work

Everyday living
1

Having to work more hours just to make ends meet but it’s making me feel ill, is there anything I can do. I love.my work so don’t want to give up

2

Hi

i don’t know enough about your individual circumstances.

do you have a mortgage ? If so, do you have critical illness cover that was taken out before ms symptoms started. If so you may be eligible to claim.

are you eligible for working tax credits ?

do you claim DLA or PIP ? If not is your MS affecting you enough to be eligible ?

do you need financial advice to help with expenses ?

a good starting point may be www.gov.uk where you can get advice on all these areas.

please do not bury your head and please ask for help from all available areas (government departments, banks, trade union advice partners).

please shout out if we can help any more.

neil

3

Another good source of advice is the MS Society Helpline, the number is at the bottom of this page.

4

Thanks Neil I will look into it

5

You should tell your employer, they have an obligation to help you under the disability act. I told mine I was getting tired, spoke to occhealth and now I take two extra breaks in the day and they monitor my workload so I don’t overdo things.

6

Hi

With working tax credits, if you get DLA or PIP then you only need to work 16 hours a week to qualify. And another thing to look into is Access to Work. It’s a service that the DWP provide to help people with disabilities to work. They can potentially provide funding for specialist equipment or pay for travel costs. I use them to pay for a taxi to & from work, which really helps with tiredness.

Dan

7

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but i was told if you qualify for DLA or PIP the you can claim disability tax credits.

Jan x

8

yep its called the ‘disabled worker element’

http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/tax-credits-extra-money-due-disability

1 Like
9

I’ve.tried.to claim.disability but got turned down so can’t.claim.anything ;(

10

Hi Kirsten

Which benefit was it that you got turned down for? It can be very common for people to get turned for things at the first attempt, but you should definitely appeal. Before you do though, make sure you speak to something like the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. They’ll be able to advise you on how best to answer questions. There’s a very high success rate for appeals made with the support of services like that (well over 50% from what I heard).

Dan

11

Thanks I will try again with help but because I don’t walk with aids and can make a meal myself they turned me down but it isn’t all about that is it! I feel like my legs are lumps of lead somedays but that’s not taken into consideration also could sleep and sleep, even after a good night’s sleep bit I’m expected to get up and carry on.

12

Hi Dan ive just applied for access to work, I’m awaiting there decision, what questions do they ask when they ring you back I’ve only been asked general questions?

13

Hi Dan I’m currently waiting for access to work to ring me back they’ve got all general info. I was just wondering what questions will they ask, I’ve asked for help with travel costs like you.

14

Erm, to be honest I don’t remember. It was quite a few years ago that things were set up, and you know what our memory can be like with MS! I think it was probably just general questions about my health & how that affects work, things like that. I have a review with them every year, but that’s just to check everything’s going OK. Sorry I can’t help more. Good luck with it though.

Dan

15

Thanks Dan.