ESA & crisis loans

diaboliquesaint

Hi all,
I'm hoping somebody can help because we're so stressed right now.
To try and cut it short...I applied for ESA about a year ago but was turned down so went onto JSA even though I was definitely incapable of work. I just didn't want the stress of the appeal. Things got worse so I applied again for ESA on october 8th. I got a letter today saying I have been turned down again. I am defnitely going to appeal this time because the decision is completely wrong. We haven't had benefit money for 4 months and due to all the changing of benefits in the last year etc, we had quite a few crisis loans and we reached the maximum available (£1500 I think). We last had one about 6 weeks ago and have just been surviving on that and the £50 per week child tax credit. we're down to nothing now and I don't know what to do because after the last crisis loan they said we couldn't get another one. We just can't survive on £50 per week. None of the bills are paid, demands etc coming in all the time now. The bills aren't really the important issue, it's now just trying to pay for food and existing.
Is there anything else we can do now that it seems crisis loans aren't a possibility? And does anybody know how long it takes for the appeal to kick in and the 'appeal rate' to come through? I presume they wouldn't pay us any back pay until the appeal has been finalised?

Thank you!

krisskross

Are neither of you able to work?

Mr_Falling_Star

Why not just claim JSA?

2009timeforchange

What reason did they give for you not being entitled to ESA?

sunnyone

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

Why not just claim JSA?

Because the price isnt right, he is/was willing to commit benefit fraud last year.

welshmoneylover

diaboliquesaint wrote: »

Hi all,
I'm hoping somebody can help because we're so stressed right now.
To try and cut it short...I applied for ESA about a year ago but was turned down so went onto JSA even though I was definitely incapable of work. I just didn't want the stress of the appeal. Things got worse so I applied again for ESA on october 8th. I got a letter today saying I have been turned down again. I am defnitely going to appeal this time because the decision is completely wrong. We haven't had benefit money for 4 months and due to all the changing of benefits in the last year etc, we had quite a few crisis loans and we reached the maximum available (£1500 I think). We last had one about 6 weeks ago and have just been surviving on that and the £50 per week child tax credit. we're down to nothing now and I don't know what to do because after the last crisis loan they said we couldn't get another one. We just can't survive on £50 per week. None of the bills are paid, demands etc coming in all the time now. The bills aren't really the important issue, it's now just trying to pay for food and existing.
Is there anything else we can do now that it seems crisis loans aren't a possibility? And does anybody know how long it takes for the appeal to kick in and the 'appeal rate' to come through? I presume they wouldn't pay us any back pay until the appeal has been finalised?

Thank you!

Are there 2 adults in the households? If so, can't one of you work if you are so desperate for funds?

Borrowing more money when you don't have the means to repay your debts isn't the answer unfortunately.

diaboliquesaint

Firstly, I was not committing benefit fraud. I applied for JSA instead of appealing because I just could not deal with the stress of it all. You have no idea what we've been through so comments like that are not appreciated at all. There are some cases that really are genuine you know.
I'm not signing onto JSA right now because I am actually incapable of working so I would have to lie. The money is the same on both so that makes no difference at all.
There is no way I can look after our child at the moment and I need my partner here with me a lot of the time so it's not possible for her to work either. The only reason I've had for turning us down is the ATOS people found me capable of work, as they apparently do with pretty much everybody.
We have a payment from elsewhere coming in a few months which we are using to pay off most of what we owe from the crisis loans but that doesn't help anything right now.
I just came here for a bit of help, it's a little sad that we just have to listen to more abuse.
Surely there is somebody who has been in a similar genuine situation?

karenx

Well appeal the ESA desision. But for now theres no other help you will get apart from your child tax credits and child benefit

welshmoneylover

diaboliquesaint wrote: »

Firstly, I was not committing benefit fraud. I applied for JSA instead of appealing because I just could not deal with the stress of it all. You have no idea what we've been through so comments like that are not appreciated at all. There are some cases that really are genuine you know.
I'm not signing onto JSA right now because I am actually incapable of working so I would have to lie. The money is the same on both so that makes no difference at all.
There is no way I can look after our child at the moment and I need my partner here with me a lot of the time so it's not possible for her to work either. The only reason I've had for turning us down is the ATOS people found me capable of work, as they apparently do with pretty much everybody.
We have a payment from elsewhere coming in a few months which we are using to pay off most of what we owe from the crisis loans but that doesn't help anything right now.
I just came here for a bit of help, it's a little sad that we just have to listen to more abuse.
Surely there is somebody who has been in a similar genuine situation?

You didn't really explain yourself very well in your opening post,

welshmoneylover

Hi all, it seems I posted a message in the wrong board so I'm trying this one instead...
Basically, my partner has been using my card to gamble without my knowledge. It has been going on for about a week. I know he has had problems with betting in the past but not for a long time so it was a bit of a shock. Things have been difficult for him lately so I guess that it is why it has happened.
Unfortunately, the site he was using allowed him to deposit funds from my bank account even when there were no funds there so I am approximately £400 overdrawn, which is not good at all at the moment.
Is there anything at all I can do without him getting into too much trouble? I mean, the betting site allowed him to use the card without entering the card holders address. My card is registered to my old address so do I have any argument in saying that they really shouldn't have accepted it in the first place? They have sent an email to him saying he couldn't deposit anymore because the card has failed security measures but shouldn't they have checked that before he spent hundreds of pounds?
I know it is his fault and he feels completely awful but life is difficult enough without all this at the moment. If there is nothing at all we can do then fair enough, we will just have to cope but if anybody has any advice at all then it would be much appreciated!
Oh and is there at least something Lloyds tsb will do for me because I really have no money now. Do you think they would let me pay it back slowly or something?

Posted by the OP on 25th May 2010.

Could this be the reason why you have no money? You seem to have gambled it all away.

diaboliquesaint

Gambling is not an issue here whatsoever. It's something I haven't done in a long time. Why are you just trying to be nasty rather than actually help people? People used to be so much more friendly in the past.
I don't know how much more simply I can put it. We applied for ESA 4 months ago, we were finally given the outcome today, which was negative. We have no money whatsoever and we've been living off crisis loans because they wouldn't pay us ESA until the outcome was confirmed. I know I am entitled to it as are about 50% of people who are turned down and then go on to appeal.
We won't get any payments at all until the appeal goes through and they start paying 'appeal rate', which is about half of the usual rate but would be a blessing right now.
So basically, we don't have any money, we can't get a crisis loan and we have no other sources of funding that I know of. I don't even know where to find a loan shark!
I know I'm not the only person who has had to wait 4 months or more for payments and others must have only had crisis loans while waiting so what did they do when the money ran out? I have nobody to borrow from.