Can you get incapacity benefit if you are illiterate?

Chrysalis

She should get free courses if she been on JSA long enough.

black-saturn

Thanks for the advice. I don't know much about this woman apart from that it sounds like she's been on all these type of schemes before and is not really interested in bettering herself. I told her what you all said about incapacity benefit and now she wants to know about disability benefit? She's convinced that if she is in need of a home help she should be entitled to something extra.

I've also found out today (but I must admit it might be idle gossip) that she has had a couple of children taken away from her by SS and has been in trouble several times for drugs. I pick my friends wisely don't I? :rolleyes:

singlehouseholder

Sure she'd be able to get a medcert for the old favourite "depression." Havin g suffered from this at varying degrees it does infuriate me when Drs dish out medcerts willy nilly, but I dare say not being able to read to your children or help them with their homework would make you sad. Having said that, after reading some of the other comments, it sounds as if she's happy to live of the state? Its the kids I pity, what chance have they got.
BlackSaturn, you must be too kind, you put up, and try to help latch ons, good on ya!

black-saturn

Well she kind of picked me as I was walking to the school one day and she started walking with me. Now she waits for me to walk out of my front door every day, as she lives up the same road, so that she can walk with me.

devon-gnome

Literacy and Numeracy support/tuition is available to all adults who are below Level One, (GCSE D-G) for free. Find out about this via Nexststep or Connexions will put her in touch with them.

quidsinquentin

Sorry in advance about this. My O/H is something of an expert in benefits (CAB etc). I asked her about this and there is a good possibility that someone could claim IB for illiteracy.

It depends to some extent on the descriptors. The bits in the claim pack that say whats wrong with you. Illiteracy COULD affect someone in such a way as to meet those descriptors. It's not top of the list, but it's not too hard either. If there is also some other condition/illness etc, then it would probably meet it quite it easily.

It would also be difficult to force someone to take literacy/numeracy classes.

It's not exactly directly related but worth mentioning. A friend of mine works for XXXXX where mobility vehicles are issued. According to her, it's becoming more frequent for horizontally challenged (overweight) people to be considered for mobility vehicles. (don't go shouting at me I'm overweight too - just not that much!). There's no disability or illness as such, just an excess of weight.

The rules are flexible and have to be interpreted accordingly. Illiteracy or overweight - they can be interpreted as conditions that impair your life.

healy

The person described would not score enough points to qualify for IB unless there was another problem.

jellycat40

I don't suppose that with three small children or indeed any children under 16 living at home she is on JSA. She will be on income support. No one can be made to go to work until their youngest child is no longer in full time education. She probably could get ib if she has underlying reasons why she cannot go to classes or work but as she does not have to work owing to her situation I can't see that she will be any better off. Is IB more than IS? DLA is only paid to people that have been on IB for a while as far as I know.

I think it must be awful not to be able to help your children with primary school homework. I have a friend who has had to ask that her child do their homework in school as she can't help her at home the child is year 3. However, she is a hard working Mum with a full time job!

Louise

healy

jellycat40 wrote:

I don't suppose that with three small children or indeed any children under 16 living at home she is on JSA. She will be on income support. No one can be made to go to work until their youngest child is no longer in full time education. She probably could get ib if she has underlying reasons why she cannot go to classes or work but as she does not have to work owing to her situation I can't see that she will be any better off. Is IB more than IS? DLA is only paid to people that have been on IB for a while as far as I know.

I think it must be awful not to be able to help your children with primary school homework. I have a friend who has had to ask that her child do their homework in school as she can't help her at home the child is year 3. However, she is a hard working Mum with a full time job!

Louise

DLA is not only paid to people who have been on IB for a while, the two do not follow each other.

Both can be paid but they are paid for different reasons.

DLA is paid for care or mobility needs.

quidsinquentin

healy wrote:

The person described would not score enough points to qualify for IB unless there was another problem.

Not so.

As I mentioned my O/H is something of an expert in this area. She has won all but one of her appeal cases (where the client cocked it up), and has never had an original application turned down.

Its down to the interpretation of the descriptors and the clients incapacities.

Her reading of the descriptors is that a case COULD be made. Stronger with a second issue/illness, but enough of a case to possibly get through first time.