Advice needed for disability circumstances.

Mario-Kart

Hi everyone, I wonder if anyone can give me some advice on the following situation.

My wife has degenerative arthritis of the lower spine which has gradually got worse over the past 5 years, and she is now in severe pain all the time. She has always refused to claim DLA before but is now so bad that she has realised things arent going to improve and has finally filled in the forms. I work full time for a company but over the past year I have continually had to get out of work to go home to help her out when she has fell or hurt herself etc or just cant do anything for herself. She isnt able to take the child to school or collect him any more and its costing me around £40 weekly in taxis. I really think its time to pack in work or at least step down to part time work and look after her and our young son more of the time, but dont know if I can afford to do this. I rent my home and currently earn approx £260/week but cant understand what benefits we would be entitled to. I know we will probably be worse off but at least I will be there to stop her hurting herself everyday and making her health worse. How does it all work. Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.

Indie_Kid

Has she been awarded DLA? What rates?

Mario-Kart

She only posted the completed forms this week after I got help from the citizens advice to fill them in. Her doctor has stated that the condition will continue to get worse and there is nothing to cure it only painkillers.

MX5huggy

The doctor, is that her GP or a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon if the latter then OK but I would not be happy with the former saying things will only get worse to someone who is clearly quite young both my mum and her sister have had surgery on their arthritic backs in the last 18 months that has completely transformed their lives (they are both pensioners).

[Deleted User]

Mario-Kart wrote: »

Hi everyone, I wonder if anyone can give me some advice on the following situation.

My wife has degenerative arthritis of the lower spine which has gradually got worse over the past 5 years, and she is now in severe pain all the time. She has always refused to claim DLA before but is now so bad that she has realised things arent going to improve and has finally filled in the forms. I work full time for a company but over the past year I have continually had to get out of work to go home to help her out when she has fell or hurt herself etc or just cant do anything for herself. She isnt able to take the child to school or collect him any more and its costing me around £40 weekly in taxis. I really think its time to pack in work or at least step down to part time work and look after her and our young son more of the time, but dont know if I can afford to do this. I rent my home and currently earn approx £260/week but cant understand what benefits we would be entitled to. I know we will probably be worse off but at least I will be there to stop her hurting herself everyday and making her health worse. How does it all work. Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.

alot will/may depend on if your wife gets dla and at what rate,if she gets middle or higher rate care then you will also qualify for carers allowance and probably income supprt,help with housing cost,council tax and child tax credits and child benefit
but it may well be another 10 weeks before she gets the dla decision

DomRavioli

The DLA wait has been upped to a minimum of 12 weeks, possibly going to 13 in the next few days. They will not post you anything about it, and if she is awarded she will get a backdate.

Mario-Kart

Thanks everyone.

I have made a few phone calls today and it seems the whole thing revolves around wether the wife is awarded the DLA or not. If they decide against the DLA it looks like I have no choice to continue working as we would not be entitled to anything else only JSA which defeats the whole purpose.

What a country we live in. My wife can hardly walk but they dont seem bothered.

[Deleted User]

Mario-Kart wrote: »

Thanks everyone.

I have made a few phone calls today and it seems the whole thing revolves around wether the wife is awarded the DLA or not. If they decide against the DLA it looks like I have no choice to continue working as we would not be entitled to anything else only JSA which defeats the whole purpose.

What a country we live in. My wife can hardly walk but they dont seem bothered.

to be fair you dont know that they arent bothered as you are only just looking into what benefits may be involved
if dla is refused you can and should appeal

Indie_Kid

Mario-Kart wrote: »

Thanks everyone.

I have made a few phone calls today and it seems the whole thing revolves around wether the wife is awarded the DLA or not. If they decide against the DLA it looks like I have no choice to continue working as we would not be entitled to anything else only JSA which defeats the whole purpose.

What a country we live in. My wife can hardly walk but they dont seem bothered.

huh? The forms were posted last week. She's not the only one waiting for a decision.

McKneff

20 years ago, i was crippled with multiple joint arthritis, today I work (up to last year, full time) 3 days a week.
Believe me I was in so much pain I wanted to die, I went through so many different medications and over the years
it has settled down, I still have arthritis in all my joints, take no medication, no painkillers, I have injections now and again if
i have a flare up but havent had one for a long time.
Medical science move on, tell your wife not to give up, I wouldnt take the word of a GP, is she under the care of a rheumatologist.
If not she should be, ask her doctor if she can be referred. She should not be in this pain.
I had excrutiating pan for four months, a concoction of drugs in my spine was instantaneous.

starchild1972

It has been 12 weeks wait for many years now. She may or may not need a medical, they will have to contact her GP, probably specialist etc and specialists don't always prioritise DLA info when they have busy surgeries to run. The it will have to go to the decision maker who will say yay or nay and for how long she will get it.
My husbands DLA was so complicated and due to his specialist working 6 days a week doing consultations and surgeries and not having time to deal with forms it was 6 months before he got a decision. Although he did get the money backdated.