Income Support Problems

Kochanski

Hi all, I posted this in the benefits section too but as it's bill related as well I thought maybe you could help too. I don't mean to spam, I'm just desperate.

Since June 2007 I have been claiming Income Support. I care for my ill mother but do not claim Carer's Allowance (she receives the Severe Disability Component). I did make a claim for Carer's Allowance in August 2006 after I had completed my degree but never received a response after being told they were waiting for a reply from my University to confirm my information (the uni sounded as if I was mad when I asked if they had received this form, heard nothing further since).

I didn't have much time to think about this much as my mother was taken ill again with a stroke. After she was released from hospital, I had a mad notion that she would be being looked after by nurses/carer's, so I went on Jobseeker's Allowance and began looking for a job. 6 months later, when I had received no job offers and I was a full time carer for my mother I realised there was little chance of me being able to hold down a job even if I could get one. I then made a successfull claim for Income Support and have been surviving on it alone ever since.

Two months ago I received a letter from Carer's Allowance telling me I was in full time education and couldn't claim at this time (2 years after I made the claim). I called them and they said they would make a decision on it in the next 30 days, but as I was claiming Income Support and didn't want to get into trouble (!) I told them to close it. On Monday I received a letter from Income Support with questions about my current full time education, how long it was/where etc. I replied that I was not in university and had not been in 2 years and explained about the letter from CA. At this stage I was really begining to panic and felt like a criminal.

I checked my Bank this morning and no Income Support had arrived. I was in a sheer panic at this stage as it's all I have to live on. I called the local SSO and was told I never had an underlying claim to Income Support and they thought I was on Carer's Allowance (even though I was awarded the full £60.50 a week and not the Carer's Premium rate).

Now I am absolutely terrified. I have so many bills to pay and I'm so scared I'll have to pay back all the Income Support I received. I'm also terrified they'll take money off my Mum too for the severe disability component as she really relies on it.

Any help would be very much appreciated, and thank you for reading this rambled post.

sleepless_saver

Sorry to hear about your troubles and the worry this is causing you. You don't have to tackle this catalogue of bureaucratic errors yourself. Your local CAB should be able to help, including speaking to the agencies if you want them to.

Kochanski

Thank you for your rely, I;m just so afraid at the minute. I have mountains of bills around me, i'm living on credit and I feel really alone and I have horrible thoughts running through my head of ways out.

Kochanski

Mainly to keep myself occupied and try and shock myself into realising the state I'm in, I'm putting up my SOA:

Monthly Income Details
Monthly income after tax................ 0
Partners monthly income after tax....... 0
Benefits................................ was 242 of Income Support
Other income............................ 0
Total monthly income.................... 242

Monthly Expense Details
Mortgage................................ 0 (Mum)
Electricity............................. 60
Telephone (land line)................... 26 (Talk Talk land line and Broadband)
Mobile phones............................ 10
TV Licence.............................. 28 (for 6 months, 3 remaining)
Groceries etc. ......................... 100 (shared with Mum)
Medical (prescriptions, dentist etc).... 7.1


Total monthly expenses.................. 231.10


Unsecured Debts (all minimum payments)
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Description Debt...... Monthly...APR[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Halifax Student Overdraft 1800...... 40....... 18.9% (came to an agreement in 2006)[/FONT]
Daxon 350 16 37.9%
Littlewoods 662.89 24 40.9%
Argos 518 21 27.9%
Next 350 32 26.49%
Egg Card (Closed) 335 20 21.9%
Capital One 400 25 34.9
Smile Current account overdraft 400
Other Catalogues 1483 60 0% (came to an agreement in 2006)
[FONT=&quot]Total unsecured debts [/FONT][/FONT]6299 238

Ames

I'm not 100% up on carer's income support, but I know a little bit in general. You couldn't claim IS and your mum get the SDP, as you know. It sounds like someone somewhere has messed up, because it sounds like either they've had you down as a carer with an underlying right to CA, or there are rules I don't know about where you can be a carer without being entitled to CA. Even if it's the former, as long as you were upfront with everything and filled in all the right forms then it's official error and shouldn't need to be payed back. I think you and your mum need help from a welfare rights officer, look in the phonebook under DIAL or disability groups. I had an official error once and wouldn't have been able to sort it out myself but my WRO sorted it all out for me.

Kochanski

As far as I know I was upfront with them, I'm terrified I made a mistake on the form or something, but if they did think I received CA, why did they award me the full £60.50 IS?

Thanks for your reply.

sleepless_saver

Please contact either Welfare rights or CAB to help you get this sorted out. This is not your fault, and you don't need to beat yourself up about it - you have quite enough to cope with already. But it is complicated and you do need help quickly. Apart from anything else, increasing your debts by living on credit now will make life much more difficult in the long run.

So please do contact one of the agencies who can help you today!

Kochanski

I'm going to see CAB tomorrow to see if I can sort this out. I'm terrified I filled the form in wrong, even though I checked it a lot and feel like I'm a criminal.

sleepless_saver

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.