mnba credit card illness

Ames

Other people have advised about the debt but I thought I'd offer some advice on the benefits.

What benefits exactly does your mum receive? As some of them are passport benefits and can lead to others.

She should be getting:

DLA. If she gets the middle or high rate care component then you can claim carer's allowance. In order to get this you need to care for her at least 35 hours a week, and not earn more than around £95 after tax, NI, and pension contributions. DLA doesn't count as income for other benefits/tax etc purposes.

ESA. This is the out of work benefit, if she's unable to work she needs to claim this. It's not just important for the cash she'd get but to have her stamp paid and maybe get free prescriptions.

Housing benefit. You need to apply and put all your details down, yours and hers. I'm not sure if you can make a joint claim or not. If you're only working 12 hours a week, unless you're a top lawyer charging a few hundred an hour then you should get help for it. Especially if you can get carer's allowance.

Council tax benefit. As with housing benefit.

Do you live in a council flat? Because that's the impression I got from your post. There are laws about making people homeless regardless of what property you live in, and unless you are months and months behind in your rent then it's unlikely. They'll shout and scream, but you have enough time to get proper advice.

Now, for your mum. I have bipolar (or maybe just cyclothymia, the docs can't agree). She needs help. You need to get a doctor out to see her. If needs be, then when she's particularly bad call the out of hours emergency team. Unfortunately, the doctors will need to see her having an episode otherwise they can't be sure of just how bad it is.

Don't count on her getting a CPN, in my experience they're like hens teeth.

If you think calling doctors will put you in danger then make sure you've got an action plan ready, someone's sofa to crash on for a few days.

As an action plan, I think you need to:

Urgently: call MIND for advice and to see if there's a support group for relatives. You have to be your number one priority. Somehow get a doctor or other health care professional out to her. I know how hard it is, I had to call an ambulance for my sister when she took an overdose a few months ago and she was begging me not to. But you're rational enough to know it's for the best.

Less urgently: Call your local DIAL for a benefits check and to get them to put the claims in. Go to your housing benefit office and apply for discretionary housing benefit. This is for people who can't meet their rent, as it says it's discretionary but your circumstances certainly seem to be severe enough to warrant it. Write to the housing office with an offer of what you can afford to pay, and explain that you're getting advice on benefits etc. It might not call them off, but it can't help, and if you're showing willing then it'll go in your favour if official action is taken.

Also, if possible, you need to go through your mum's finances. Even if it means spending the next month grabbing the mail when it comes. There could be a bigger mess lurking than you know about. But that's least of the priorities.


Finally, you say you have your own bills to pay, have you made sure that you're getting the best deals etc? It's something to think about when everything's calmed down.

If it all gets too much then call the Samaritans so that you can get it all off your chest.

Hugs to you, I hope things can get sorted quickly for you.

elliebobs

Just sticking my oar in here; Kellie, is there any way you can increase your hours to 30 a week??? You would then be eligible, in your own right to Working Tax Credit. You don't say, or I have missed it, that you yourself are recieving any benefits.

Without wanting to 'play the system' any work that is done in expectation of payment is classed as remunerative work. You could therefore, for example, do your mum's housework/ironing etc for 18 hours a week and therefore increase your hours to 30 hours a week and, as long as it was done in expectation of payment, this is perfectly legal. Alternatively, you could set yourself up a little ebay business that you could do at home so you could still look after your mum. The time taken to list your items, post office and other various admin could easily make up your hours.

You would have to register yourself as self employed with HMRC but this is very simple and all it takes is a quick 'phone call.

crazychick17

we stay in scotland so im not sure if a CCJ is the same as it is in england? laws are different and it confuses me so lol.
:T
first a few things thanks to all the posts and kind words thanks. we stay in a council house and my mum gets esa after 5 months of trying to get her on benifits, she has an interview next week to see about this so her benifit may change?( a family member is going as i have a prior appointment) i finally had a letter in from the council yesterday see where phoning eveyday gets u lol:rotfl: they have finally sorted out the benifit so the rent and council tax will be managable from now on that's one thing off my mind. i am a homecarer for the local authority and contracted for 12 hrs pw i get a good rate of pay but not the hous to go with it. i live in a small village and am in the process of learning to drive so my hours would increase when i pass as at the moment i use my bike i care for people in there own homes, i have tried for other job but no such luck i love my caring and this is what i want to do. i used to have 2 other jobs while caring and i ended up very ill as the result and would not like to do this again.


my main worry is the credit card debt as this is the highest bill can i ask them to waive the intrest for 6 months to a year to help in catching up, i know these have to be paid and their has not been a purchase on the card in 3 months once it's paid off im gan to get rid of it cos she cant afford it.i need options i dont think a balance transfer would work as i would only be able to pay half the card of if it was 0% for a year? this would not help any suggestions welcome.

i have thought about moving out but as i work in the village where i live this would make it difficult for me to work as i've not passed my driving test and my work would not pay transport cost, i sometimes work unsociable hours but the coucil said that this was not a good enough reson for them to keep me in the village!! you have to choose 5 places wher i live as their is a shortage of council houses in my area.