Mister Bump UK

Bureaucracy

Ha! The disability benefit I receive is called PIP. Personal Independence Payment. Note that word – independence.

They just sent a paper form, asked me to fill it out.

My disability has buggered my hand, so the one thing I cannot do, really, is scribe. With a keyboard, fine, but with a pen, forget it.

I just called them to tell them this. When I finally got through, what’s the first thing they asked?

Is there nobody you can ask to fill out the form for you?

Independence.

30 comments

    • true. In fairness a lot of it is going online now, and the compromise was that they will allow me to answer their questions by email.

      But even then, it’s not guaranteed. Way back when the internet was new, I did some work with Barclaycard. Online Florist. You placed your order via a swanky (in those days) web site. All well and good, except that the final order resulted in a fax being sent to a bricks-and-mortar florist in Jersey!

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      • That’s some help then at least!

        And the good old days when we placed orders on websites and the final order was sent by fax….. by the way, my son (he is 21) doesn’t even know what a fax is! That makes me feel really old! 😆

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    • Yes, there are workarounds for this, but my point really is that their first assumption is that I should be somebody’s dependent. That’s a bad assumption. Particularly in my case (anybody who knows me knows that I do things for myself), but also in the general case.

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    • I’m quite happy to be dependent on nobody, and to live or die with the consequences,
      I bet you that 99% of disabled people the world over would say the same.
      The only way to get through life is self-reliance. In any case, other people will let you down. Your needs are not as important to them as their needs, so it seems obvious that at some point there will be a conflict. For example, Mrs Bump volunteered to take me to the Eye Hospital once, then booked a singing lesson at the same time. Regardless on excuses (sorry, I forgot) the upshot weas that I never got to my appointment.
      You’d let me down (well, except I’d never give you the opportunity). But, you know, everybody does.

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      • I know independence is a pride point for everyone, but most of the disabled people I know are dependent on someone or something for at least one form of assistance. Could be technology-based or human-based, but there is a need and it is met so that the individual can live their fullest life. Actually, I think all of us need other people in some capacity. Also, not to play devil’s advocate, but isn’t a disability payment a form of assistance, which really means that a person is reliant on the government to survive, is it not? I think the notion that we are independent is really an illusion. Each of us needs something or someone, and we are stronger when we work together to achieve things. Just my two cents, so please take no offense.

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        • I disagree.
          The disability benefit is not a form of assistance. It is a Quid Pro Quo for the thousands I paid in taxes over the years. It is a right, not a gift. That is why countries set up welfare states. That is why we, as taxpayers, buy into them. It is a contract, not a handout. Nobody is doing me a favour – believe you me it is a long time since anybody did me a favour. Not something-for-nothing. There is always a quid pro quo.

          What you said is like saying that your employer is assisting you by paying thousands into your account every month. That is total nonsense – it’s remuneration for a service that you provide. That’s what I’m getting. My service was paying my taxes.

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          • An interesting take. Everyone has the right to disability that pays taxes, but it is welfare, defined by Webster as: aid in the form of money or necessities for those in need. That last word being crucial. A person unable to provide for themselves is in need of financial assistance. People who have worked very little draw disability, and it is not measured by what is paid in or limited by that. Paying taxes supports programs but doesn’t fully cover these systems, generally.

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              • Taxes cover a lot of things, but we don’t send 40 year olds to primary school, and people who don’t need assistance due to medical reasons don’t get disability checks. The services aren’t for all, it’s on an individual basis, no? I don’t feel my taxes entitle me to all the services available. If I’m in need,though, it’s good to know they are there to assist me and help me to live a better life.

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        • Let me put this another way, Are you unable to function without someone else holding your hand? Do you just fold and go to pieces? Of course you don’t. Well, whatever goes for you, goes for me.

          You may have people around you who enhance your existence, but you don’t depend on them. Same for me. That’s how much we “need” people.

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          • I think people do nice things with no expectation of a return all the time. Including kind words, gifts, and helping others in need. I don’t give with the expectation of return. It is the help of others that has gotten me this far. I make no illusion of doing it all in my own. If you worked a career and had your needs met at home by your wife than you relied on each other, co-dependently. If you are using technology to make reading messages easier you are relying on that assistance. We all need help in our own ways. I prefer to be grateful for mine and honest with myself that I cannot do it all alone, and if I did, it would be with much less successful than when I accept and acknowledge the help, kindness and assistance of others and technology.

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