http://www.mediafire.com/folder/476d8c62a6f4456aab1eab3e9fa335ca8b54486fa48bdd85

I understand that in some instances the work “doesn’t have to be critically important.” but actually when I return to work I do want to be doing something useful. Just because my body doesn’t work properly does not mean my mind is faulty too. I am experienced in doing work that many would consider “important” (no not curing cancer, just setting up infrastructure to assist the elderly, campaigning for peoples rights, community development, that kind of thing)
I wish to have a solid career when I return to work, I do not wish to spend my days smashing bottles.
I think it would surely be better to change the attitudes of employers who tend to be flexible towards things like women having babies and working reduced hours but inflexible to those woth health problems.

also, sorry for the length of my earlier post

My little friend with Down syndrome (and a heart condition, and hearing loss, and soon diabetes) will qualify for all the benefits when she becomes an adult. But is her life best sitting at home and watching Hannah Montana? Or is she better off doing something — *anything* — that seems (to her) like it would be useful to the world?

Even toddlers want to help. They may not be good at the tasks they choose, and they may not stay on task for even two minutes, but they want to feel useful. Why do we think that a disabled person is any less interested in, or less deserving of the opportunity for, being useful?

The work doesn’t have to be critically important. They don’t have to cure cancer. One developmentally disabled person in my hometown loved breaking things made of glass. He got a job at a place that sorts glass for recycling. His whole day is spent smashing glass bottles into the correct bin. He loves doing it, and he understands that it helps keep things clean. Does anyone really think his life would be improved by sitting at home (where everything is non-breakable plastic or wood) and “being disabled” instead of being included and useful?

These people need opportunities and flexibility, not a monthly check and feelings of isolation and worthlessness.

He is now enjoying these extra benefits as he can no longer work.

( he has a girl friend who supplies him with extra booze so this supplements his income)

I know alcholism is an illness but I just dont have any sympathy for this man, I really dont see why he is given extra benefits.

My sister works her butt off in a low paid job, she is totally depressed and Im really worried for her. She gets no extra help. I’d rather my sister and her daughter got this extra money, than her ex.

In general, as an IB claimant you would be able to work for up to two years (actually 104 weeks) and return to benefit on the same terms as when you left it if you needed to. You wouldn’t need to re-satisfy the contribution condition. This comes under the so-called welfare to work provisions. But do get independent advice first if you do find an opportunity to start work.

The comment that it is a good idea to have people on IB because there is unemployment makes no sense at all. To get the economy in recovery as quickly as possible, we need to get the best people doing each job. Implying that a good reaction to unemployment is to take a group of people out of the working population is crazy. There is no fixed “pot” of jobs, and even if there were, unemployment is still extremely low in the UK.

Being on IB doesn’t automatically passport you to free prescriptions, school meals etc. IS does passport you to these, but by no means all IB claimants will qualify for IS. Contributory JSA doesn’t passport you either,though income-based JSA does. There’s no automatic entitlement to reduced travel costs with any of these benefits, except for travel to hospital and local schemes such as London’s Venezualan largesse.

Someone working on the minimum wage as you describe would have their income topped up (not always by very much) by working tax credit and would generally qualify for some housing benefit (if they rent) and council tax benefit.

Ben’s program was very big on pundits putting over the conventional wisdom, absent was any impression of an understanding of how broken the benefits system is at the technical level – never mind the impacts on claimants which flow from this.

My attitude hasn’t changed a lot but I just find the depression eases and that makes it easier to cope. (Problem is, you have to keep doing it or the depression comes back.)

I should point out that I have suffered on and off with depression for that last 5 years and have only spent the last 7 of those on IB.

Yes but being on IB, IS or JSA is a gateway to a lot of other things – free prescriptions, baby formula, school meals,school uniforms, reduced travel costs, etc.

And every child born is an increase in benefit payments – and from a financial perspective you are better living as a single parent than with a partner.

Which isn’t to say it’s great being on benefits…

BUT. 40 hours a week at £5.73 an hours is £229 a week which is £192 take home pay (http://www.thesalarycalculator.co.uk/salary.php)

So out of £192, you’ve got all the additional costs of work (travel, possibly clothing) and you have to pay rent, council tax etc….

Long-term incapacity benefit is £84.50 per week – annualised this is £4,394 per year, well below the standard income tax allowance even before it was changed to compensate for the loss of the 10p tax band.

Since they are on a benefit, they can claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit. If with a private landlord, they can get a Local Housing Allowance rather than Housing Benefit. The LHA is basically up to the median rent for the area, for the size of property that you’re permitted to claim for (one bedroom per adult couple plus one bedroom per child over sixteen, one per two children under 16 of the same gender, and one per two children under 10 regardless of gender). You can keep up to £15/week of any excess (i.e. if the property you’re renting costs less than the median, you keep the difference up to £15).

Still, you can get Housing and Council Tax Benefits if you’re on a low wage with Income Support, or with Jobseeker’s Allowance, so this isn’t really a difference. IB rates are slightly higher than JSA, so you could argue that there’s a slightly higher incentive to claim IB, but it amounts to less than £25 per week if getting the long-term IB rate (under £5/week for short-term IB).

There just seems to be the perception that benefits are an easy life, when they really aren’t. A 40 hour/week job at minimum wage would pay £229 per week, nearly three times IB. If there’s a problem with the benefits system, it’s that it’s too complex, leading to people claiming the wrong sort of benefits, or not everything that they could claim.