dla, carer something or other and ctc?

FBaby

Yorshirelass, I admit I wasn't thinking of your situation when I wrote what I did, but of parents claiming DLA for children under the age of 5 with learning difficulties. My friend's son suffers from dispraxia, he needs some extra support, take more time to do things and his speech is impaired a bit, but he does live as a normal child for the most, goes to maintream school, sleeps fine, needs a bit more care with his behaviour, but he is much better behaved than many kids without any LD diagnosed. Yet she got HC and LM for him from the age of 3 or 4. Why? Then she made a fuss when the care component went down to Middle.

This is nothing compared to your situation and whereas I struggle to see how she is providing more for her son than any mother would, I can see that it is different in your situation.

rotoguys

tyllwyd wrote: »

If I thought that me not claiming a benefit would result in a posititive advantage to someone who needed the money more badly than myself, then yes, I would consider not claiming.

But the reality is that the system is so huge and unwieldy, you could never be sure that the money was going to a more deserving person. If I had been assessed as needing the money and being entitled to it, I would claim it - there is a beneft system set up to channel the money where it is needed, and if they have assessed me against the same criteria as everyone else, and decided that I should receive a certain amount of the money available, then why should I not accept that decision?

If I then decided to save the money to help my child in the future, or give it directly to a person or charity I considered more deserving than myself, then that's my choice.

That's what the trouble is. He gets it, she gets it so I might as well take some as well.

The benefit system is broken - we all know that. The money, what little there is of it, is being given to people who shouldn't really be taking advantage of it.

rotoguys

cosmic-dust wrote: »

rotoguys you do make me laugh. Preaching from that high horse of yours. Claiming you were forced to claim all these extra benefits :rotfl: yet you have no problem spending them week after week, month after month. Do us a favour.

Can see there was so much force from this thread
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/49881561#Comment_49881561

I'm pleased that I have made your day!

Preaching errrr not so!

We felt obliged, persuaded, take your pick how it is described, but that is what happened.
You try telling the council tax office and the DWP/Pension Service visiting team that you don't want to claim. See what sort of comments you would get from them!
They made me think that I had a screw loose!
I couldn't believe the amount that they said we needed to live on.
I checked it out and it still came to the same figure.


Spending it - now you are having a laugh. I have said many times that we are finding that difficult.

You try living quite OK on £245 a week for the past 6 years and then find that you get a rise to close on £600 a week!

We are used to living to £245 a week and are finding it extremely difficult to spend the increase.
We have managed to more or less spend the back pay on a holiday this summer and have treated the children/grandchildren to a holiday as well.

We have no real need for all of the increase, a little extra is OK but not whole of it.

This weekend I am writing to the pension service and will ask if they can remove the carers premiums. Those are the main ones that are giving us nightmares.
How can I honestly say I look after the wife and she looks after me - hells bells we can't manage looking after ourselves!

rotoguys

FBaby wrote: »

Yorshirelass, I admit I wasn't thinking of your situation when I wrote what I did, but of parents claiming DLA for children under the age of 5 with learning difficulties. My friend's son suffers from dispraxia, he needs some extra support, take more time to do things and his speech is impaired a bit, but he does live as a normal child for the most, goes to maintream school, sleeps fine, needs a bit more care with his behaviour, but he is much better behaved than many kids without any LD diagnosed. Yet she got HC and LM for him from the age of 3 or 4. Why? Then she made a fuss when the care component went down to Middle.

This is nothing compared to your situation and whereas I struggle to see how she is providing more for her son than any mother would, I can see that it is different in your situation.

Exactly!!

Disability benefits and Carers Allowance should be reserved for the more seriously disadvantaged in society such as Yorkshirelass' child. To have the audacity to claim these benefits on the basis of what should be classed as what a responsible parent would do for someone who is a 'little' disabled is beyond me.

I was reading sometheing a few weeks ago, that close on to 50% of all DLA claims are for Arthritis.
Yes there are levels, but it seems to me that as soon as someone is diagnosed with it, out comes the DLA claim from.

If my wife had have done this, she would have claimed DLA when it first came out in 1992. She was crippled with it then and is even more crippled now at 68, made worse with other health problems which together gave rise to the recent AA claim.

She certainly doesn't think she is 'disabled' and compared to some, believes that she is fit. It's when I suggest a walk with the dog that she accepts that maybe that will be a little too much!

I come back to what I have said that it is morally wrong for people to see any illness or disability as a key to getting money for it.
No one seems to have any acceptance of the saying - 'there by the grace of God go I'.

tyllwyd

rotoguys wrote: »

That's what the trouble is. He gets it, she gets it so I might as well take some as well. ....

No, that's not what I said - there is a benefits system which is set up to distribute the money to the people who need it. If I am asked to pay tax to support those who are on benefits, then I pay it. If I qualify for a benefit, then I claim it.

Whether or not the benefit system is set up properly to target help to those who most need it is a completely different question.

YORKSHIRELASS

rotoguys wrote: »

The benefit system is broken - we all know that. The money, what little there is of it, is being given to people who shouldn't really be taking advantage of it.

Yes, and this is really what it all boils down to. How many of us would say that we think the benefits system is working? And how many of us would say we have confidence in the government to sort it out?

I for one dont know how you make it fairer but there must be a way of making sure the ones who claim benefits are the ones who genuinely need help - and that they get a fair and sensible amount.

Would I turn down DLA if my son wasnt as poorly as he is now and it was offered to me on a plate? I am not sure I can answer that honestly. I would certainly feel guilty if I did.

GobbledyGook

If you don't want to claim carers allowance or don't feel that you need to then don't feel obliged to.

I have a friend in a similar position. When her little girl was young she felt similar. However she now claims it because her daughter is 13, but she still needs help to go to the toilet, she can't read or write and she can't leave the house on her own (she can't even be left in the kitchen alone). Although she still feels guilty about it she now realises that the reason she can claim it is because she's offering care that is over and above what most Mums are having to do with children of that age. Many moons ago children in the position of her daughter would have been placed in a home - which would have cost a lot more than what she is claiming now!

Only you can decide if you want or need to claim Carer's Allowance, but do bear in mind that the reason you are being offered extra money is simply because your child's difficulties will (likely) cost you more than the average child and this is a help with that if it is needed.

cosmic-dust

Andy, Andy, Andy.......screw loose well :money:

rotoguys wrote: »

I'm pleased that I have made your day!

Preaching errrr not so!

We felt obliged, persuaded, take your pick how it is described, but that is what happened.
You try telling the council tax office and the DWP/Pension Service visiting team that you don't want to claim. See what sort of comments you would get from them!
They made me think that I had a screw loose!
I couldn't believe the amount that they said we needed to live on.
I checked it out and it still came to the same figure.


Spending it - now you are having a laugh. I have said many times that we are finding that difficult.

You try living quite OK on £245 a week for the past 6 years and then find that you get a rise to close on £600 a week!

We are used to living to £245 a week and are finding it extremely difficult to spend the increase.
We have managed to more or less spend the back pay on a holiday this summer and have treated the children/grandchildren to a holiday as well.

We have no real need for all of the increase, a little extra is OK but not whole of it.

This weekend I am writing to the pension service and will ask if they can remove the carers premiums. Those are the main ones that are giving us nightmares.
How can I honestly say I look after the wife and she looks after me - hells bells we can't manage looking after ourselves!

rotoguys

cosmic-dust wrote: »

Andy, Andy, Andy.......screw loose well :money:

I think you may have mis posted this reply.

tyllwyd

rotoguys wrote: »

... This weekend I am writing to the pension service and will ask if they can remove the carers premiums. Those are the main ones that are giving us nightmares. ...

I still don't really understand why you want to refuse the money. If it is a burden to you, why don't you give it to your choice of charity? If you chose a small local charity with low overheads, you have a fighting chance of the money going where it is needed, rather than getting swallowed back into the system.