyone who's shat on in the initial refusal has the wherewithal or support to challenge. I don't mix in the same kind of circles as Alex, so I don't know of any shirkers, but I know several people who have had to go through the ordeal of an assessment, then an appeal, before getting what they need. 

I think some people just assume that benefits are being stolen by the greedy, and that everyone who needs them, gets them. 

[badgerx16]

29 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

Do you have any idea of the hoops you have to go through to get an ADHD diagnosis? At the moment in our area it takes 4 years and costs around £6k. So are you sure that happens, or are you making stuff up, again? 

Yes it does. I suspect there are regions where your experience is the norm and others where, perhaps through stress on the system, things are not as stringently controlled.

[Gloucester Saint]

37 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

So are you sure that happens, or are you making stuff up, again? 

50/50 - what do you reckon?

😂😂😂

[Farmer Saint]

14 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

Yes it does. I suspect there are regions where your experience is the norm and others where, perhaps through stress on the system, things are not as stringently controlled.

It's more you have to go through tests for over a year to diagnose, including psychological tests and the backlog is huge. People round us started testing in Year 1, and weren't diagnosed in time for secondary. 

Edited 1 hour ago by Farmer Saint