Incapacity benefit + special diets - any advice?

pepemia

Hi
Hope someone can help with this I have been put on Incapacity Benefit after my work terminated my contract for long term sickness.
I get the standard £64 per week . which is not a lot to pay for everything ( as many will probably know ).
The problem I have is due to food intolerances I have bascially a vegan diet, dairy free etc, which is expensive. Soya milk etc cost about 4 times the cost of normal. Would there be any way to get any extra benefits to help with this ? I know it may sound cheeky but I am really struggling, and dont like having to eat food that makes me sick just to try and save money.. I know I am probably grasping at straws but hoped that someone might be able to give some advice.
Heres hoping. ???

Ted_Hutchinson

Apart from the basic help set out at the links below I don't think there is any extra help.

HC11: Help with health costs

Are You Entitled to Help with Health Costs? Low Income Scheme

You might find there is a support group for your long term sickness which gives charitable grants in special circumstances but this is very much clutching at straws.

I think you will need to study the other forums here to see ways to save money and reduce your cost of living. You may then slowly be able to save up to invest in a Soya Milk Making Machine which will turn into an investment. You may have friends with whom you could club together to jointly fund the purchase. It would probably pay for itself over a few months. Ethical Juicers Milkmaking machine and or
The new Soya Fresh! Digital Multi-Function Milk Maker.

This isn't a personal recommendation as I haven't tried home made soya milk, however home made yoghurt is easy cheap and I can't understand why anyone buys the ready made stuff.

filigree_2

A friend of mine had a baby with lactose intolerance and he had to have soya milk, which she got on prescription. She wasn't on benefits, but the milk was free of charge because children don't pay for prescriptions. I'm sorry not to offer any concrete advice, but you could try asking your GP if you can get special foods on prescription.

pepemia

Hi
Thanks for your advice. Unfortunately all my friends are meat eaters ! I have to pay £ 10.00 a week towards my rent and £ 5.00 towards my council tax from my £ 64.00 per week, then I have my electricity , gas, telephone on top of that. The reason I am ill is because I have depression, and really need my phone to keep in contact with the world. I do get housing benefit and council tax allowance.
It looks like I will just have to become malnurished then ! I only used soya milk as an example that non dairy diets can be dear. It certainly isnt a choice as I was addicted to chocolate, boo hoo
Thank you for answering, I kind of thought I was clutching at straws and realise that there are probably hundreds of others who are left high and dry by the welfare state.
When I am better I think i moight start a revolution !!!

Jen_Jen_5

If you are still unfit for work after 12 months you will get an increase in your incapcity benefit and maybe some Income support depending on your circs. YOur Housing benefit and council tax benefit may increase too.

Dont know your personal circs and everyone is different just make sure you get your benefits checked regularly (especially at the 12 month point) incase you have become entitled to anything else.

Ted_Hutchinson

You can get into a vicious circle with depression with one thing leading to another.
I'm better than I have been for a long time and the change I attribute this to is adding L Carnitine to my diet. It's a supplement I get from http://www.zipvit.co.uk (£7.95 for 90) which you may find useful as the most common sources of carnitine are Lamb and Beef which you won't be getting as a vegetarian or advocados (highest vegetable source) which are probably also too expensive at the moment.

Within a couple of hours of the first tablet I felt better so am still a bit euphoric about them as the maximum effect isn't supposed to be reached till a couple of months use has past. It's also helped my sex life but I haven't yet seen any research that it also has this effect on females. The L Carnitine gives me more energy and stamina, so I am able to do more during the day. Apart from this helping my mood I am also now able to exercise more and this again leads to an improvement in mood. Getting out into the brighter light outside as early as you can each morning for a brisk walk will not cost much and exercise has been shown to improve mood.

Do try talking to your GP about your depression. I found a course of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy benefiicial and this has been shown to alter the way your brain operates in the same way as anti-depressants do but doesn't have any adverse side effects.

T4two

pepemia wrote: »

Hi
Thanks for your advice. Unfortunately all my friends are meat eaters ! I have to pay £ 10.00 a week towards my rent and £ 5.00 towards my council tax from my £ 64.00 per week, then I have my electricity , gas, telephone on top of that. The reason I am ill is because I have depression, and really need my phone to keep in contact with the world. I do get housing benefit and council tax allowance.
It looks like I will just have to become malnurished then ! I only used soya milk as an example that non dairy diets can be dear. It certainly isnt a choice as I was addicted to chocolate, boo hoo
Thank you for answering, I kind of thought I was clutching at straws and realise that there are probably hundreds of others who are left high and dry by the welfare state.
When I am better I think i moight start a revolution !!!

Hi.

Thought you may be interested in my story.

I came out of Hospital weighing just over 50 kilo and under strict instructions to eat well, stay warm and relax. The powers that be in incapacity later decided that I am now fit and stopped benefit, on the same day of receiving this letter I also got one telling me I have to go back in hospital at some point. Because I appealed, I now receive reduced income support, a grand total of £43/week. I asked my dietician at the hospital for a diet plan based on £10/week and was told that they cant get involved because its too ”Political“. The only way I can eat enough to stay alive is by not paying any bills that I can get away with not paying. Obviously this cannot go on forever. So far the list of organisations queuing up to take me to court are, BBC for TV Tax, Yorkshire Water for water Tax, virgin for Phone+broadband, and Provident for small loan taken out, fortunately gas and electric is on payasyougo so no arrears there, just occasionally siting in dark or no heat, so far not both at the same time.
Depressed? No. Revolution? Pass me the gun. :mad:

Oldernotwiser

I'm sure that specialised foods such as soya milk are dear but I wouldn't think that you'd buy much of them and you must be saving masses by not buying meat and fish!

GlasweJen

if you shop around it isn't that bad, ASDA do soya milk unsweetened for 60p a litre, soya spread for just over £1 for 250g and big tubs of dairy free yoghurt for less than 50p. I'm sure other supermarkets do similar for vegan products. A friend with PKU gets food on prescription so you should ask your doctor about this as well.

Penny-Pincher!!

pepemia wrote: »

Hi
Hope someone can help with this I have been put on Incapacity Benefit after my work terminated my contract for long term sickness.
I get the standard £64 per week . which is not a lot to pay for everything ( as many will probably know ).
The problem I have is due to food intolerances I have bascially a vegan diet, dairy free etc, which is expensive. Soya milk etc cost about 4 times the cost of normal. Would there be any way to get any extra benefits to help with this ? I know it may sound cheeky but I am really struggling, and dont like having to eat food that makes me sick just to try and save money.. I know I am probably grasping at straws but hoped that someone might be able to give some advice.
Heres hoping. ???

Hi There

I was in a similar position to you this time last year and weighed 8.5 stone and Im 5"10. My consultant perscribed Fortisip Protein which contain 320 calories and 20g of protein. I had to have 4 of these a day initially and still have 1 a day now. I am within my healthy BMI now and has not been easy.

I also have to pay for private vitamins from the USA which cost me £25 per month and other bits, but I do receive DLA and use this money towards the extra things I need. Do you receive DLA?

HTH.

PP
xx

suelees1

pepemia wrote: »

I have to pay £ 10.00 a week towards my rent and £ 5.00 towards my council tax from my £ 64.00 per week

You might get someone to have a look at your housing and council tax benefit to check it's in order as it doesn't seem right unless you're under 25. Even so you can apply to your local council for a Discretionary Housing Payment for help towards both your rent and council tax, This would then mean you have a bit more for your food bill.