dont know what i can claim

lindasarah · 16 February 2005 at 11:26AM

hi
im 46 and have a two year old daughter, because of severe depression i am unable to work, sometimes i cant go out my front door. i have a mental health nurse, a counselor and see the doctor weekly.
i am on income support and have family allowance, although they class the family allowance as earnings and take it off my income support.
i have never been on benefits before, i was a housewife until i split up from my husband and now im on benefits. is there anything else i can claim for? i was awarded child support but heck thats few and far between, the goverment keep most of it and i get the pittance thats left.
doctor and team have advised me to go out more, but i cant drive and buses are really expensive. i can only afford to go to town once a fortnight. the internet is my only treat, i dont go out as its too expensive and sometimes my illness prevents me from being in company, i panic a bit.
i know someone who is in a similar position and she gets about 30 pounds a week but i dont know what benefit she is on.
can anyone help or point me in the right direction of what to do?
thanks
linda

lindasarah · 16 February 2005 at 11:28AM

i forgot to say i get my rent paid for and i pay about a third of the council tax

zzzLazyDaisy · 16 February 2005 at 11:48AM

The CAB have trained Benefit Advisers. If you go in and see them, they will do you a 'financial health check' and make sure you are getting everything you are entitled to. If you are incapacitated through depression or some other illness, you may be able to apply for additional benefits, such as DLA

Good luck!

Spendless · 16 February 2005 at 12:12PM

lindasarah wrote:

i forgot to say i get my rent paid for and i pay about a third of the council tax

shouldn't you get all your council tax paid for? Also have you asked your friend what benefit she is on?

I have a friend with severe depression too and i kept echoing the advice given by her consultant and other medical staff to get out more. But the depression means she doesn't want to but then cos she doesn't go out she gets more depressed and so on....

You don't have to go into town to go out. Take your 2 year old for a walk in her buggy, do you have a local park you could go to? Build up how long you're out for each day.

Good Luck, let us know how you get on.

Fran · 16 February 2005 at 12:59PM

Hi Linda,

Why not phone the CAB if you can't face going out- keep on trying until you get through, I know the lines can be busy often and it's easy to give up. At least you will know exactly where you stand from experienced advisors and not just hearsay. Have you asked the people that you come into contact with about it? They might know about help you can get locally.

Becles · 16 February 2005 at 1:04PM

Just an idea! Is there a council owned swimming pool near you?

Most do a cheap swim for people on benefits. I'm on tax credits and paid for a concessionary leisure card for £3. I get a swim now for £1.30 against the £2.60 full price.

I'm swimming for fitness and have been down there this morning. It's really quiet during the day, so less chance of a panic attack. The baby pool is really nice for the toddler sessions, and they have loads of floats, rubber duckies and other toys to play with. You'll also be teaching your daughter a valuable skill in being confident in the water. They learn best from a young age.

Just thought a project like teaching your daughter to swim would be good for your depression, as you'll get a lot out of it, and it's not very expensive to do.

I've battled with depression myself. If you ever feel low, drop me a PM. Sometimes it's good just to let rip at a 'faceless stranger' and get things out of your system. Take care of yourself

lindasarah · 16 February 2005 at 5:22PM

i would like to thank all the people who replied to my question, i really appreciate it.
i never thought of CAB and yes i could phone them.
i live in a small village 10 miles from anywhere so have to travel by bus which costs 3.75 a return, which is a lot to pay, only bus that goes through the village so they pretty much charge what they like.
i have to pay £22 a month coucil tax, not sure why but they say thats what i have to pay, nuisance really, still it pays for schools and stuff, just wish they would spend some on house repairs, that much i have to do myself its a nightmare lol
i do try and go out, walk in the park, but well sometimes im unable to. i keep telling myself better soon. doctor makes me collect my prescription once a week so that makes me go out, a day without and the cold turkey is horrid lol.
i will certainly phone the CAB, and i will let you know what happens.
thank you all again, you are all so kind.
cheers
linda

Spendless · 16 February 2005 at 7:11PM

Linda

When you ring CAB ask them about you having to contribute something to your council tax cos i found this that i thought might be of use to you.

http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc.asp?doc=23069017

Spendless · 7 March 2005 at 12:56PM

lindasarah- did you go to CAB?

nikkita_2 · 8 March 2005 at 11:46PM

hello linda,just a quick reply to your post.i too have suffered with depression and panic-attacks for a year and a half now.it got so bad that i couldnt leave the house...i even went through a spell of beng suicidal.im lucky i have the support of a great boyfriend and family(+4 kids!) what i really wanted to say is that being on benefits is terrible at the best of times but there is a way out.i did alot of research on the net about anxiety/depression and found a great website.i cant remember the exact address but if u type in the words "the learning path" i think it should take you to it.as for the anxiety side of things i followed a method called the linden method.just type in "charles linden" and that should be enough.to cut to the chase,im able to walk outside again,im gaining self-confidence,the depression is lifting so much so that i signed off benefits yesterday and started a part-time job..im not suggesting it was easy,far from it.what i would say though is break one big task into lots of little tasks and keep telling yourself you have been through bad times...but ur still here..reading this message.....rite? good luck.let us know how you get on.

Wombat · 16 March 2005 at 12:59PM

Although in danger of repeating myself from another thread, anyone with agoraphobia or an anxiety-related illness which prevents them from getting out and about may be able to get the low mobility component of Disability Living Allowance on the basis that, while they possess the faculty to walk, they are unable to take advantage of that faculty because of their condition. The first application is usually turned down in my experience, and you will probably need to appeal against the first decision of the DSS.

I highly recommend the newsgroup alt.support.anxiety-panic.moderated for friendly support, advice and information.

dont know what i can claim

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