Entitlements?

ddebski_us

Hello all

I hope you can offer me some advice.

My MIL was diagnosed with cancer in March 2009 and was on SSP, and then something else until she left her job as she was unable to continue, and got housing benefit, council tax benefit and DLA (not sure of which levels).

Since she left her job, she got a payment of around £64p/w (she's no idea what it was for - she's rubbish at that side), DLA, HB and CTB. In October this year, her £64p/w payment and her DLA were stopped. HB and CTB have continued. There have been no changes in circumstances - she is still signed off work.

I've done some research and it seems that she is entitled to ESA (I wonder if the £64p/w was this, but directgov website suggests it increases from week 14 - hers stopped). Am I right that this is what she's entitled to? IB does seem to relate to claims made before she was ill so I've ruled that out.

At the moment, she has nothing coming in at all - just has her rent and CT paid. This clearly can't be right?

Any advice would be great - she's useless at the names of payments etc and has no idea of what she should be getting.

Thanks in advance

xDx

Oldernotwiser

What is your MIL's situation regarding the cancer - is she recovering?

dmg24

It sounds like she was receiving ESA and then either failed the WCA or stopped sending in med certs before the WCA had been completed. Has she been to a medical?

ddebski_us

Her treatment for cancer has stopped - she's in remission but the chemo left her with a type of paralysis in her fingertips, and she has developed arthritus and uses crutches to get about.

She did used to go to the jobcentre periodically to see someone, but that stopped - she has no idea why. She also says she never had a medical assessment that directgov refers to in weeks 9-13.

She gets confused about the different payments she's received and so getting the full story out of her is difficult! But this is what I've managed to get hold of!

xDx

dmg24

Has she kept all the letters she has had? They may hold some clues.

ddebski_us

Sh says she has, I've not seen them, but she says they didn't write to her to say her £64p/w payment was stopping - for some reason she never questioned it, believing it to be connected with her DLA being stopped.

xDx

MrsManda

She needs to have a look at her letters/contact the DWP to find out why her ESA stopped - as she got the £65 pw payment once she stopped getting SSP it was almost certainly ESA. If she doesn't have the letters, it should say on her bank statement where the payments came from. It is really best to call and find out the status of her claim.

It's not worth reapplying for ESA until she knows why it stopped.

Does she know why her DLA payments stopped?

I presume there has been a change in circumstances which she told the DWP about in order for her DLA to be stopped?

ddebski_us

MrsManda wrote: »

She needs to have a look at her letters/contact the DWP to find out why her ESA stopped - as she got the £65 pw payment once she stopped getting SSP it was almost certainly ESA. If she doesn't have the letters, it should say on her bank statement where the payments came from. It is really best to call and find out the status of her claim.

It's not worth reapplying for ESA until she knows why it stopped.

Does she know why her DLA payments stopped?

I presume there has been a change in circumstances which she told the DWP about in order for her DLA to be stopped?

Thanks. I think her DLA stopped as it came round to reassessment time?

She's going to call them today to find out more - but she's so vague and gets confused, who knows if we'll get the full/right story from her. I think it was ESA she was getting too; she had to go to the jobcentre periodically and suddenly she seemed to stop going. I guess it's been stopped because she didn't go anymore?

ESA doesn't have a time limit on it does it? Like, you don't only get it for 1 year and then it stops?

Thanks for the advice

xDx

Oldernotwiser

ddebski_us wrote: »

Thanks. I think her DLA stopped as it came round to reassessment time?

She's going to call them today to find out more - but she's so vague and gets confused, who knows if we'll get the full/right story from her. I think it was ESA she was getting too; she had to go to the jobcentre periodically and suddenly she seemed to stop going. I guess it's been stopped because she didn't go anymore?

ESA doesn't have a time limit on it does it? Like, you don't only get it for 1 year and then it stops?

Thanks for the advice

xDx

If she was going to the Jobcentre fortnightly, it was probably JSA she was claiming.

ddebski_us

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

If she was going to the Jobcentre fortnightly, it was probably JSA she was claiming.

I don't think it was that often.

I think I'm going to suggest my DH gets hold of all of her paperwork and we'll go through it. Our problem is, she's only giving us half a story.

Old people, eh.

xDx

Oldernotwiser

ddebski_us wrote: »

Old people, eh.

xDx

You made that comment to the wrong person!:mad: