Please help me, off sick, worried!

jojo_2012_2

You need to get someone to help you fill out that form asap. The longer you put it off with your anxiety the harder it will be. You need to just get it out the way because you also have to suffer through the wait afterwards to see if you qualify. this wait will be very difficult for someone with anxiety disorder to cope with.
Have you considered moving to smaller accommodation?

avinitinatt

Thanks. A move into smaller accommodation is not what I want at the moment, I feel settled where I am and cant comprehend moving at all, plus its a one bed flat and its not much higher than the local market rent in this area, it would cost me more to relocate. I was informed by the council that if I get ssp then I get most of my rent and CT covered, and I wonder if I request my work to put me straight on ssp this will help as opposed to half pay? I think tomorrow I shall go to CAB and see if someone can help me with forms, and call work to established my income figures, wow that seems like a lot to take on... shall do my best anyway. Thanks, it just helps to put write it all down, to try and get it straight in my head x

shackalak

I can totally sympathise with you. I'm just coming up to 12 months off work with anxiety and its a horrible condition that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. It's very hard for someone who hasn't suffered from this to understand what it is like to suffer with it. I was lucky to receive 6 months at full pay and have now gone onto my Prolonged Sickness Benefit scheme which covers 75% of my basic salary for a further 18 months. I've never had to claim benefits before (worked in my current job for 25 years since I left school and this is my first sickness in the whole of that time).

What I did find was that when I came off full pay, I no longer had to make my contributions to my final salary pension. My employer maintains these benefits for me. This means that my reduced pay is not as low as I actually expected. If you're in a final salary pension scheme, you may find the same so your £600 could be a bit higher.

Do they owe you any pay for untaken holidays? This may help a bit. My Union told me about a case called the 'Stringer' case where you can claim untaken holidays before the end of the year - i'm not exactly sure how it works but if you are speaking with CAB, they may help or if you are in a Union, contact them.

If there was any particular trigger for your anxiety (in my case it was the actions of a conman), there may be organisations that can help you. I was put in touch with a support worker who has been amazing and made most of my phone calls for me, She also came with me to a meeting called a WIAC meeting where someone explains all the benefits you could be entitled to and helps with forms. I had no idea I could claim Employment & Support Allowance until this meeting and I've just found out that I passed the dreaded Atos medical the other day and am now in the Work Related Group so don't give up.

BigAunty

avinitinatt wrote: »

... My rent is 460 and includes water rates only and the LHA is a maximum of £83.

Double check your entitlements on the Turn 2 us website (online benefit calculator). Does the figure it gives tally with what the council have told you?

How old are you, how many bedrooms does your property have and do you share it with anyone else? We need to understand how much higher your rent is compared to the maximum LHA entitlement which means you end up having to top up your rent from your benefit.

Are you muddling monthly and weekly figures? For example, do you mean your monthly rent is £460 per month and your LHA is £83 per week (hence is £360 per month) so you have a shortfall of £100 to find, even if you get full LHA? Or do you mean that you have a shortfall of £377 per month to pay because of your employment income?

paulwellerfan

BigAunty the Op has said that they have a one bedroomed flat.

OP do you have any family members who can help you fill out any forms at the moment.?

Bigmoney2

avinitinatt wrote: »

Thanks. A move into smaller accommodation is not what I want at the moment, I feel settled where I am and cant comprehend moving at all, plus its a one bed flat and its not much higher than the local market rent in this area, it would cost me more to relocate. I was informed by the council that if I get ssp then I get most of my rent and CT covered, and I wonder if I request my work to put me straight on ssp this will help as opposed to half pay? I think tomorrow I shall go to CAB and see if someone can help me with forms, and call work to established my income figures, wow that seems like a lot to take on... shall do my best anyway. Thanks, it just helps to put write it all down, to try and get it straight in my head x

You should, I think, qualify for SSP after the first 3 days of absence.
It should be part of your full pay, payed by the employer (who can then claim it back from government). It is only payed for 6months and after this time is replaced by what was incapacity benefit.

I have known colleaugues where this has happened and they then get called in by DWP to assess what work than can look for even though they are in full time employment.

zzzLazyDaisy

OP how old are you? If you are under 35 you will only qualify for the shared room rate, even though you are in a one bed flat.

Dawn1e

My mum has suffered from depression and anxiety for many years, but 2 weeks ago she was forced to to on the sick for the first time in her working life as she was no longer able to do her job as a retail manager.

She will receive full pay for 4 weeks, then go onto SSP at £91 per week. She lives alone in a mortgaged house with outgoings of £600 per month. I cannot see how she is supposed to survive on £91 per week.

We will apply for DLA but the criteria for this benefit is very wooly when it comes to mental disability. I doubt that we will be successful (she does not require care and does not have mobility issues) - but there is not an alternative benfit to apply for. Even if we do qualify, she will only be an extra £51 per week better off. So even in the best case scenario, she will receive £600/month. She risks losing the home she has lived in for 40 years, will struggle to pay all bills, and won't have anything left for food.

This all seems incredibly unfair, she has worked hard all her life and has only had one week off sick in 30 years. I knew that living on benefits would be tough, but I didn't think that she would not have enough to live on.

The stress of all this could finish her off, as she is already unable to cope with daily life.

mealone

Dawn1e wrote: »

My mum has suffered from depression and anxiety for many years, but 2 weeks ago she was forced to to on the sick for the first time in her working life as she was no longer able to do her job as a retail manager.

She will receive full pay for 4 weeks, then go onto SSP at £91 per week. She lives alone in a mortgaged house with outgoings of £600 per month. I cannot see how she is supposed to survive on £91 per week.

We will apply for DLA but the criteria for this benefit is very wooly when it comes to mental disability. I doubt that we will be successful (she does not require care and does not have mobility issues) - but there is not an alternative benfit to apply for. Even if we do qualify, she will only be an extra £51 per week better off. So even in the best case scenario, she will receive £600/month. She risks losing the home she has lived in for 40 years, will struggle to pay all bills, and won't have anything left for food.

This all seems incredibly unfair, she has worked hard all her life and has only had one week off sick in 30 years. I knew that living on benefits would be tough, but I didn't think that she would not have enough to live on.

The stress of all this could finish her off, as she is already unable to cope with daily life.

Why apply for a benefit that you know your mum isnt entitled to as she has no care or mobility needs?

You will only slow down the procedure for those that do have care and/or mobility needs.

Sickness benefits are not fair, no matter what you have earned or paid in to the system dosnt matter, you get the same tiny sum of money.

MrsManda

Dawn1e wrote: »

She will receive full pay for 4 weeks, then go onto SSP at £91 per week. She lives alone in a mortgaged house with outgoings of £600 per month. I cannot see how she is supposed to survive on £91 per week.

She may be able to claim council tax benefit and income support when her income drops to only SSP.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Illorinjured/DG_175854