Need help with benefits!!!

kerry4716

I suffer from M.E and have gone to part time work for the last 2 yrs which is a major struggle to make ends meet as our mortgage was based on me working full time with sales bonus taken into account each month. I also now no longer wk in sales due to health issues so probably earning less than half what I used to. When I went to Citizens Advice Bureau/Benefits office and told them this-I had letters from Doctors/ME Clinic advising me to cut hours-they said I wasm't entitled to any benefit as my husband earns £25,000 p/a so we earn to much as a couple. Every time I go thru a bad patch, I worry that doctors will tell me to cut my hours even more which we simply can't afford to do. Does anyone know if therer is any help out therer for someone like me??? Pls help-desperate

CIS

CAB are right with regards to most benefits, your joint income is too high, even non-means tested benefits like IB limit the amount of work you can do.

How many hrs do you work?

bertha

Disability Living Allowance?

"You can get Disability Living Allowance for your care needs even if no one is actually giving you the care you need, even if you live alone."

http://www.direct.gov.uk/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/FinancialSupportArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10011731&chk=j4gVFM

hjb123

I understand where you are coming from. I have CFS and know how you must be feeling, however I have been unable to work for the past 18 months but am hoping to go back sometime soon!

How many hours are you doing at the moment? Are you on Incapacity Benefit?

kerry4716

Thanks for all your replies. . .

hjb123-glad I'm not the only one! I currently work 22.5 hours a week but would ideally like to cut bk to 16 as I am gradually going downhill in terms of my health. unfortunatley money worries are forcing my hand to carry on struggling as I am and I'm worried it will make me worse in the long run. I have a feeling I was refused incapacity benefit last time I asked about it-can't remember why.

bertha-I am currenly on the lowest level of DLA available which adds up to about £60 a month which I agree is better than nothing but doesn't really help with the mortgage.

Does anyone know what the maximum joint income amount/amount of hours I am allowed to work before myself and my husband can receive help because of my disability. I really don't understand how the benefits work and would rather have some idea before I visit the CAB again if necessary

hjb123

I dont know whereabouts you live but the CAB near me has an ME Support worker who helps people with ME/CFS who are experiencing problems with their benefits! You could see if yours has one!

There are permitted work rules with Incapacity Benefit so it is obvious you have been doing more than allowed for Incapacity Benefit which may be why you werent allowed it.

On the jobcentre website it says the following about permitted work:

You can:work for earnings of up to and including £20.00 a week for an unlimited period. This is called Permitted Work Lower Limit (PWLL).

or

work for less than 16 hours a week, on average, with earnings up to and including £81.00 a week (from 1 October 2005) for a 52 week period. This is called Permitted Work Higher Limit(PWHL).

do

further periods of PWHL, for 52 weeks, once a 52-week gap period has been served. This is called Permitted Work Higher Limit Subsequent (PWHLS). There is no limit to the number of times you can do permitted work in this category while you are getting an incapacity benefit; but there must be a gap of at least 52 weeks between periods.

or


supported permitted work for earnings of up to and including £81.00 (from 1 October 2005) a week for an unlimited period. Supported permitted work is work done with the ongoing support of a body or voluntary organisation whose job it is to find work for people with disabilities. This could be work done in the community or in a sheltered workshop. It also includes work done under medical supervision as part of a hospital treatment programme.

or


work for less than 16 hours a week on average and earn up to £81.00 a week for as long as your illness or disability is considered sufficiently severe that you are treated as meeting the threshold of incapacity without undergoing a medical assessment.

You dont want to affect your health badly by continuing to work too many hours as this can sometimes be the worst thing to do! Are your employers supportive of your illness?

You could try typing your details into https://www.entitledto.co.uk though I think that the best thing you can do is speak to someone at your local Citizens Advice Bureau or ring the number they are trialling an out of hours advice line:

The service is available from 6pm to 8pm Monday to Friday and from 10am to 1pm on Saturdays for people in England and Wales only. Please call: - 0844 902 0021

kerry4716

thanks-I am struggling to work the hours I do but not sure I need or want to cut down as much as the CAB site says I have to just to get benefit, seems like a catch 22 situation! Do you have a mortgage/an other half who works full time-if you don;'t mind I would be interested to hear from you ref your personal experience of ME-nice to know I'm not the only one although it sometimes feels like it! Feel free to PM me if you want