OK, so have i got this right... incapacity benefit ..

gingernights

Hiya everyone on i'm writing on behalf of my friend thats thinking of claiming Long -term incapacity benefit which is 91 a week
which isn't much as she would have to pay bills ect out of that but she has found out that she will get her full rent paid which is £60 a week, which is good.

But would she be able to get extras such as income support on top of the 91 a week ? she is 31 and canot seem to find out the answer to the question when she asked the jobcentre.

thanks in advance,

cifpower

If she is not claiming Incapacity Benefit already she will not get it now. It has been replaced by Employment Support Allowance (ESA)

Indie_Kid

if she claims ESA, she can't claim IS on top.

McKneff

She cant just think about claiming long term ESA,

She has to be assessed and they will decide what she will have to do.

dmg24

Has she claimed IB before? If so, how long ago?

Oldernotwiser

Although HC was rude, the tone of the OP's post did rather lend itself to that sort of reply.

TOBRUK

I agree with you Oldernotwiser, especially these days ... unless the whole circumstances are laid out in first post there is an assumption that people are looking at the benefit system and choosing the benefit that they will get most out of and one that they will be better off on!

I never thought you could just choose what benefit to go onto, when I became ill and my GP informed me that I was unfit to work, after that and having to leave my job through ill health I was just placed on IB - I didn't choose or look into what benefit I could claim. I always thought that IB was when you were deemed too ill to work which was firstly the decision of your doctor - perhaps things have changed.

Hammyman

gingernights wrote: »

Hiya everyone on i'm writing on behalf of my friend thats thinking of claiming Long -term incapacity benefit which is 91 a week
which isn't much as she would have to pay bills ect out of that but she has found out that she will get her full rent paid which is £60 a week, which is good.

But would she be able to get extras such as income support on top of the 91 a week ? she is 31 and canot seem to find out the answer to the question when she asked the jobcentre.

thanks in advance,

Incapacity Benefit no longer exists except for those existing claims. She would have to claim ESA and will be assessed for work capability. Expect her to be found fit to do some type of work. She cannot claim IS on top of ESA.

NASA_2

IB linking still exists so some people are still required to claim IB rather than ESA.

alfchild

If IB has not been claimed in last 2 year (will be 3 in nov) it will be ESA apparently they are going through the list of IB to change them to ESA depends on contributions also otherwise income support

andyandflo

TOBRUK wrote: »

I agree with you Oldernotwiser, especially these days ... unless the whole circumstances are laid out in first post there is an assumption that people are looking at the benefit system and choosing the benefit that they will get most out of and one that they will be better off on!

I never thought you could just choose what benefit to go onto, when I became ill and my GP informed me that I was unfit to work, after that and having to leave my job through ill health I was just placed on IB - I didn't choose or look into what benefit I could claim. I always thought that IB was when you were deemed too ill to work which was firstly the decision of your doctor - perhaps things have changed.

Obviously you are going to look at all aspects of benefits inc WRC & CTC. You would not be doing yourself any favours if you didn't.
Take Pension Credit & ESA(C). On Pension Credit you do not have the option of Permitted Work, on ESA, you can work up to 16 hrs pw and earn up to £93 for 12 months before it affects your benefits. So you CHOOSE ESA, work within the Permitted Work rules. But then it depends on how much PC you are entitled to.

Benefits have a complex and often unusual set of regulations. Some work hand in hand with others, some work to the detriment of others.

You have to work out which suits your own circumstances.

On the other topic posted by the OP, you can claim ESA (IB).