Mental Health and Debt: Mental Health Workers & Others Feedback Needed

Fran

count210 wrote: »

He had £900 on a storecard, was over £1000 overdrawn and has a bank loan for over £14,000. The overdraft and bank loan are with his bank that he has been with since he was first ill. They have seen him receiving his DLA payments (although this has recently changed to income support) into his account and the paltry sum he receives for the 15 hrs a week he works.
... he will not be returning to work for some time.

Hi,

If he is not returning to work he will need to get his benefits sorted out properly. There should be someone in the hospital that is helping him, you could check they are. Why did the DLA payments stop? DLA is not a means tested benefit and can be received by someone in or out of work. Maybe he didn't fill in a renewal form or something? Income Support is means tested so it would not have been "replaced" by DLA, it is possible to receive both and presumably this is what will happen now. If he is not living at home then his entitlement to Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit should also be looked at. He should get full entitlement if on IS.

The best thing to do would be to get some help from a debt counsellor. This could be something you do on his behalf eg. phone with his permission or go with him to Citizens Advice Bureau for example or maybe he would rather discuss it on his own with them so you could point him towards the options. If he is in hospital though they should be making sure he gets the right help so check with them first.