Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
#181
Account Closed
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 48
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
Another prooblem will arise for people with mental health or learning disabilities as these can sometimes not be readily apparent.
#182
Ex Expat
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
That is not my point, I just think it is crazy to keep on paying people for those "illnesses" for the rest of their life, not fit to work but fit to emigrate Many people suffer from depression at some time in their lives but in many cases it is not a lifetime affliction. No doubt there are many people who have been travelling to work in this dreadful weather, getting into debt for xmas etc are feeling more than a bit pissed off too! Maybe we should have done the same when we left the UK. The £60 per week would have come in handy all these years.
I do notice that many who have come to Spain with DA are ex-public sector workers and able to draw their pension early.
BTW in the case of mental illness most are encouraged to do some work if only voluntary as therapy.
I do notice that many who have come to Spain with DA are ex-public sector workers and able to draw their pension early.
BTW in the case of mental illness most are encouraged to do some work if only voluntary as therapy.
You don't get it for the rest of your life. You get it whilst you continue to meet the criteria, this is periodically checked, my husband has had three DWP medicals and various other checks since he began claiming Incapacity Benefit in 2004. If they decide he no longer fulfils the criteria it will cease.
Even if they do consider him to fulfil the criteria, his IB will stop when he reaches State Retirement age.
As for the public sector pension, he has lost a quarter of it because he took it five years before the retirement age, he will never get this back. I also cannot draw my Local Government Pension without penalty until I am nearly 65.
Please get your facts straight, although I agree that people who are a) sick and b) ex public-sector are targets for prejudice on two points.
Last edited by scampicat; Jan 1st 2011 at 10:57 pm.
#183
Banned
Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Vejer de la Fra., Cadiz
Posts: 7,653
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
Nothing wrong with having tight rules - the problem at present is that the medical examinations are so poor that 40% of refusals go to appeal and over half of those are overturned.
Another prooblem will arise for people with mental health or learning disabilities as these can sometimes not be readily apparent.
Another prooblem will arise for people with mental health or learning disabilities as these can sometimes not be readily apparent.
We got turned down for a single penny of carer's allowance.
Medical examinations need to be properly carried out, but tight rules will leave vulnerable people lacking in any financial aid, and once again, I wager that the money wrongly obtained will be far less than the money that should be claimed, but isn't.
#184
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
Can I suggest you Google public sector pensions before you make such sweeping statements. Public sector pensions have pensionable age, yes such people can cease work (retire) before reaching the pensionable age (as can anyone else) but they do not receive a pension until they reach the relevant age.
There is an exception to getting their pension before reaching pensionable age, that is when they are MEDICALLY retired on what is known as an ill health pension. So perhaps those you are referring to are in actual fact ILL!
There is an exception to getting their pension before reaching pensionable age, that is when they are MEDICALLY retired on what is known as an ill health pension. So perhaps those you are referring to are in actual fact ILL!
I worked for local government and through no fault of my own (an operation that went badly wrong) I was unable to continue working.
They sacked me on ill health grounds, even though my surgeon in a letter to them supported the fact that I should be medically retired on ill health grounds, a state of affairs whereby I would have been entitled to my pension without any loss, but they chose to ignore his recommendation.
The outcome of that is that I had nothing from them for three years until reaching my retirement age of 60, and now I get the pension I paid for at a 23 percent reduction for as long as I live.....
The reason for that is they say retirement is at 65 even though in my case it is in fact officially 60.
And yes I did move here while receiving Incapacity Benefit, and yes to look at me people who don't know me will think I'm fit and healthy....those who do know me are fully aware of how wrong that opinion is.
Compassion should not only be for people with an obvious disability, non of us know what another is going through on a daily basis!
#185
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
The health service in Spain guarentees healthcare for every resident.
You only have to pay if you are under pensionable age and are not paying social security payments.
If this is the case and you are too poor to contribute to the healthcare system than you can say you are destitute (you will need to prove it) so you can claim free healthcare.
The only difference between this one and the NHS is that in Spain you must carry a card that proves you are contributing to the system or are too poor to do so.
You only have to pay if you are under pensionable age and are not paying social security payments.
If this is the case and you are too poor to contribute to the healthcare system than you can say you are destitute (you will need to prove it) so you can claim free healthcare.
The only difference between this one and the NHS is that in Spain you must carry a card that proves you are contributing to the system or are too poor to do so.
#186
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 7,749
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
And a foreigner is just as entitled to seek benefits to pay for healthcare as a Spaniard is. As I said, if you lose your job and have very low income and assets then you can declare yourself destitute and get your healthcare paid for by the state. And if you lose your job (or dont have one), all your children still get free healthcare, you just need to fill the right form in
#187
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 145
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
Not destitute just ian ncome below about 600 euros per month. Any assets such as cash in the bank, property etc are disregarded.
#188
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 71
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
As the spanish government is going to stop benefit for the long-term unemployed from February, how will these people survive? Are there other benefits they can claim, for example if they have children? If not, goodness knows what they will do, desperate situations lead to desperate acts, would you beg, steal or lie to feed yourself and your family?
#189
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 7,749
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
As the spanish government is going to stop benefit for the long-term unemployed from February, how will these people survive? Are there other benefits they can claim, for example if they have children? If not, goodness knows what they will do, desperate situations lead to desperate acts, would you beg, steal or lie to feed yourself and your family?
After all unemployment was at 20% in the not too distant past in Spain (late 80s I think).
#190
Account Closed
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 48
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
You are quite correct in that!
And yes I did move here while receiving Incapacity Benefit, and yes to look at me people who don't know me will think I'm fit and healthy....those who do know me are fully aware of how wrong that opinion is.
Compassion should not only be for people with an obvious disability, non of us know what another is going through on a daily basis!
And yes I did move here while receiving Incapacity Benefit, and yes to look at me people who don't know me will think I'm fit and healthy....those who do know me are fully aware of how wrong that opinion is.
Compassion should not only be for people with an obvious disability, non of us know what another is going through on a daily basis!
#191
Straw Man.
Joined: Aug 2006
Location: That, there, that's not my post count... nothing to see here, move along.
Posts: 46,302
#194
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 443
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
Jim
#195
Ex Expat
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Are you a benefit fraud.. and living in Spain?
You can get Disability Living Allowance for the rest of your life, but not Incapacity benefit (now ESA).