arthiritis and ADHD and work

darren_f_2

my son is 19 years old
at 15 years he was told he had juvenile arthiritis this was attacking his ankle joint at 17 his ankle was fused in an operation up untill then he had a slight chance of becoming a pro fooballer.
whilst the operation was being disscussed it was decided that he would have a chat with Psychotherapists with regard to the loss of use of his foot.
to cut this short they said he had adhd and had always had.
i asumed adhd meant bad kid which he isnt and wasnt.
apparently there are many different forms of this.
his is related to concentration,forgetfullness,impulsive and so on .
but not behavior related.
the problem we now have is,he is receiving dla and incapacity benefits.
he gets high rate dla on mobility and middle rate on care.
he has motabillity car.
the problem for him is he is not cut out due to adhd for a desk job.
and physical work which is what he wants to do would be limited due to his foot.
he can get about a lot more and more but does have pain at times.
the question i need help with is if he took a physical job course ie plastering as an example,would he lose his benefits or would he keep them due to the adhd.
he really wants to take this direction of manual work but his earnings will always be limited when compared to a healthy lad.
even if he can do the work to a lesser degree.
can he still receive dla and incapacity benefit whilst doing a college course.
would he keep these benefits till he can earn money.
will he keep dla after this as without transport he would be even more limited in doing either manual or desk work/training.
i know this seems like he/me wants him to have the best of both worlds.
but i/we just want him to have the oppurtunities.
any advice would be helpful, several agencies we have spoken to more or less tell him,he is better of staying as he is.
which is not what he/we want.

Savvy_Sue

I'm not an expert, but since no-one else has answered I will say that my understanding is that DLA is related to his disability, so he should be able to keep that regardless of whether he is working or not. But IB is related to his Incapacity to Work, so clearly if he works he doesn't get that any more.

Since he's only 19, Connexions should be helpful in helping him work out what to do with his life, including training opportunities and possibly apprenticeships. They should also have an understanding of benefits entitlement.

Failing that, Welfare Rights - they'll be on a sticky at the top of the board!

Anthillmob

when i was on IB i went to college full time for 2 years. my understanding was it was none of their business what i did as long as i didnt work.

sorry your son has arthritis. ive got it in my hands and knees and know how painful it can be.

Fleago

Hi darren f,

Your son might find it useful to phone your local Jobcentre and ask to make an appointment with the Disability Employment Advisor. This person will be able to advise your son on what he can or cannot do with regards to work and his benenfits and also what other benefits he might be entitled to if he does work. The DEA should also be able to put him in touch with local organisations who provide support to help people with disabilities take up work; there will be something in your area and the DEA will be able to refer him if appropriate. Don't worry that taking this step might endanger his Incapacity Benefit as at this stage he would only be going to talk about possible options and whether paid employment or college would be a viable propostition at this point in time.

With regards to his DLA, whilst he can certainly work and continue to claim it it can lead to a reassment if the work is seen to "contradict" something for which he is claiming. For example, and only as an example as it might not necessarily happen, but they could take the view that if he was doing some sort of physical work such as plastering, which involved a degree of mobility, that high rate mobility may no longer be appropriate. It's only a for instance though, but just something to bear in mind when he is looking at the type of work he might like to do.

Good luck to your son and hope the above helps a wee bit

Fleago

Savvy_Sue

There, I knew if I gave my limited understanding the people who knew better would join in. That's a very good point from Fleago about a contradiction between the work he's able to do and his assessed mobility needs!

lil_me

http://www.disabilityalliance.org/skill.htm That has info about studying whilst on IB.

darren_f_2

thanks for the replies.
we will follow the dea one thru.
connextions was one of the agencies that more or less said stay as you are.
they didnt really know what to do with him.
other than show him how to apply for jobs which didnt really apply to him.

if anyone has anymore comments or advice please post them.
thanks again.
darren.