DLA and cancer

vicallen2004

Hi All.

My sister is in a couple and stay at home looking after her 2 children. Her other half works about 40 hours a week and they receive about 10pounds a week tax credits I think. They rent a private house. My sister has been diagnosed as having hodgkins lymphoma (sorry if thats spelt wrong!) about three weeks ago and is going to be having chemo every other week for about 4 months. That will prob be followed by radiotheraphy.

Between my mum, her boyf, myself and our jobs we are struggling to look after her and her two children. I have looked on the web site ' what am I entitiled to' but I don't know enough about his circumstances to enter enough information. I have looked at putting her two young children in full time nursery and the costs would be substancial. The eldest is over 3 and I think she does get some hours free already.

Does anyone know if her is entitled to DLA at all? This would help sort out the nursery fees. Her boyf says he can't be signed off unpaid as they still have bills to pay.

Many Thanks in anticipation. Vicky.

AnxiousMum

You might want to get in touch with the MacMillain nurses in your area - they may have access to info re the childcare issues and be able point you in the right direction. Hope all goes well for her

ash4becks

would this not come under the speical rules for dla not sure if not sorry to say theres a 12 week wait atm grr but i was lucky and got mine in 4 , not sure either if a premium would apply to the tax credits atm either , claim should be put in for esa also ,
think you can get a free pass for the hospitail also for parking

not 100% about all above


hope you get things sorted and wish her well , btw make sure she gets all of her percriptions free , i would try and get appointment or some advice over the phone for cab the dla forms can be filled out with them which i really recomend

theres housing benifit and council tax ben also if there in private if this didnt cover there is the discrtionary fund that you could apply to

if higher or middle rate care is given on dla bf could claim carers allowence to , but make sure you get the form asap and all payments if recived are backdated to

take care of yourself and the rest of the family , and ask if theres things your not sure about sure anyone on here wouldnt mind trying to find out bits of info for you and post about the dla to x

vicallen2004

Thanks to both of you. I'll get phoning today and see what I can sort out. x x x

DX2

ash4becks wrote: »

would this not come under the speical rules for dla not sure if not sorry to say theres a 12 week wait atm grr but i was lucky and got mine in 4 , not sure either if a premium would apply to the tax credits atm either , claim should be put in for esa also ,
think you can get a free pass for the hospitail also for parking
Special rules only apply if terminal.
No premium for TC as she doesn't work.
ESA again if she hasn't worked for a few years she won't be entitled to CBESA, and I suspect her husband's income would probably take her over the threshold for IRESA.

not 100% about all above


hope you get things sorted and wish her well , btw make sure she gets all of her percriptions free , i would try and get appointment or some advice over the phone for cab the dla forms can be filled out with them which i really recomend


theres housing benifit and council tax ben also if there in private if this didnt cover there is the discrtionary fund that you could apply to
Again HB and CTB would depend on how much the husband is earning and guessing by them only getting £10 pw in tax credits, it could be too much to qualify for either.

if higher or middle rate care is given on dla bf could claim carers allowence to , but make sure you get the form asap and all payments if recived are backdated to
If he is working 40 hours per week and earning over £95 per week which I assume he is he won't be entitled to CA.

take care of yourself and the rest of the family , and ask if theres things your not sure about sure anyone on here wouldnt mind trying to find out bits of info for you and post about the dla to x

Amended in red.

DX2

http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/coping-with-cancer/coping-practically/financial-support/government-benefits

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Disability Living Allowance is a benefit for people who need help with personal care, help with getting around, or both because they are ill or disabled. You have to be under 65 when you claim. To qualify, you may need help getting washed, going to the toilet, getting dressed or have difficulties walking. You will have to have needed this help for at least 3 months and expect to need it for at least 6 months more. DLA is not based on your National Insurance contributions. Nor is it affected by any savings, earnings, benefits or any other income that you have.

There are 2 parts to DLA: the care component and the mobility component. You can claim for either of these components, or both. If you qualify for middle or higher rate DLA, you may be entitled to a higher rate of Income Support or Pension Credit because of your needs.

The care component

You can get this component if you need help with personal care. If you need help, you are entitled to claim - even if you think there is no one who can give you that help. There are 3 rates of the care component of DLA, low, middle and high. Each rate has different conditions that you must meet in order to receive that level of the benefit.

Low rate means that you need attention with bodily functions for a significant portion of the day, or if you are over 16, you are unable to prepare a cooked main meal.


Middle rate means that at least one of these must apply

• You need frequent help with personal care throughout the day
• You need continual supervision throughout the day to avoid substantial danger to yourself or others
• You need prolonged or repeated attention at night in connection with bodily functions
• You need someone to be awake during the night for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals in order to avoid substantial danger to yourself or others

High rate means that you have to need help or supervision as above both during the day and night.

The mobility component

You can get this component if you have difficulty in walking or are unable to walk. There are 2 rates of the mobility component.

Low rate means you are able to walk, but need someone with you to guide or supervise you for most of the time when you are outdoors on unfamiliar routes.

High rate means you are unable or virtually unable to walk due to a physical disability. You may have

• Both legs amputated at or above the ankle
• Been born without legs or feet
• Both deafness and blindness and need someone with you outdoors
• Severe mental impairment, with severe behavioural problems and qualify for the highest rate of the care component
• To make such an effort to walk that it would cause a danger to your life, or cause serious deterioration in your health if you were unaided

If you are in any doubt about whether you qualify for these benefits, you should apply and let the Disability and Carer's Service decide.

Note: there are special rules for people with a terminal illness who are not expected to live longer than 6 months - the care component can be paid straight away, without the need to satisfy the above tests. You need a DS1500 medical report, filled in by your GP or hospital doctor to send in with your claim. You will still need to apply for the mobility component.

You can get a claim form from your nearest DWP Office. Look for the Benefits Agency (or DWP) display advert in the business section of the phone book or by telephoning the Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 882200 (textphone 0800 243355). Ask for a DLA claim pack and leaflet SD3. You can also apply on line at www.dwp.gov.uk.
The Disability and Carer's Service Helpline 0845 712 3456 gives information and help on existing DLA claims. It is part of the DWP, dealing only with disability and carers' benefits.

Indie_Kid

vicallen2004 wrote: »

Her boyf says he can't be signed off unpaid as they still have bills to pay.

Many Thanks in anticipation. Vicky.

Does he have no holidays left?

TotallyBroke

I agree with the person that said get in touch with MacMillan, in fact your Sister's Dr should be arranging that for her. My Mum met with someone from a 'Maggie' centre and they helped her with all her forms and sent them off for her. She got her Blue badge straight away.