The Tragedy of Benefits

Today, the latest in a string of tragedies for mental health sufferer's has hit the news. he Mental Welfare Commission has led an investigation into the suicide of a woman in Scotland. It came to the conclusion that she committed suicide due to her treatment by the Benefit's Office and how ATOS treated her at her Work Capability Assessment.

This woman, in her early 50s, was engaged, volunteered regularly and had a good social network. But she suffered from severe stress-induced depression. ATOS, who conduct Work Capability Assessments on behalf of the Benefit's Office, conducted an hour long assessment and awarded her zero points in favour of her claim. You must achieve at least 15 points in order to qualify for your benefits.

I was given the exact same result when I went to my Work Capability Assessment. Instead of being given the £100 a week that I was entitled to I was pushed back onto Jobseekers Allowance which amounts to about half that. This poor woman went through exactly the same thing. She was forced to try and make £67 (in 2011, the rate of JSA has since been considerably lowered) pay all her bills and her mortgage, and she was forced to prove that she was looking for work that she knew she could not do.

This woman's doctor, like many other's across the UK, was adamant that she was not fit for work. He was willing to give evidence in her defence. He was never once asked to. Nor was her psychiatrist. The Benefit's Office never once ask for a medical opinion when assessing claimants. They are not interested in the truth, only in forcing people into poverty to save them a buck.

Now, you know I don't like to be turned into a statistic but these numbers seemed to well represent the point. A survey of psychiatrists was taken as part of the investigation. The survey found that while most patients ask them to provide evidence to support their case if asked, 75% of psychiatrists are NOT asked to provide it. It also showed that 85% of patients require more frequent appointments after having anything to do with ATOS or the Benefits Office. 13% of patients attempt suicide after attending a Work Capability Assessment.

In response to the investigation the Benefit's Office claim that all relevant safeguards and procedure were followed. They also claim that since this case in 2011 they have made significant improvements that this investigation fails to acknowledge. ATOS also responded to the investigation claiming that it understands how difficult and emotional the process is and tries to make it as comfortable as possible. It also said, and I quote "The Work Capability Assessment was designed by the government as a way of assessing how an individual's disability or illness impacts on their day-to-day life. It is not designed to diagnose or treat a medical condition."

Now, correct me if I'm wrong but that last statement in particular makes no sense. Why is the WORK Capability Assessment assessing how people cope with DAY-TO-DAY life. They are in no way similar. What does my ability to use a microwave (a question I was indeed asked at my own assessment) have to do with my ability to go out to a stressful office every day? Now I understand that they are not their to treat my condition, I, and I don't think anyone else, expected them to do that. But I do expect questions relevant to what I'm being assessed for. I also expect for the truth to be written onto the forms. When I recieved a copy of the forms the ATOS worker filled out as part of my appeal she had clearly lied on the forms. There were things I know she asked and I told her the answer to that she pretended I hadn't. She asked me what obsessions or compulsions I experienced and wrote the list down onto the form, however, on the next page she had ticked the box that said I experienced none of these things. That isn't even lying well!

I can tell you that my experience with them sounds identical to hers and mine was carried out just last year. So where are these signicant improvements since 2011? I can't see a single one. If anything they might be worse now. When I entered my appeal I didn't just recieve the disturbingly low rate of Jobseekers Allowance, I recieved nothing. For months I had absolutely no money coming in while the Benefits Office took their sweet time to decide if I was entitled to anything at all. They also, never asked for my doctor's opinion.

The Department of Work and Pensions (Benefit's Office) need to stop lying to cover up the massive discrimination experienced by their system.