Mental illness and what you can/can't do

bluefox
bluefox Online Community Member Posts: 647 Empowering
in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Hello,

I saw a post on benefitsandwork about how if you can't do things like personal care such as hygiene etc and ESA know this and that it could go against you if you're seen to be posting on forum boards and typing, or using your phone.

Is this true?
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Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    I think that sometimes reading too many things on the internet or an internet forum isn't good for you at all because all it does is cause more anxiety than you're already experiencing.
    There's a few other threads regarding this lately and the answer is the same, claiming benefits doesn't mean you can't still have a life. You don't have to be in bed 100% of the time.
    My only advice is to stop reading those things.
  • bluefox
    bluefox Online Community Member Posts: 647 Empowering
    poppy123456 said:
    I think that sometimes reading too many things on the internet or an internet forum isn't good for you at all because all it does is cause more anxiety than you're already experiencing.
    There's a few other threads regarding this lately and the answer is the same, claiming benefits doesn't mean you can't still have a life. You don't have to be in bed 100% of the time.
    My only advice is to stop reading those things.
    Here’s one for you, poppy. 

    One of my friends is LCWRA with depression and has booked a holiday to Gran Canaria for 7-10 nights. 

    Is that acceptable to go on holiday on benefits? 

    Some of my other friends are going mad because they work and can’t afford a holiday. 

    I don’t know what the rules are myself but I’m sure you’re not allowed or you’ve got to notify the DWP
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,001 Championing
    sierrafox said: One of my friends is LCWRA with depression and has booked a holiday to Gran Canaria for 7-10 nights. 

    Is that acceptable to go on holiday on benefits? 
    Yes it's allowed.
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Online Community Member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    Hi 

    Yes it is permitted to go on holiday as lcwra means you have no work commitments 

    If on basic uc you are a job seeker and have to be available for work and job search so not permitted 

    Going on holiday can be good for some medical conditions and give some relief from some painful conditions as some improve with warmer climates . Getting away from it all can in some cases help with mental health conditions 

    Just because somebody is claiming benefits doesn't mean they have financed the holiday themselves 
  • bluefox
    bluefox Online Community Member Posts: 647 Empowering
    But I’ve seen cases in where it says “too depressed and anxious to work” - fraudster seen snorkelling in Paris. 

    Someone with panic attacks seen in India. 

    I don’t understand the benefit system then clearly. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    I claim ESA and have been on holiday many times. Just because you're claiming benefits it doesn't mean you life has to stop.
  • bluefox
    bluefox Online Community Member Posts: 647 Empowering
    Is this the same with PIP? Aren’t they gonna question why you can leave the country when you say you have trouble visiting the local shops?

    And for depression and you’re bed ridden and suddenly on holiday etc. Mind you, you do have to have travel insurance for depression. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    PIP and ESA is based on how your conditions affect you the majority of the time. Going on holiday for 1 or 2 weeks a year is not the majority of the time. You're overthinking this.
  • bluefox
    bluefox Online Community Member Posts: 647 Empowering
    I am quite shocked. So someone who cannot undertake any journey due to overwhelming psychological distress can go on holiday abroad?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    edited July 2022
    Why are you shocked? As we keep advising PIP is based on your conditions the majority of the time. Someone that scores points in activity 1E following and planning a journey, doesn't mean they can't go out all of the time. It means for the majority of the time they are unable to make a single journey on the majority of days. Going out a few times will not affect your claim.
    A holiday for a week or 2 will not make any difference.
  • bluefox
    bluefox Online Community Member Posts: 647 Empowering
    BenefitsandWork the website seem to have differing opinions on this kind of stuff. 

    What if you tell the PIP team that you can’t go on public transport. But then you’re on a plane?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    sierrafox said:

    What if you tell the PIP team that you can’t go on public transport. But then you’re on a plane?

    Yet again, you're really making this out to be something it's not. Just because a person can't use public transport the majority of the time, it doesn't mean going on a plane twice, will affect their PIP claim.
    sierrafox said:
    BenefitsandWork the website seem to have differing opinions on this kind of stuff. 


    Could you please post a link to that?
  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,114 Championing
    The amount of judgement within the disabled community is depressing in itself...let alone when it comes from outsiders as well.  

    Personally, I haven't been able to go on 'holiday' for 15 years.  Can't travel, can't manage strange places, can't eat out, haven't stayed anywhere away from home since then...but I don't fit the criteria for planning & following journeys...  The system is messed up, some people will get benefits while still being able to live a semi-decent life, others slip between the descriptors and miss out even though they can barely do anything.  That's just the way it is, I don't see the point in people ripping each other for what they get or what they can do.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    edited July 2022
    OverlyAnxious said:


    Personally, I haven't been able to go on 'holiday' for 15 years.  Can't travel, can't manage strange places, can't eat out, haven't stayed anywhere away from home since then...but I don't fit the criteria for planning & following journeys...
    If you're unable to undertake any journey the majority of time due to overwhelming psychological distress then you should score points for activity 1E. Which would be standard mobility.
  • bluefox
    bluefox Online Community Member Posts: 647 Empowering
    poppy123456 said:
    sierrafox said:

    What if you tell the PIP team that you can’t go on public transport. But then you’re on a plane?

    Yet again, you're really making this out to be something it's not. Just because a person can't use public transport the majority of the time, it doesn't mean going on a plane twice, will affect their PIP claim.
    sierrafox said:
    BenefitsandWork the website seem to have differing opinions on this kind of stuff. 


    Could you please post a link to that?
    I’ll try and find it. I’m sure I bookmarked it. Give me a bit to find it. But I’ve found that what people say on these forums is different to the information they share. Everyone here is making me feel relaxed, over there I’m feeling panicked about my claims. 
  • bluefox
    bluefox Online Community Member Posts: 647 Empowering
    I’ve just been trawling through Google to find examples of where people have gone on holiday and been accused of benefit fraud. 




    What if these people genuinely had a good spell? And the rest of the time they were housebound? 

    I’m finding it confusing. Plus agoraphobia actually is much more complex than just leaving the house. 

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    If you're a member of various other forums then maybe it's time to stop going on them because it's clear it's not helping your anxiety.

  • leeCal
    leeCal Online Community Member Posts: 7,537 Championing
    I find it difficult to undertake a journey with someone else, I find it very very difficult to make a journey on my own and unless I control my thoughts severely I would have a panic attack. This happened more than once. I scored no points for this and don’t get mobility. The DM said he couldn’t pay for me to get taxis everywhere. 

    I was very very tempted to appeal about it but I didn’t as I was scared I would get nothing at all! That too is part of my mental condition but no one really understands that kind of thing. Too late now because it’s been over a year. I was honest about it, perhaps I should’ve said I couldn’t undertake a journey due to overwhelming psychological distress but I tried to explain it instead, hoping that they would understand and award me points, but no. 
  • bluefox
    bluefox Online Community Member Posts: 647 Empowering
    poppy123456 said:
    If you're a member of various other forums then maybe it's time to stop going on them because it's clear it's not helping your anxiety.

    In all honesty, I’m not sure if I told them that my condition fluctuates tbh. But even if I didn’t, would the medical expert have taken it into consideration anyway. 

    And does the standard mobility element pay for taxis? Is that what it’s there for?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    sierrafox said:
    poppy123456 said:
    If you're a member of various other forums then maybe it's time to stop going on them because it's clear it's not helping your anxiety.


    And does the standard mobility element pay for taxis? Is that what it’s there for?
    What you spend your PIP money on is entirely your decision. There's no rules on what you can and can't spend it on. Same applies to all benefits.

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