DLA query

miserly_mum

Hi, my Sis in Law has been told she's eligible for lower rate DLA.

She has been on Incapacity Benefit for around 18 months. I'm/she is assuming that when the DLA starts the Incapacity stops but she will still be entitled to Income Support?

Neither of us have any experience with these benefits so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance MM

McKneff

The incapacity benefit doesn't stop, she gets this in addition to it.

As far as i know DLA is disregarded when means tested benefits are assessed so it shouldnt be affected at all.
I think the low rate DLA is about £18 or so per week. So she should be that amount better off.

My husband has been claiming this for quite a number of years while he was on IB. He has now retired and claims his state pension, but the DLA still carries on after retirement too.

miserly_mum

Thanks McKneff x

Not sure of your circumstances so maybe you and hubby weren't getting Income support as well?

I was wondering if say someone was getting Incapacity and Income support and then was awarded DLA would they still get the incapacity (thankyou McKneff you've answered that one ) AND also the Income support if they were single and obviously couldn't work?

SIL has been telling us and her Mum (my MIL) that she has been living on her Incapacity Benefit and we have all been chipping in to pay for food electric etc for her. Then a neighbour of mine who is also on Incapacity mentioned he also gets Income support. That would make her weekly income almost double of what she led us to believe.

McKneff

Like i say, as far as i am aware, from reading other peoples posts on here when you get DLA it is totally ignored for any means tested benefits so she should get her IB, her DLA and her income support.
Have a look on the .gov website re DLA and IS (and I will too) if i find it i will post you a link.

see you later, gotta go out for an hour but I'll be back, in the meantime some more posters will probably be along to help out.
Hope i havent dropped anyone in it.

McKneff

Here is a link to it. About three quarters down the page.
'effects on other benefits'

She wouldnt be getting double though, she would be getting £18 or so more than she is getting now.


http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DisabilityLivingAllowance/DG_10011925

Ruby_Moon

Your Sil wouldnt be getting Incapacity and IS I dont think. Last I knew it was one or the other. You get IS if you haven't paid enough stamp for Incapacity.

DLA is paid on top of those benefits.

miserly_mum

McKneff wrote: »

Here is a link to it. About three quarters down the page.
'effects on other benefits'

She wouldnt be getting double though, she would be getting £18 or so more than she is getting now.


http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DisabilityLivingAllowance/DG_10011925

Thanks again, when I said double I ment she had said she only received IB and didn't get income support too.So even at the basic rate of long tern incapacity thats double of what we had been led to believe she was getting.

maybe a bit naive on our parts but as i've said we haven't had any experience of these benefits and how they work

McKneff

where are you getting this 'double' from, sorry i dont understand.
Incapacity Benefit is say £90 plus DLA £18.

So are you saying she doesnt get income support?
(i think i misread your first post in that i thought she WAS getting income support, instead of which you actually thought that if the IB was stopped then IS would kick in - Sorry)

dmg24

This is the perfect example of why benefits queries should be posted on the Benefits board!

OP, if your SIL lives alone and does not have significant savings (anything over £6000 will affect entitlement), she may now have an entitlement to IS on top of her IB. This is because a DLA award leads to additional premiums on IS, in this case the Disability Premium.

Could I ask how much IB she receives, and how old she is?

miserly_mum

Sorry i'll try to be more specific.

SIL was on Statutory Sick Pay.Then had to go onto Incapacity Benefit.In the interim she was put onto Income support until her Incapacity got sorted.That ment her rent got paid etc

Once that got sorted we were led to believe (by SIL) that (incapacity)was all she had as income but now i've been told that IB is not a means tested benefit so income support would have been paid as well as IB

We are not well off, neither are my inlaws but we have all shelled out quite a lot of money to SIL because she claims not to have enough to live on.

What I need to know is , if SIL is entitled to Incapacity Benefit would she also be entitled to income support too. (She is single with no kids or dependents) In which case her income would be almost twice what she led us to believe#

ie she said incapacity was about £80 but add in Income support that adds another £60 ish. Ok not quite double but a lot more than £80.

Now if she gets DLA at low rate (£18.65) will this be paid on top of the rest ?

Sorry to sound like a biatch but although we honestly don't mind helping out a relative in need we don't want to be taken for a mug. MM

miserly_mum

dmg24 wrote: »

This is the perfect example of why benefits queries should be posted on the Benefits board!

OP, if your SIL lives alone and does not have significant savings (anything over £6000 will affect entitlement), she may now have an entitlement to IS on top of her IB. This is because a DLA award leads to additional premiums on IS, in this case the Disability Premium.

Could I ask how much IB she receives, and how old she is?

I posted this on the Disabilty board because SIL is unable to work througha disability.

If there is another more apropriate board please feel free to move it MM