In the UK in 2014 we changed our disability benefit system. It was handled so badly by the department of work and pensions that delays in payment and decisions to remove existing benefits actually resulted in thousands of deaths.

There's to be an inquiry into the DWPs involvement, but it's now been decided they won't take direct evidence from either individuals affected if still alive, or the relatives of the deceased. Rather they will take evidence from official bodies or organisations that represent the disabled. To hear individual evidence is being regarded as " not proportionate".

To my mind that is to prejudge the inquest's outcome. Surely proportionality is what is going to be assessed, if it is the effect of the actions of the DWP that are going to be examined?

Neat trick. No sense hearing from the people who were most affected. They make actually find out what happened.

I am reading "The Department" by John Pring. The story of the UK's "Department of Work and Pensions" (DWP) and their role in and subsequent cover up of the deaths of hundreds, possibly thousands of vulnerable people on disability benefits.

It's a hard read. So far I've managed chapter one. The way this absolute cesspool of a department treated the lady in question makes me very, very angry.

In the US a person is considered to be disabled if they have PD in 2 or more limbs. But many people on MPT have been having trouble getting on Social Security Disability. & you can't have more than 1 type of SS, so I can't have SSD in addition to widow's benefits. I have received Widow's benefits since my 2nd husband died when I was 60 years old. Even though I had PD for 4 years, I chose the widow's benefits because they were more than the disability benefits. This year I changed from my late 2nd husband's widow's benefits to my own SS benefits which were more. But without SSD I am having trouble showing that I am disabled for housing benefits. So I asked my primary physician for a handicapped parking permit. I never use it to get the convenient parking spots - there are people more disabled than I am who truly need those spots. I get bored walking a long distance from the car to the store so I usually run. But I can use it as proof of disability.
In British & American English the word "proportionate"
means If two amounts are proportionate, they change at the same rate so that the relationship between them does not change. It has nothing to do with properly gathering evidence of disability. The words "believable", "credible" or "appropriate" give meaning instead of bombast.

“Well, isn’t that special.”