What happens when IB stops but nearing retirement age.

zzzLazyDaisy

mardatha wrote: »

Tomsmum, he can go onto PENSION CREDIT if he's over 60. .

Not if their savings are over the limit

TomsMom

mardatha wrote: »

Tomsmum, he can go onto PENSION CREDIT if he's over 60.

Thanks for the suggestion Mardatha but that was suggested by SDW on page 1 and when I looked into it he doesn't qualify because of our savings, as LazyDaisy says.

EdInvestor

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Documents/Support_Material/Get_support/financial/ESA_factsheet.pdf

I'd start by asking for help from the MacMillan people as there are special arrangements for people with cancer.

Oldernotwiser

EdInvestor wrote: »

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Documents/Support_Material/Get_support/financial/ESA_factsheet.pdf

I'd start by asking for help from the MacMillan people as there are special arrangements for people with cancer.

I think McMillan's an excellent idea, although the only particular arrangements I know are for chemotherapy. Special Rules apply to everyone, not only cancer patients.

EdInvestor

More on cancer patients' benefits

Oldernotwiser

EdInvestor wrote: »

More on cancer patients' benefits

That's over 4 years old and talks about DLA/AA which the OP has already said her husband isn't eligible for. I really don't mean to keep being negative, but people seem to be suggesting things that don't exist or have already been discounted.

EdInvestor

The more information the better, I've always thought

Here's the updated MacMillan factsheet which has useful stuff about DLA and IB/ESA and how cancer patients are viewed when claiming these benefits..

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Resourcessupport/Practicalissues/Financiallegalissues/Financialissues#6255

The OP and her husband IMHO need to take advice from the likes of MacMillan, Age Concern and/or the CAB (possibly all three) as to what their entitlements may be.

Oldernotwiser

EdInvestor wrote: »

The more information the better, I've always thought

Here's the updated MacMillan factsheet which has useful stuff about DLA and IB/ESA and how cancer patients are viewed when claiming these benefits..

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Resourcessupport/Practicalissues/Financiallegalissues/Financialissues#6255

The OP and her husband IMHO need to take advice from the likes of MacMillan, Age Concern and/or the CAB (possibly all three) as to what their entitlements may be.

Whilst I totally agree about taking advice from all the people you mention, you still seem to think that there are special rules in existence for patients suffering from cancer, and that's not the case. Right at the start the OP says that her husband has no care or mobility needs that will qualify him for DLA; your earlier statement that "Pretty well anyone with cancer can get DLA " is just wrong, I'm afraid.

ESA rules are rather tougher than those for IB and are based on needs and not diagnosis, as is IB. If the OP's husband is not capable of starting work when he finishes his treatment then he'll be able to stay on IB; if he's deemed well enough to come off IB then there won't be any purpose in his applying for ESA as the rules are tighter than for IB.

The OP said she was happy to have a specialist who "tells it like it is" and that's what I've been trying to do; I don't see any benefit in encouraging people in false hopes about money. I'm sure if there are any loopholes the OP can exploit then the organisations you've mentioned will explain them to her, so let's just agree on her seeking further advice and wishing her husband a continuing recovery.

TomsMom

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I'm sure if there are any loopholes the OP can exploit then the organisations you've mentioned will explain them to her, so let's just agree on her seeking further advice and wishing her husband a continuing recovery.

Oh gosh, Oldernotwiser, exploit is not a word we'd use. I hope I haven't come across as someone who wants something we're not entitled to. We both have a very strong sense of what is morally right and wrong. We do not condone anyone fiddling the system. On the other hand we feel that if a benefit is available then those that meet the criteria deserves to receive it.

We're not going to starve if his IB stops and there is no benefit available to him. If we had to top up my pension (and his small private one if we decide to take that early, when the information comes through) from our savings then we will, it's just that the savings were originally planned for making our post-retirement a bit more comfortable.

If the rainy day comes then the savings will be used but we don't see this situation as the rainy day. I'm just sure that there is something available to an over-60 but under 65 whom prospective employers don't really want to employ, such as JSA or something else, and was wondering if anyone had any knowledge/experience etc of whatever was available so that we could look into it and see if we satisfied the criteria. He can't be the only person who faces this situation.

I thank you for your input so far, yours and everyone else who has made suggestions. Also EdInvestor who must be spending a lot of time finding the links for me to check out. It's all very much appreciated. When we have more information about his test results and future outlook in a couple of weeks time, if he is to come off IB then we will certainly be making arrangements to go to the CAB and also contact Age Concern and Macmillan.

I did see that although ESA will not replace IB at the moment for those currently receiving IB, it will replace it at some time in the future. So again, the suggestions of contacting these agencies will be useful. We probably would not have thought of them without them being suggested on this thread, being "younger seniors" we still have a lot to learn!

Thank you again, everyone, for your help and suggestions.

EdInvestor

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

The OP said she was happy to have a specialist who "tells it like it is" and that's what I've been trying to do; I don't see any benefit in encouraging people in false hopes about money.

Obviously not. As a comparatively infrequent visitor to this forum you're probably not really aware of the repeated problems posters in this forum have had in getting the authorities to provide their proper entitlements, particularly in relation to long term care issues.This includes a range of Government departments.

It is very clear that a firm and persistent approach is necessary to get the authorities to follow the rules and thus one can only urge posters not to be put off by veiled threats or insinuations about fraud or exploitation, but rather to get properly qualified advice from the people at the voluntary and charitable agencies who interact with these bureacrats all the time and know how to deal with the system.