Lying - can it be justified?

Can lying ever be justified when completing some of the froms that come our way periodically?

I suppose it depends if you are outright lying or bending the truth. And also what it’s for. If it’s for ‘benefits’ or to do with your driving licence then no. Lying to receive benefits is fraud, lying to get your driving licence is dangerous. Im trying to think of other examples, but i have a food hangover :slight_smile: is it possible to elaborate? Suz xx

Hi, would it really be lying, if you are able to walk a certain distance one day, but not the next?

MS can vary so much in the space of a day, a week, a month or ?

This applies to all activities…not just walking.

So only you know if you are lying or not, eh?

luv Pollx

So true. Today I can manage only a few steps without support - tomorrow could be better.
To say that I can only manage 5 meters (and sometimes a few more) is not a lie. if I was filling a form in today, I would say “less than 5 metres”. I would know that it could be better, but when we are dealing with a local authority clerk, who is looking at a check-list, then I am going to use the “worst case”, not the “hope it will be better tomorrow” case. Tomorrow may well not be better.

Geoff

To out and out lie on a benefits form is fraud – there’s no way round it.
HOWEVER describing your abilities on a bad day is not lying – In that case I would be sure to put some comment about the condition being variable and make some estimation of how regularly this worst-case scenario is apparent if you can. I think it is important to do that. If you just put that you can only walk 10 M with no clarification it will look very suspicious if you are called to a medical on a good day when you can clearly walk more. ATOS know that MS is variable and must take this into account but I think it is important to dot I’s and cross T’s when filling in the dreaded form and not give them a gift of transgression. If your condition vaies with no apparant pattern (and we don’t have crystal balls) you could put that instead. I just like to cover my back.

Jane

I always start worrying/ feeling guilty about this after filling out my forms, just posted them this week, think we are made to feel this way really, and on top of that the questionaries are so poorly designed for variable conditions etc. They usually ignore everything you’ve written if they ask you to attend a medical anyway