Capital over £10,000 but can it be treated as exempt?

SandraScarlett

I used to get Carer's Allowance until I received my State Pension. Then it was stopped because, apparently, I couldn't get 2 benefits. So I was awarded Underlying Carer's Allowance of - nothing.

Every year I receive a letter telling me that my UCA has increased from £0.00 to £0.00 - which is a welcome increase!

xx

rotoguys

iluvmarmite wrote: »

I too have written to the daily mail with links to your posts, I think it only fair they publish what you get in benefits, what is it over £600 a week? As there are so many old folk dying of cold or not eating properly due to being poor, I think it only fair they see what they can claim and get on to it straight away. I hope they do interview you rotoguys as it will be good for the OAPs to have a spokesman telling them what they can claim.

I also hope the mail gets in touch with various benefits agencies and welfare rights workers telling them its their duty to inform the elderly and sick that its their legal duty and right to claim everything they are entitled to, with a bit of luck the old and infirm will become much much better off and live a hell of a lot longer

Excellent & thanks!!

I will just wait and see what transpires from yours and my contact along with the comments from the two MP's.

rotoguys

cbrown372 wrote: »

and get paid for caring for each other too perhaps?

how do you manage it when you can't walk?

I agree with you entirely. But according to the Welfare Rights guy, providing we each give care and/or encouragement to each other for over 40 hours a week, then it seems that we are treated as caring for each other.

I didn't make the rules, I just follow them

xylophone

rotoguys wrote: »

Haha!! I have already written to the editor of the Daily Mail, setting out what we get, why we get it and showing that it is too much for our needs. Damien Collins MP & IDS were both copied in.

I am now waiting for answers as well as a possible article in the paper!

Well done you! I hope you receive some helpful suggestions as to what to do with the surplus cash!

rotoguys

SandraScarlett wrote: »

Pardon? You said in another post that your wife received the State Pension, but you hadn't reached pensionable age yet. If your wife gets the State Pension, I didn't think she could claim Carer's Allowance as well, or am I wrong?

And how do you get Pension Credit if you're not a pensioner yet? Surely only your wife would get it? Obviously there are many strands to the benefits system.

I repeat what I said before. I hope everyone who has fallen on hard times, gets the support that they need, but I also hope that those who are working hard do not feel that, in comparison, they're the ones who have fallen on hard times.

xx

Clearly you seem to know very little about the benefits system. I am still learning myself.

I'll try to answer your questions.

Yes you are right, under normal circumstances she couldn't receive the carers allowance, but because we claim Pension credit, there is a premium currently worth £31 per person for caring duties.

Pension Credit can be claimed provided that one in the relationship is over 61. You could have the husband being 63 and his wife 22, but you could still claim it for both of you!

I didn't make the Pension Credit rules.
If you have a problem with the benefit, might I suggest that you take it up with IDS and your own MP as I have done.

FOX_HOUND

rotoguys wrote: »

I am not going through the details of my income again. But when you are used to living on £257 a week then find out that you should have been having £650 a week, it takes a lot to adjust to that increase. So much so that we just don't know how to spend it all or what to spen it on. So we do the right thing, we just don't waste it because it is there we save it!

As for the rest, the government have told us that that is what we are entitled to. We are entitled to a Motability car, we are entitled to all of the benefits we receive.

Don't have a go at me - have a go at the government for allowing it to happen - and I for one would be right behind you backing you up because it is obscene!!

Can we have a breakdown of where this £650 per week is coming from?

cbrown372

rotoguys wrote: »

I agree with you entirely. But according to the Welfare Rights guy, providing we each give care and/or encouragement to each other for over 40 hours a week, then it seems that we are treated as caring for each other.

I didn't make the rules, I just follow them

So why did you say you couldn't get CA's here?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3709129=

rotoguys

FOX_HOUND wrote: »

Can we have a breakdown of where this £650 per week is coming from?

Certainly

ESA Support Group 99.85
DLA HRM/MRC 100.70
AA Lower
49.30
OAP
58.95
Pension Credit
223.50
Pension Credit Housing Costs
69.81
Council Tax Benefit
28.94
TOTAL £631.05

What we were previously living on was £308.80 a week, before that it was £259.50 as we claimed Attendance Allowance.

An increase overall after all of the claims had been made of £322.25 a week!!

If you want me to break down the Pension Credit payment I can

SandraScarlett

rotoguys wrote: »

Clearly you seem to know very little about the benefits system. I am still learning myself.
If you have a problem with the benefit, might I suggest that you take it up with IDS and your own MP as I have done.

As I have said umpteen times, I hope everyone who has fallen on hard times, gets the support that they need, but I also hope that those who are working hard do not feel that, in comparison, they're the ones who have fallen on hard times.

When I read your posts, it reminds me of the film "The Seven Faces of Eve". On one hand, you state that you are going to write/have written to your MP and IDS. But then at other times, it's as if someone completely different posted. It may be that you are unaware of how some of your posts come across, but don't you think it is a tad insensitive to post/boast that you receive over £200 more a week than you know what to do with?

If it's an embarrassment to you, then give it to a charity, or pay for a party at your local Centre for the Elderly. They'd love it. It's like the "celebrities" who announced, very publicly, that they were going to refuse their Winter Fuel Allowance. Why not do it quietly and privately? Oh of course, they wouldn't get the publicity!

xx

rotoguys

cbrown372 wrote: »

So why did you say you couldn't get CA's here?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3709129=

We did try to get Carers Allowance for each of us years ago (2007 I think) but because she was getting her OAP and me my ESA they would'nt pay it

I think that answers your question. My wife couldn't get carers allowance as she was receiving her state pension. What we didn't know is that she had an underlying entitlement under Pension Credit which pays £31 a week instead of the £55.55.
Likewise for me, I couldn't get it because of my ESA but can under Pension Credit.
However we now get 2 lots of £31 as we care for each other.