carers allowance v state pension

suelees1

It seems from this that one of you has DLA and one Attendance Allowance. You can then both claim Carers Allowance for looking after each other but won't be paid it because it's an overlapping benefit (with state pension in your case?). You therefore get two carers premiums and because the CA isn't paid you also get the couples rate of the severe disability premium.

Your housing costs are paid on top but this is then deducted because it's paid straight to your lender.

Then full council tax benefit because you receive guarantee pension credit .

I bet you'd sooner be fit and well though

Shocking that you've been underpaid all this time but make the most of it now

rotoguys

suelees1 wrote: »

It seems from this that one of you has DLA and one Attendance Allowance. You can then both claim Carers Allowance for looking after each other but won't be paid it because it's an overlapping benefit (with state pension in your case?). You therefore get two carers premiums and because the CA isn't paid you also get the couples rate of the severe disability premium.

Your housing costs are paid on top but this is then deducted because it's paid straight to your lender.

Then full council tax benefit because you receive guarantee pension credit .

I bet you'd sooner be fit and well though

Shocking that you've been underpaid all this time but make the most of it now

Yes you are right with those benefits. How did you work it out?
I still don't really understand it all.

Of course it stands to reason that we would both wish to have good health. We are very restricted what we can do nowadays. I am worse than my wife, it's not just the helping out that she does but the frustration in me constantly being told that I can't do this and I can't do that.
We have both had a healthy life until about 7 years ago,so we musn't grumble.

It is a bit sickening to be told that they won't give any back pay to when it all started as the evidence clearly shows that we have both been this way for many years.
It seems that you have to find out about these things yourself even though the DWP were fully aware that we both had bad health what with the IB/ESA that I have been receiving and the council helping with their Handy Man scheme.

suelees1

Ha ha you'd be surprised

No seriously I've been practising social security law for what seems like forever and a day so by now should have a good insight into it.

As you say unfortunately there's limited provision for backdating. In the case of Pension Credit it was reduced in 2008 from 12 months to 3.

The DWP is adamant there's enough information out there in the public domain that people are aware of their entitlement so basically it's your tough luck if you don't claim it


There is little reporting of underpaid benefits in the media. It's more popular to demonise benefit claimants as potential fraudsters.

You must have lost out on thousands of pounds over a 6 year period. Anyway enjoy it now.

rotoguys

suelees1 wrote: »

Ha ha you'd be surprised

No seriously I've been practising social security law for what seems like forever and a day so by now should have a good insight into it.

As you say unfortunately there's limited provision for backdating. In the case of Pension Credit it was reduced in 2008 from 12 months to 3.

The DWP is adamant there's enough information out there in the public domain that people are aware of their entitlement so basically it's your tough luck if you don't claim it


There is little reporting of underpaid benefits in the media. It's more popular to demonise benefit claimants as potential fraudsters.

You must have lost out on thousands of pounds over a 6 year period. Anyway enjoy it now.

You must be very clever to understand it.
Did they? So it is a way of grabbing back money that they know full well should be paid out.
Well if they are saying that everybody should know about it and that that it is advertised everywhere, how is it that it has taken me nigh on 6 years to find it? I get the newspaper every morning, watch tele every day, travel on buses two or three times a week, go the the GP surgery, go to various hospitals and I've not seen anything advertised. I'm not blind!

If that is the case, should not the DWP be sending out letters or something? Neither of us is stupid and if we didn't know about it, heaven help those that are in a far worse position healthwise, those that can't get out of the house for example.

The only place where I think it might be advertised is in the jobcentre, but who goes into those places at our ages?

Mind you you have to know it exists for you to ask for details about it. I can use the internet, but didn't think that there was such a scheme. You can't just type in Google - how can I have some more money?

I think I will write a letter to the DWP asking them to tell me where it is advertised in my locality.

Based on what I have been told the 3 months back pay is just over £5200. Six years would be something like £120,000. Shame on them