why is everything made so difficult

tobyc_2

wonderr if anyone has experienced the same. I am a single mum who has been working solid really for the past 25 years, my youngest son who is now 14 was diagnosed just b4 xmas with muscular dystrophy and now is having problems walking and with personal care etc. In lieu of the fact that he can no longer get to and from school, i have reduced my hours at work to approx. 13 and applied for dla. Hey, i thought i,m working under 16 hrs, have worked all my life, paid my taxes etc. i,ll just have to claim i.s., this was back in december. This week i.s. informed me, after giving me the total run-around for the past 6 weeks that i am not entitled to it as i am no longer classed as a lone parent as my son is over 12. In the meantime, my rent is in arrears, we haven,t got enough money to live on, claim j.s. they say. phoned j.s.a. guess what im not entitled to that eitherr as im not looking for work. So, until i get a decision on the dla and it has to be middle or upper rate for personal care, i cannot get any benefits or help. This has left us approx. 200 per week worse off, i am totally disgusted with the benefits agency, i do understand that they have their guidelines but surely with all the medical evidence they can make exceptions. Besides that im having to chase up all the relevant
therapists etc. that my consultant said would automatically contact me, is this the norm for people with disability?

seven-day-weekend

No-one can get JSA unless they are looking for work, it is one of the criteria for getting iyt.

Also a change in law this year means that a singlr parent can't claim Income Support SOLELY for bring a single parent if the child is over twelve.

But I'm pretty sure that if you apply as a carer this rule does not apply. I don't know how you go about it though. The CAB would advise on this.

Meanwhile, you can apply for Local Housing Allowance for your rent and Council Rax Benefit as you are on a low income, you may be eligible for help with both these things.

Unfortunately as regards the Benefits Agency, they don't have guidelines they have rules and these rules apply to everybody.

Hope you get it sorted soon and I'm sure there will be others around later who will know more than me.

foxxymynx

You will be able to claim IS once the DLA has been granted. Try CAB for some help, but when you apply for IS make sure that they understand you are waiting for DLA claim to be approved.

TBH with the current economic climate, I'd say claim JSA anyway, there's no jobs anyway.

cabvol

Is it possible to to increase your hours to 16 so you could continue to claim WTC or be awarded this if not already getting this, you should already be getting CTC. (Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits). It is also worth checking any existing awards you have as these will be based on your previous income but note if you are not working 16 hours then WTC will stop.

It is possible to claim IS as a carer on a temp basis without being awarded Carers allowance but do not have the rules to hand.

it is also worth noting your earnings from the work you do may have/will exclude you from IS any way.

You may still qualify for Housing and council tax benefit this is not Dependant on getting IS however paid at full LHA rate if getting this benefit.

allydowd

tobyc wrote: »

In lieu of the fact that he can no longer get to and from school, i have reduced my hours at work to approx. 13 and applied for dla.

I would advise you to approach your son's school's Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and ask for transport to be provided. When I worked as a teacher our SENCO managed to arrange free transport to and from school for all the children with mobility needs, whether or not the parents could provide transport. Some came by taxi and others by adapted minibus. This should be on your council's website under something like 'school transport'.

You could also ask your school for free school meals. If they say you do not fit the criteria then ask them to make an exception for your son. They have the power to do this!

lolababy

Your best bet would be to go to your local carers center and get advise from them.Also if your son has a social worker get their support.

tobyc_2

looks like i will have to increase my hours to over 16, the annoying thing being that when i spoke to i.s. they said that i would have to cancel my working tax credit b4 they would look again at my claim. This i did and for the past 8 weeks havent been receiving that extra money. Now i will have to reapply for it, i h ave sorted out my housing and council tax benefits . Hopefully once the dla gets sorted then things should be a bit smoother, thanks for all your help.

CiciBaltimore

dla can take 3-4 months to get it so it is a long time to wait even if you get it back. you can get income support if you ask for carer award.

bigturnip

tobyc wrote: »

is this the norm for people with disability?

This is the norm for everybody, regardless of whether you have a disability you have to fight for everything and chase up appointments.

The only way they can balance their budgets is to be as obstructive as possible and hope enough people just give up and go away. It's sad, but it's the way it is. I feel sorry for those people that can't or won't fight, but all you can do is make sure you're not one of them.

black_paw

my DLA took 10 months to sort out,as i had to appeal as well . got back paid .but really needed it last year , i know its paid monthly but weekly would be better

allydowd

When I started claiming Tax Credits the council said I was then getting too much money to qualify for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. It might be worth checking whether you'll still be entitled to them if you claim Tax Credits. You could use Entitled Tos website to check:

www.entitledto.co.uk