A disabled teacher has told how a government contractor apologised to him for a dishonest benefit assessment, and then had to apologise again after it ordered a replacement assessment which was even worse. He says his experience is a damning indictment […]
Benefits and Poverty
Election 2017: Mordaunt dodges questions over ‘misleading’ WCA pledge
The Conservatives have refused to comment on an apparently misleading public pledge by the minister for disabled people that another Tory government would “dismantle” the work capability assessment. Penny Mordaunt was speaking at a disability hustings event in Westminster that was […]
BMA ‘will be complicit in future deaths’, after silence on ‘fit note’ rules
Appalled disabled activists have warned the British Medical Association (BMA) that it will be “complicit” in the future deaths of patients, after the doctors’ union refused to speak out about “very dangerous” new benefit rules affecting severely-ill claimants. Disability News Service […]
‘DWP’s flawed assessments and harassment’ forced woman into webcam sex work
A disabled grandmother has described how the flawed disability benefit assessment system and back-to-work harassment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) forced her into employment as a webcam sex worker. A*, who has had chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia for […]
Activists ‘horrified’ by universal credit rules forcing sick claimants into work activity
“Very dangerous” rules are forcing severely-ill people applying for the government’s new universal credit to look for jobs and take part in training, even though their GPs have said they are not fit for work, “horrified” disabled activists have warned. The […]
PIP suicide woman’s sister blames ‘barbaric’ system for her death
The sister of a disabled woman who she believes was driven to kill herself by the anxiety caused by re-applying for the government’s new disability benefit has called for reform of the “barbaric” system. Diane Hullah, from east Kent, took her […]
DWP pilot failure on WCA ‘calls into question willingness to learn from suicides’
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) appears to have gone back on its promise to a tribunal to address a fatal flaw in its “fitness for work” test that has led to the deaths of multiple benefit claimants with mental […]
Lower benefit cap sees income slashed for more than 10,000 disabled people
More than 10,000 disabled people have had their benefits slashed in just one month, after the government introduced a new, lower cap on the total benefits that any non-working household can receive. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures are […]
Election forces MPs to abandon PIP inquiry, but evidence backs up dishonesty claims
Statements submitted to MPs have provided further evidence of widespread dishonesty among healthcare professionals who carry out disability benefit assessments, but their inquiry has had to be abandoned because of the prime minister’s decision to call a general election. Despite its […]
Government admits failing to record actions after benefit suicide inquiries
The government failed for more than three years to keep a record of what actions it took – if any – after carrying out secret reviews into the suicides of benefit claimants, Disability News Service (DNS) can reveal. The Department for […]