Living Together Claim - Can I Go To College?

he6rt6gr6m

Once again, I cant explain WHY I dont sign on every fortnight. I am simply a co-signee to the agreement, with my GF being the main person.

I am able to work, as I have said previous, because of my previous claiming being Job Seekers Allowance. If I wasnt able to work, I wouldnt have been claiming that.

It seems that my GF does get IS for me at a rate of £91, however Im not a carer OFFICIALLY, though the stuff I do falls in that category. Also, if I was a carer, Im pretty sure Id be on a bit more money than £91.

Its quite easy to sit there and say 'just go back to work' but the problem with being on a joint claim is exactly that; its a JOINT claim. First and foremost, if I do jump back into work, I lose ALL my money, she loses some, if not all of her money, and we live on the poverty line, with my minimum wage feeding two mouths and paying the rent.

As you can understand, this is a very awkward situation, because there is no actual way of seeing what a guy like me can do with his life, without naffing up other peoples lives in the process. I dont want to be the one to tell my GF that all her money will stop because I want to go to College.

All I can describe to you guys is that in early 2007, I signed on after being dismissed from my job on New Years Day 2007. I partook in an interview which questioned my living arrangements and stuff like that, which at that time were all over the place. I have a bad reference from a Housing Assoc. for previously outstanding rent arears, thus I cannot get a place of my own from any other Housing Assoc. So for that time, I was living out of boxes at various houses, like a friends, my Mothers and my GF's. I was asked where I bathed, washed, got dressed, slept, eat, drank, and if I contributed any costs towards my staying at any of the afore mentioned properties.

I truthfully answered all of these questions, and the Job Center then contacted me after about 14 Days, stating they had decided that me and my GF spent sufficent amount of time together to determine that I was living there permanently. The said 'from the Interview we conducted at (Insert GFs old address here)' even though they didnt conduct any sort of interview there. They never even approached the door.

That letter then stated that for our Money to continue to be paid (by this point, we had gone 10 Weeks without a penny to our name) we must sign a 'living together as if you were husband and wife' applicaton, which we did. I in no way stated I was unfit to work, and my GF claimed the same benefit she previously claimed, and we received that 10 Weeks back-pay, as the claims were put on hold until this situation was resolved.

So, it COULD be that I never really signed off JSA, and I still claim it without having to sign on, because that is the benefit I was claiming, or applied to claim in early '07. My GF continued to receive IB which has been continuous for years.

Im very confused about what benefit I am receiving, but assumption leads me to believe it is IS, because I dont sign on. If this is the case, then the only thing I can think of is that I am down as some sort of carer, even though I never stated I was. I did, however, when I was asked in the Interview, state that I do a lot of shopping, and that I undertake all out-goings personally, like bills and such, because my GF isnt well enough to do so.

he6rt6gr6m

dmg24 wrote: »

As you haven't answered my question, I'll ask again:

Is there a reason that you cannot work?

I did answer this question. I said, 'they know I am able to work!'

shelene

Hi wow i guess a few people on here a little harsh!

People living together cannot claim different benefits ie JSA and IS, so it is very common to have a joint claim of either IS or JSA, since your girlfriend is unable to work i expect this is why you are on IS.

You should visit CAB as if your girlfriend recieves middle or higher rate disability (??) you could get some extra money for you being her carer. In regards to college i should see no reason why your benefits would be affected, as you are on IS and not JSA.

Hope this helps

Oldernotwiser

I wasn't being harsh; it's just a situation I hadn't come across before.

So, if someone with no disability shacks up with someone on IB, they don't have to look for work and just get extra money? Sometimes, the more I learn, the madder the system seems to be!

Oldernotwiser

shelene wrote: »

People living together cannot claim different benefits ie JSA and IS, so it is very common to have a joint claim of either IS or JSA, since your girlfriend is unable to work i expect this is why you are on IS.

Are you sure? I don't see why you can't have a couple where one claims IB and the other claims contributions based JSA?

he6rt6gr6m

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I wasn't being harsh; it's just a situation I hadn't come across before.

So, if someone with no disability shacks up with someone on IB, they don't have to look for work and just get extra money? Sometimes, the more I learn, the madder the system seems to be!

I dont want to sound like a complete fool, but this is the tone I got from your posts. Im sure you mean it in the best possible way, but surely a dude like me isnt where you should vent frustration. I have known people and seen people on Television that sit around, dole-dossing, and fake their signing-on to make it look like they are actively seeking work.

I assure you, thats not my game. I WANT to further myself and get back into the grand scheme of things in life. The main thing that worries me is that when Im old and Grey (and permitting the Govt. hasnt lost ALL of its senses come this time) I wont have a pension to guide me through the final stages of my life, and that scares me quite a bit.

So I thought to myself that college would be the best bet, because looking back on my school life, I realised that time was very valueable. Knowledge is power? Well, I want to know MORE!

I understand where you are coming from, though. I do get mad at this system, and upon returning from the Citizens Advice Bureau, I am hoping that I wont be even madder at the system.

Put it this way, I know a dude and his GF that get EVERYTHING they want from the system. Just last week his GF was preaching to mine that their household gets £600 a week! He has JUST gone back to work (after working about 6 Months in total, in the 6 Years he has been out of school) and walked right into a Supervisors Role in a Furniture shop, all because some shoddy company that the local Job Center is in partnership with, LIED to the furnature shop to give him a reference, stating he was previously a supervisor in another job. Knowing this guy, and having gone to school with him, I can tell you he failed around 10 GCSE's, dropped out of college, sprogged his GF up with three kids, one after the other, and claimed on and off for 5 and a half years, sometimes claiming he was epileptic (in an attempt to copy me, who is actually epileptic.)

I, in no way want to go down this route, so I have kept my privates in a private place, and if they ever come out, its protection all the way. I have the will to further my knowledge and in time, myself, and make my life everything I want it to be. I havent got some stupid dream about being the next X Factor, or being an actor, I want to go to college, learn a thing or two over a couple of years and jump in at the deep end without drowning.

shelene wrote:

People living together cannot claim different benefits ie JSA and IS, so it is very common to have a joint claim of either IS or JSA, since your girlfriend is unable to work i expect this is why you are on IS.

You should visit CAB as if your girlfriend recieves middle or higher rate disability (??) you could get some extra money for you being her carer. In regards to college i should see no reason why your benefits would be affected, as you are on IS and not JSA.

Hope this helps

This seems to make a lot of sense, upon reading, and I believe the CAB could be the way to go. It has helped me seek advice elsewhere (why I didnt think CAB before, Ill never know) and hopefully Ill be back with some news.

My GF is on Incapacity Benefit at either the Short Term Higher Rate, or the Long Term Basic Rate (I think its the long term rate) after doing calculations on what we receive. If we get approx £250 a fortnight, minus -£90 Income Support for me, that leaves £160. Of course, this is all approximate workings out, and it could be give or take, but it narrows it down a little more.

Im just sorry I dont have much information to give.

Its nice to have a helping hand without having it bitten off, though.

Just kidding. :P

bestpud

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Oh dear!

I apologise if you are genuine...

Oldernotwiser

I don't know whether you're genuine either but my comments were made much more generally than just about you. I really didn't (and still don't completely) believe that such a situation could exist.

shelene

I commonly come accross this situation when someone is expecting a baby or has a young baby, if they are not working at 29 weeks pregnant they are to change to IS, so they can get their maternity grant etc, so if they have a partner who is living with them and also is not working they usually are asked to complete a joint claim, for IS, and not JSA.
mad, but its the system, at least they are able to go to college! Where on JSA that would be restricted on so many hours.

he6rt6gr6m

You may have to add that to the believe column then

Oldernotwiser

.

Its a situation I find myself in, and I was as surprised as you were when it happened, but I have learned to get used to it now.

Its not a very good feeling, having your

independence

taken away like that, but if its what the higher-ups require, then there

isnt

much I can do about it.

I think the slight comfort some could take from this is that I

havent

got the other half up the duff, which is a simple thing to do, and request more money from the Govt. and the tax payer also. I

dont

believe in such a way, and if (not when) I have a kid or two,

itll

be on my terms, when I know I can provide for them without any assistance from anyone but the parents.

I have a serious problem with people who

purposely

get pregnant to ride to benefit express and live the life of luxury, because that is what these people do.

I can assure you, that on 91pounds a fortnight, my life is anything but a luxury, yet you see people sitting in houses on brand new sofas, laminate flooring and huge

tellys

with HD Consoles hooked up and posh wallpaper, all from Child Support and Maternity and so forth.

I may be a hypocrite for being on IS and pointing at these people as if they were criminals, but

Im

satisfied that I have enough balls to get out there and stand for what I believe in and that is you making your own way and supporting your family on what you have and what you do, without much, if any, assistance, and being proud that you have done so.