Abuse of Social Welfare System

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Dermot

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I am aware of an individual in his early 60's an the following is his situation.
Married with no dependants,
They own their house with no mortgage.
They have no debts or loans.
Wife on disability pension.
He is retired.
He has a gross pension of 500 euro from a work related pension in state job.
He has savings of 75,000.
He is also on a disability pension and this is the part I cannot understand. It started out as a "twisted elbow" shortly after retiring. In order to preserve his stamps he got unfit to work certs from his GP. This started on weekly certs then went to monthly certs. This went on for almost 2 years and he applied for the disability pension. The initial application for disability pension was refused and he appealed it and he got his GP to upgrade the reports and after about 9 months he was granted the disability pension and full back payments.
He was never on medication or did he have any physio or an operation on this "twisted elbow". He was never called before a social welfare examiner to be assessed at any time.
Am I missing something here?.
His wife has had a serious operation recently and they have no private health insurance and she has applied for a medical card to have it cover the operation.
He has also applied for a carers allowance while his wife is recovering and expects to get it.
I am aware of all the hardship cases out there and the trouble that they are experiencing and in a lot of cases they are not getting as much help as they deserve.
Is it only me that thinks that what I have outlined above is an abuse. I have posted facts.
 
seantheman. What frustrates me about all this that I did this prior to he being granted the pension and also rang afterwards all to no avail. I thought long an hard about this before doing it but it was to no avail. The annoying part about it is he brags about it and sees it as an entitlement. Thanks anyway
 
There is no way in hell you can get invalidity pension for a twisted elbow.
 
cashier. I do not have much idea about the social welfare system but from what I have picked up over the past six months the disability pension is not means tested in either of their cases and also the carers is not means tested.
What concerns me is that social welfare in a period of almost 3 years have never medically assessed him themselves and if they did I know they would find nothing.
Another concern is that is it possible that although carers is not means tested that he could get that allowance while drawing a disability pension.
They have the fact that he is drawing his pension and that they are both getting the disability pension and the other benefits that go with it.
He has shown me his file.
 
Time. That is what I would say myself but an exaggerated version of it by his GP has gotten him this and no medical assessment of it by a social welfare doctor. I cannot understand that anyone would qualify for an Invalidity Pension without a medical assessment by social welfare at some stage. That is what I cannot understand because as I said before if he were examined he would not get it. I just wonder if there are any more like that out there.
 
Dermot said:
I

In order to preserve his stamps he got unfit to work certs from his GP.

he got his GP to upgrade the reports and after about 9 months he was granted the disability pension and full back payments.
.
Click to expand...

It's amazing that a GP would issue false reports, are you sure?
 
Yes Bronte. I have seen this with my own two eyes and I find it incredible as do the posters who have commented.
The other incredible part for me is that social welfare never called him before a medical referee/doctor while he was on the standard disability or prior to he being granted a disability pension. I am sure of this as well.
Yes it is incredible/ludicrous/etc, etc, etc,. Has there been others who have gotten through the system like this. I have also heard of the opposite as I am sure others have.
 
At the moment the DSP has opted to have most medical decisions made by medical advisors based on GP reports. These decisions are then rubber stamped by civil servants. The days of sending lists of claimants to see DSP doctors to have their entitlements reviewed are over it would seem.
 
Thanks Time. It is making sense to me now how this happened. I am still dumbfounded though.
 
Indeed, Dermot but the new practice at the DSP also does not help genuine claimants either as many cases are rejected purely for arbitrary reasons requiring the person to appeal and being directed to an independent doctor by the appeals office.
 
Time I agree with your last post and it was the type of situation you refer to prompted me to start the thread. I had no idea of how the system works thank God.
 
Dermot,
What's ur problem. If the guy is I'll and cannot work then he should be supported. You sound just a leetle bit annoyed that someone is getting one over on you
 
Gerbo, it's not that he cannot work , he has no intention of working, and, even if we were to take him at his word that he would work but can't, how come he is the carer for his wife, if she really needs a carer that's a very difficult job, would be amazing that he could manage that but not other jobs (believe me, I know, I'm healing care for someone at present)

The really galling thing about it, whoever posted the link to refer fraudulent claims, is that this is probably not fraudulent as such but a symptom of a poorly designed system, people taking advantage of loopholes in the system, sharp practice at the very least and just because its possible does not make it justifiable
 
Hi,
I see what Dermot is talking about.
A lady from Latvia, living in Ireland for the past 7 years, is receiving invalidity benefit. She cleans 9 houses every week to supplement her income. I cannot explain this.
Another instance:

A couple has the following income:
invalidity Pension: 1127.97
spouses invalidity
Pension 665.16 total 1793.13
Private pension 678.57 total monthly income 2471.70
Plus medical cards

Both are able-bodied people who lead a very active life. Both were able to participate in Fas work and a back to work scheme until recently?

This couple have a mortgage, which consists of mainly top-ups for holidays etc., which they are refusing to pay. They feel they should not pay as they can afford it.
There is massive abuse of the Social welfare system

What am I missing?

Browtal
 
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browtal said:
Hi,
I see what Dermot is talking about.
A lady from Latvia, living in Ireland for the past 7 years, is receiving invalidity benefit. She cleans 9 houses every week to supplement her income. I cannot explain this.
Another instance:
A couple
Click to expand...

browtal said:
Completion of previous posting:-
A couple has the following income:
invalidity Pension: 1127.97
spouses invalidity
Pension 665.16 total 1793.13
Private pension 678.57 total monthly income 2471.70
Plus medical cards

Both are able-bodied people who lead a very active life. Both were able to participate in Fas work and a back to work scheme until recently?

This couple have a mortgage, which consists of mainly top-ups for holidays etc., which they are refusing to pay. They feel they should not pay as they can afford it.
There is massive abuse of the Social welfare system

What am I missing? Browtal
Click to expand...

I presume you've reported all three using the form above? I'm not really sure what the nationality of the house cleaner has to do with anything, I note you don't mention nationality in the second post.
 
I think the DSP has a tendency to ignore the activities of foreign nationals as they will simply play the race card if any action is taken.
 
Anecdotal evidence based on observations.

I personally know of a few cases of DA that have never been reviewed in over 10 years.
 
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