dla, carer something or other and ctc?

tyllwyd

If you are entitled to a carer's allowance then I think you should definitely claim it - if nothing else, you can put it away in a savings account and hopefully build up a lump sum that you can use if your son needs something in the future. You never know what might happen later but you can be sure that if you don't claim the money now, you've lost it for good.

rotoguys

Newly_retired wrote: »

Some people with enough care needs to warrant DLA ( middle or higher rate) will be really glad of the extra money, either in disability premiums to Tax Credits or in Carer's Allowance, to cover the additional expenses of looking after the child/adult whose needs are above what is usual.
Extra money can help pay for some respite care when things get too much for the carer, or for extra help around the house, extra costs of transport to appointments or to help look after the rest of the family whilst the child/person's needs are being met.
Of course you are not obliged to claim it, but if you have expenses you are struggling to meet, or have any debts, then this is a way to help.
My elderly parents had no idea they were entitled to certain disability related benefits but once they did, and claimed, they could use the money for extra help. It made a lot of difference to the quality of their lives, in small but significant ways.

Some see caring for someone as a vocation. Sone see caring for a child as being the most important thing that they can do. Some see caring for a partner as part of the 'bargain' they entered into.

However some see caring for someone as a means to extract more money off the state.

Let people choose what they want to do and don't attempt to make them feel 'wrong' if they don't claim.
That is what is wrong with society today. Money comes before, during and after everything else.

rotoguys

tyllwyd wrote: »

If you are entitled to a carer's allowance then I think you should definitely claim it - if nothing else, you can put it away in a savings account and hopefully build up a lump sum that you can use if your son needs something in the future. You never know what might happen later but you can be sure that if you don't claim the money now, you've lost it for good.

Why are you trying to play emotional blackmail with the poster?

Parva

Ignore, lots of quotes and stuff gone and too tired to fix.

DorsetGirl_2

rotoguys wrote: »

Yes you are right in your comments.
As for us, one of the vows we each made was to look after each other in sickness and in health. I don't remember anything being added about '........and don't forget the benefits you may be able to claim to'.

We were quite happy with what we were getting, then bang, here comes nearly another £400 a week!!

I personally think it is wrong that we were told to claim money for looking after each other. We do that out of love and affection for each other and don't need money which doesn't help in any way.

As for the £110 extra why? We already get compensated for our disabilities through DLA & AA.

Whoever dreamed up this system should be shot at dawn.

The sooner all of this is changed and removed the better. Roll on PIP and Universal Credit.

So why do you claim AA then, if its part of the marriage vows you took to look after your wife??

DorsetGirl_2

If you dont want to claim it, then dont claim it.

However there are a lot of carers out there who had jobs and commitments before they became carers. Before I had my son I earned 25k, I had a mortgage based on that amount, and other bills to pay.

FBaby

You are as shock as many posters here are that so much cash is being thrown to some families on the basis of disability. There have been many threads around this issue, and whereas I believe everyone agrees that there should be some additional financial support to cover the additional costs directly related to the person's disability, the blanket income and the proportion of that income is what gets to some people (me included )

I also very much agree about the issue of getting additional income to care for loved people. I strongly believe in that 'for better and for worse' with family members. When you decide to have a child, you accept that you are taking the risk of having to dedicate many years, in some cases, your life for that child. Isn't caring for your child the essence of what parental role should be???

Saying all that, what have you got to gain by not claiming? Fighting against a system you don't agree with? It won't make it change. The problem is not with the individual claiming but with the system. If I was in your shoes, I think I would claim, but for the sake of my conscious, manage the money carefully so that i can justify it is spent as much as possible on the child's disability and the rest, i would donate to a local charity supporting the disability my child suffers from. Surprisingly, most of these charities really struggle to get any funding to provide support and care to disabled people.

cosmic-dust

lou-p-lou wrote: »

I just feel that as I am his mum, these things I already do for him and don't need a payment for that.
I had already decided to be a stay at home mum years before my son was born (he is my 3rd child) so nothing's changed there.
it just feels greedy to me in my little boys case.

With us, its like having a permanent 3 year old i have decided, only bigger and stronger and louder> and with harder kicks!

If things were to change for example your husband left you, or god forbid he died you might think differently. Just because a parent claims Carers allowance doesn't make them greedy.

rotoguys

DorsetGirl wrote: »

So why do you claim AA then, if its part of the marriage vows you took to look after your wife??

Simply, and as I have previously explained, I was made to feel that I must do.


As regards the Carers Allowance, everybody has a choice, let them have it. I didn't claim it because of the extra money - having it is making us feel that we are 'cheating' the system sort of.
The advisor from the council told us that we must claim it and would not accept our initial refusal as being reasonable or understandable. We felt pressured into filling out all of the forms, certainly the Pension credit one we did!

As regards my wife's AA claim, this was put in by two people who came from the Pension Service/DWP visiting team to our home. They were brought in by the council after we told them that we were having difficulty keeping up with the Council tax bill. We never asked them, and my wife made her comments to them when they turned up that no amount of money will help with her health. But they insisted we complete it.

rotoguys

DorsetGirl wrote: »

If you dont want to claim it, then dont claim it.

However there are a lot of carers out there who had jobs and commitments before they became carers. Before I had my son I earned 25k, I had a mortgage based on that amount, and other bills to pay.

What my argument is is that people put others under pressure to make these claims. We were put under pressure by the council and the DWP/Pension service.

All I would like to see done is that the information about what you can claim should be sent out by the DWP/Pension Service and for them and others to leave it to the individual to decide to claim or not.

As I have said before, some claim because they can do, some claim because they want the money, some don't claim because it goes against their conscience to do so.

I understand your position and if you think it is right for you to take as much out of the system as you possibly can, then OK. But others don't see it that way.

Caring for someone - a child - a parent - a partner is a moral responsibility, not a means to get extra benefits!