Benefits

Finally succumbed to this hideous thing and realise I can’t work anymore in my chosen profession due to lack of mobility what benefits will I be entitled to? I have a mortgage and am the only source of income in my household.

Hi well it depends on what you have in savings and income.

Are you getting DLA? It is changing to PIP, but not sure if you`ll be a PIP-er or a DLA-er

Go on any DWP site to see what you can claim for.

Theres council tax benefit, housing benefit, help with NHS costs, and several others. If you have a carer at home, then CA can be claimed. If you need more help at home, there`s Direct Payments.

If you cant get the answers you need, try CAB.

luv Pollx

you should be able to claim disability living allowance, get help filling in the form and give the worse case scenario - eg say you can walk x number of metres but need to stop for a rest x number of times.

there is a care component for help with personal care and a mobility component. if you get awarded the higher level of mobility you can exchange it for a motability car.

employment support allowance too, again get help filling in the form.

you might have to have PIP instead of DLA because the system is changing

good luck

carole x

Thanks, at the moment I’m not claiming anything, the only savings I have are 10k and no other income so once that 10k is gone that’s it.

have you had occupational health involved at work?

if so you may be able to get medical retirement in which case you would start getting your occupational pension.

compile all evidence that you have such as letters from your neuro, name and contact details for all medical personnel that you see.

this will also be useful for the DLA/PIP and ESA

there is a website called benefits and work which gives excellent advice

CAB can also help

good luck

carole x

I have had no occupational help at work as I was made redundant last year and have been working at various company’s on a short term freelance basis, I haven’t declared my condition to anyone I have been working for as they wouldn’t have touched me with a barge pole as I was working in a very competitive sector.

Employment Support Allowance is the income replacement benefit for people who are too ill to work. It is a points based system. You need to score 15 point to be eligible. You can read more about it and take a little test at a website called Benefits and Work. (I don’t want to put the URL because it will delay publication of my post but you can Google.) It’s a complicated benefit but even at the lowest level you would be able to claim it for 12 months based on National Insurance contributions – after a year it gets means tested and without knowing your circs I can’t say if you would still be eligible.

DLA is not means tested and can be claimed even if you are in full employment.

As Poll suggested there are one or two other things like Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. Unfortunately assistance for a mortgage does not kick in straight away like it does for rent so you would have many weeks of covering the cost by yourself. You may need to explore ways of doing this- going interest only, taking a payment break etc. If you have any payment protection it could pay out so look into that.

Your savings of £10,000 will affect means tested benefits (reduce them somewhat but not preclude)

Despite everything the media says, life on benefits is not peachy and your standard of living is going to take a dip along with your income. This can be very depressing at first. Losing work and being at home all day with no money can send some people into the gloom but you have to offset it with the tremendous relief of no longer struggling to keep up at work . You can get up late and watch Jeremy Kyle with the rest of us LOL

Please feel free to PM if you have any questions – I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.

Hi,

This is my first post so hellooo.

Im in the midst of finding what is going on with me (I’ll not give details as this thread is about benefits) I have been told my MRI is suspisous for MS and waiting further tests. Im struggling to walk at the mo so am worried if I need to stop work in the future how much of a nightmare is the form filling and time taken to get help??? I’m financially content right now and freaking!

I’m trying to get my head round all elements of a maybe dx so that i dont fall apart! I need a plan. Researching treatment, money, equality diversity act etc. might sound pre-emptive but my symptoms are horrible and quite disabling at the moment (hopefully this is soon improved/over).

Thanks kel

x

Hi Wendels, thanks for the reply, I certainly don’t imagine life on benefits will be peachy if I’m honest it’s my worst nightmare, I enjoyed my job and the idea of watching daytime TV fills me with a sense of life draining away. Thanks for the advice anyway.

Many on here recommend the “Benefits and Work” website for help with form filling and ( most importantly ) filling the form using the right phrases. Also the CAB can help with filling the forms. R

Hi,

I’m sorry about my comments – they were not intended to imply that you thought you were joining the gravy train just a little warning of the possible depression ahead. It doesn’t have to be gloomy and daytime TV though. Life is what you make it and it is entirely possible to be on benefits but still lead a meaningful, rich life. I spent many years volunteering (had to give up recently as my condition deteriorated) and got a lot of satisfaction from helping others. The effort of maintaining a work position when fatigue and mobility problems are biting is a real struggle and it can be a tremendous relief to “retire” even if there is less money in the budget. Please don’t despair – Jeremy Kyle is my guilty pleasure – but I understand that daytime TV can be synonymous with the end of life as you know it.

Jane

I record the good stuff in the evening (when I’m normally asleep) and watch that in daytime instead - sorted!