U.K.: Too fat to work (Acne, depression, stress, fatigue etc. are also popular "can't work" reasons)

The Times (U.K.) ^ | November 19, 2007 | Richard Ford and Sam Coates

[Stoat]

Too fat to work

 

 

 

Richard Ford and Sam Coates

 

Almost two thousand people who are too fat to work have been paid a total of £4.4 million in benefit, it emerged last night. Other payments went to fifty sufferers of acne and ten incapacitated by leprosy.

Billions of pounds is being paid in benefits to people claiming to be unable to work because they suffer from depression, stress, fatigue and unknown or unspecified diseases.

The full list of ailments of the 2.7 million people claiming £7.4 billion in incapacity benefits, obtained by using Freedom of Information laws, will fuel suspicion that it is being used to keep them off the official jobless total. It will also fuel the debate over whether British workers could have been hired for more of the one million new jobs taken by migrants since 1997.

Frank Field, a former Social Security Minister, said last night that too many people were working the incapacity benefit system to avoid work. “It is a racket, which governments have allowed to exist for far too long. I do not blame people for working the system, it is the job of politicians to stop them doing it.”

Related Links

• Obesity: ‘same scale as global warming’

• Scientists find 'genetic cause' of obesity

 

 

Mr Field added that because job seeker’s allowance is lower than incapacity benefit, there was an incentive for people to try to be classified for the higher benefit.

The number on incapacity benefit has more than trebled since 1979 but in recent years it has been broadly stable at about 2.7 million. In the past 12 years, however, there has been a dramatic shift in the illnesses for which people are being given the benefit: 40 per cent now claim for mental health problems compared with just 20 per cent in 1995.

Mr Field said: “The big change over the last decade has been into illnesses which largely defy a clear medical classification: depression, dizziness and such. It is a move from the tangible illness to the intangible.”

The complete list of the 480 different illnesses and complaints for which people received incapacity benefit in February were released by the Department for Work and Pensions. More than £2 billion was paid in 2006-07 for mental health complaints, including £518 million to those with what are described as “unknown and unspecified” diseases.

Overall more than £1.1 billion was paid to people suffering from a depressive episode plus a further £276 million to the estimated 116,000 claimants with “other anxiety disorders” and £122 million to the estimated 50,000 suffering from a “reaction to severe stress”.

A total of 15,600 people received benefits for “malaise and fatigue” and a further 8,100 for “dizziness and giddiness”. The figures disclose that 4,000 claimants had headaches, 2,700 migraines and 1,890 suffered from eating disorders. About £100,000 in benefits went to those with acne and a similar amount to 60 people with “nail disorder”. Nausea and vomiting cost £2 million in benefits for 900 people.

Peter Hain, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said last night that rigorous checks were in place before someone was granted incapacity benefit. “No one is entitled to incapacity benefit automatically on the basis of a diagnosis,” he said.

“Currently, there are many people sitting at home in the belief that they are unemployable because they do not think their illness or medical conditions can be catered for in the work-place but this is just not the case. Many people with such conditions are perfectly able to take up successful careers, if the right support is in place. That is why we are changing the system to focus on what people can do, not what they can’t.”

Matthew Elliott, the chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “Many incapacity claimants are clearly taking advantage of the good nature of their GPs. There is a huge difference between not being able to work and not feeling like working. All of us sometimes don’t feel like working but we make the effort and put in the hours.”

Incapacity benefit is available to anyone under state pension age who cannot work because of illness or disability. A person becomes eligible after they have been on statutory sick pay for eight weeks. The amount payable ranges from between £61.35 a week to £81.35 a week, compared with £59.15 jobseekers allowance.

The employment and suport allow-ancw will replace incapacity benefit next year in an attempt to get more people into work. A revised health test will focus on a person’s capability rather than incapacity for work.

[Stoat]

Makes you wonder how many are using similar excuses here in the USA doesn't it?

Too bad Ted Kennedy doesn't refuse to work because he's too fat.....

[Romneyfor President2008]

I’ve been noticing a lot of negative threads about the UK.

Is it “bash UK week”? LOL

Is there anything good coming out of the UK? Can someone please post some? LOL

[agere_contra]

You’d be amazed at how many of these people are on semi-permanent leave from Government jobs.

[joeystoy]

I’m lazy and undisciplined. I’m tired of losing out to those self-motivated freaks whose only claim to success is that they were born without my disability.

Indolence should be recognized under the Americans With Disablities Act.

When will those Fascist Republicans realize that sloth is a medical problem that needs to be addressed with more government subsidies for me and my fellow sufferers?

[cartan]

Is there anything good coming out of the UK? Can someone please post some?

Well, lots of good people are fed up and leaving the UK. Does that count? ;-)

[Chickensoup]

Many many people are on SSDI for amazing reasons. Hey and with HIPPA you cannot find out why. No one can write about it because of those Health privacy acts.

It is a shame and a way for healthcare to protact and enlarge their scope.

[uncitizen]

I believe that “chronic fatigue syndrome”, which was a popular one in the late 80’s/early 90’s is a joke now. It seems doctors don’t buy that one anymore as a good excuse for disability. But i could be wrong. It’s just that i don’t hear people claiming to have it anymore like i did then.

The new one that really gets me is “restless leg syndrome”. I don’t know if people use it as a reason for disability yet, but it could turn into that because apparently if you have RLS you can’t sleep. I have 3 relatives that claim to have this. My guess is that it’s probably just a side effect from other meds they’re taking. Or else they are just people who can’t relax.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Too fat to work

paired with "too poor to eat" ought to resolve any gluttony issues in short order.

[LIConFem]

The Swimmer has his friend Genn Livet to get him through the day.

[Stoat]

Is there anything good coming out of the UK?

Just a few of the positive articles I've posted about Great Britain:

Brown hails Bush's war (Great Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers glowing endorsement)

Gongs for Britain's brave(Heroic Army Captain defuses bomb by hand under fire, awarded George Medal)

Al Qaeda terror cell members jailed for plotting to kill 'thousands of people' in Britain

Great Britain Imams who praise terrorism to face deportation

Great Britain Boffins to crack al-Qaeda (Codebreaking effort launched, much like 'Enigma' of WW2)

Great Britain Brown seeks to mend damage done by minister's 'anti-US speech'

Great Britain Brown £20bn nuke pledge (Promises massive new nuke arsenal, upgrade)

Great Britain Don't Dare mess with us (HMS Daring billed as world's most advanced warship)

Great Britain Fallen hero set for VC honour (Inspirational story of heroism and dedication)

Great Britain Gord hires Greenspan (Chancellor of the Exchequer feels Alan will turn UK around)

Great Britain Medal for hero minefield medic (George Medal)

Great Britain MI5 brings to light the faceless figures who built the service

Great Britain Our Boys take on warlords (Force of 2,500 to conduct assault in Afghanistan)

Great Britain Remember them at 11 o'clock (Touching story for Remembrance Day)

Great Britain Rocket jet plot is foiled (Nice work by England's Finest)

Great Britain Young men's values 'traditional' (New survey)

Straw raps war 'antis' (Great Britain's Foreign Secretary delivers powerful speech)

Victory for Britain's metric martyrs as Eurocrats give up the fight

and that's just a small sample.  there's lots of good news about the UK, and I post as much as I can.

[fleagle]

Don’t forget about chronic dry eye.

[jimtorr]

I'm sure the UK fakers are no worse than the USA fakers. Govt. giveaways are big all over (not a fat joke). Perhaps I should claim discrimination and disability, because I have to wear glasses to compensate for the disability I was born with.

Sightedness.........yeah, that's it......discrimination against those who need vision correction. I need compensation for a lifetime of disability and discrimination.

[uncitizen]

Don’t forget about chronic dry eye.

Oh, you're right. Now there's a real good one for disability purposes. How can you look at a computer screen all day long with CDE?

[cspackler]

The new one that really gets me is “restless leg syndrome”. I don’t know if people use it as a reason for disability yet, but it could turn into that because apparently if you have RLS you can’t sleep.

I have had this problem for years, since I was a kid. I never knew it was a "syndrome" until a few years ago, I just thought I was the only one that had the freaky thing going. No, I've never been to a doctor about it or been "diagnosed", nor do I complain about it or miss work, etc. I just wanted you to know that it is real and is annoying as hell. It's not so bad now in my older years, but when I was young, it drove me nuts.

[napscoordinator]

Leprocy sounds like a reason not to work or at least it sounds like it. These are the same people that get a year off for having a baby. They just don’t like to work in Europe or at least they don’t base work with money.

[Vanders9]

Can’t think of much at the moment...

Oh, wait I can. The liberal democrat leadership race - the two candidates made complete idiots of themselves over the weekend.

[Vanders9]

Personally, when I read things like this I get stressed and depressed.

Maybe I should take some time off to recover

[Gorzaloon]

Too fat to work paired with "too poor to eat" ought to resolve any gluttony issues in short order.

I always wondered about that, because I have seen many overweight people using Food Stamps, and have never seen a starved-looking "Homeless".

In the UK, though, one could make the argument that they are merely on the doll while awaiting the NHS Appointment to resolve their problem.

[mylife]

Is there anything good coming out of the UK?