I am disabled. Despite being cognitively functional in most areas, I do require support in getting my life in gear, and my claim for DLA is justified. It was awarded on the second attempt, after having filled in the form that resembled a novel, with professional DLA form-filling guidance, and also a statement from my therapist, both on the form and a later letter. Clearly, they were unwilling to accept my own version of events and needed that extra information, along with my own version having to be tweaked and worded in ways that were meaningful to them.

As for Atos, I hope they have some very highly professional people on their assessment teams. Prior to my original diagnosis, I was told by an NHS psychology team that I was just a hypochondriac, pretty much. It took a specialist in Autism spectrum disorders to diagnose me with an ASD, OCD, generalised anxiety disorder, social phobia and recurrent depressive disorder. Given that that specialist is often consulted by the government, I presume he's among the best in the country. Atos, if you're going to assess me, match those credentials, or don't bother.

oops ! Here's what I meant to say;

"Judges anticipate up to 500,000 cases a year as people appeal the rulings."

Probably or provably? What about " due process"? Are we to understand that due to current processes wrapped up in Freudian black boxes ( see appendix to Freuds report of 2007) it's ok for the government executives to mysteriously but effectively fly in the face of all our seven principles of public life and replace what IS an award with a costly appeal scene?

But even if the thing is an allowance it shouldn't in my view be used as an excuse to invent any more inappropriate and unnecessary appeal/ court type scenarios. I thought we were trying to get rid of the old compensation culture.

'It's just morally wrong!' That's the bleat you lot put out when you haven't got an argument. It depends upon your moral framework, doesn't it? Sending girls to school is just morally wrong if you are a muslim out east. In many, many places, homosexual relations are just morally wrong and so is abortion. Not so many years ago a married wman going out to work was just morally wrong. So try to tell me what is wrong with Duncan Smith's raforms WITHOUT using the word morally.

Socialism is just morally wrong, that's all there is to it.

It's just morally wrong, that's it. Those who can't see that are either willfully ignorant, poisonous or stupid. If people seriously think it's just the undeserving cases that are being targeted they're not living in the real world.

They are changing the benefit from an 'allowance' to a 'payment' and breaking its link with disability hence 'Personal Independence Payment'.

To me this sounds even less specific than 'Disability Living Allowance'. The payments will be for a few cases, that will be reviewed frequently.

Disability as such will not in itself be recognised as requiring extra financial support. So a broad range of conditions will not qualify. Less personal independence for those who don't qualify.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we all know disabled people who need help and support and would never dream of campaigning for it's withdrawal from those people. The idea that there are 500,000 of those claiming the benefit who may lose the benefit leads me to enquire as to how many claimants there are in total (say another 500,000?) and then wonder whether your general observations out and about support the UK having around 2 percent of it's population disabled. My personal viewpoint is that we must have a fair few amongst those claimants who may not be entitled. I'm sure this government would welcome you "shopping' anyone who you feel is swinging the lead.

So our self styled Witch Finder General Iain Duncan Smith is tormented by the cost to the tax payer of fraudulent Disability living Allowance Claims. This might be believable if he was not paying millions of pounds to the American Health Insurance Company Atos Origin to do the work that our own, already tax payer funded and highly qualified doctors and nurses of the NHS are more than capable of doing. Even a junior doctor would be able to give a prognosis and evaluation for most of the conditions being claimed for. But NO - IDS prefers the opinions of the medically qualified equivalent of a Care Assistant employed by Atos to give him the answers he craves. Did I say IDS is tormented - I meant demented.
Also could any of you legal eagles out there look into the issues of confidentiality that arise out of Atos and their non qualified employees having access to a patients medical records and personal details. Or are all rights suspended if you need to fill in a Disability Living Allowance Claim Form

The left just do not get it. Are you seiously telling me that with a benefit that is as easy to get as DLA ( and as benefits go its pretty easy) and that is often awarded for LIFE that there are no people receiving it that should not be getting it? It is complete idiocy to suggest so. The government wants to change the system to reduce widespread fraud and still pay benefit to those that need it. What is wrong with that? it sounds perfectly reasonable to me. How can any fair minded person oppose such a good idea? I would love to know.

When the ESA testing was going on ONE THIRD of all claimants in Glasgow withdrew their applications. It was so many that staff were calling the jobcentres Lourdes. I expect it would be the same with DLA as so many people try to get it unjustifiably.

Claiming disability benefits is a choice for many able bodied people over having to work. I have seen it first hand. Hopefully we will now have a benefit for people who are genuinely disabled and the able bodied can look for work like everyone else has to do.

Cameron's TV debate 2010 before the election. "Society is judged by how it cares for it's most vulnerable in society in good times as well as bad times". He then went onto say: "if I (David Cameron) becomes Prime Minister you have nothing to fear if you are Sick, Disabled, Old, Frail, Vulnerable and Poorest in society because he would protect that group of people"

When will he held to account for all his lies?

Complete and utter nonsense being spouted by the usual suspects about the ease of getting DLA. It is not easy as I can attest with my son who has hemiplegia.

Once again the Tory 'divide and rule' comes into play. Civil service gold plated pensions? Incapacity Benefit fraud? Housing Benefit fraud? Fraud on the public purse left right and centre - and on and on and on - anything to deflect from the fact that we were all robbed by the rapacious greed of the financial institutions who continue on their merry way with their huge pay packets and bonuses.
I could puke.

REDANDY36

This comment is sick and depraved!
Dealt with a suicide?
Family with suicide?
Mental health issues..this list goes on.

Oh and our Brave soldiers and vunerable people with no limbs, what next.

Go and help a person with a long term, or left term chronic illness and work out where yout compasion lies.

Here we go again, the usual hysterical screeching from the left about attacking the vulnerable and those least able to defend themselves etc. Fact is DLA is paid to many people who do not need it and as far as i am aware you self certify so you do not even need to supply evidence to show you need it.

It is wide open to fraud and abuse. I have personally handled cases from people receiving DLA high rate and you would not even be aware they were disabled in any way. One guy i dealt with has high rate DLA care and mobility but he still got sent to prison 3 times in one year! He claimed it knowing full well nobody would check if he really needed it.

A new benefit based on need seems like a profoundly sensible idea to me and those who are genuinely disabled should have nothing to fear. My bet is about 30% of all claimants will withdraw their claim as they know they are not entitled, just as with ESA.

well done Mr Duncan Smith, this latest suggestion for the deck chair arrangement will no doubt be sufficient to stop the good ship Great Britain from sinking ever further...

Nice people this government is made up of. Courageous of Duncan Smith to pick those people least able to fight back. Truly sickening.People like Duncan Smith, Cameron and Clegg sitting houses worth over seven figures ( which have been largely inherited) thinking of ways to put the boot into the sick and disabled. Then having the cheek to attempt to paint themselves as brave for doing doing so.
People have to get together to stop them now. Enough is enough.

You can just picture Ian Duncan Smith going to the local hospital to tip disabled people out of their wheel chairs for a laugh and tripping up old ladies as they hobble around the hospital.