MSE News: 'I'm on benefits but I'm no scrounger'

Hevvur

Morgwn, Nice to read your story, and that you have battled on regardless of your medical condition.

I have had cancer for 10 years, have been refused treatment by the NHS and had to pay £16,000 for the pleasure of having the treatment. Am now coming to the end of finding treatment that works, and my tumours are growing & multiplying, and probably have less than 10 years of my life left (I am 29).
Do I sit and mope? No!
I got a loan (with the help of my Mum) when I was 23 and bought my own business. I work part time (as thats all I can manage at the moment). (and no, Im not rich - people always think I am as I am self employed)
I have jus got engaged, and he has moved in with me, and we are planning to get married next Summer.
I currently receive DLA - to help me get around (as I can't walk far or stand for too long).

In 10 years I have had 3 years of that off work due to Chemo making me too ill to work, and also having a Stem Cell transplant.
I then claimed DLA and ESA, and had help with my Council Tax, but continued to pay my mortgage myself.
I don't have, and can't have Life insurance as I was only 19 when I was first diagnosed, and hadn't taken any out then, so it's too late now, as no one wants me!

But the main thing is...life is what you make of it! I am having a ball, I have great friends, a great social life. I go on holiday a few times a year. I make sure my bills are paid and then enjoy the rest of my money as I won't be here forever to enjoy it!

TFLittlefoot

morgwn510 & Hevvur, you are both very inspirational people, battling life threatening illnesses. I thank you for posting on the thread, as most of what's been said here as been really depressing and only seems to be putting Ross's story down by trying to analyse the amount of benefits he's getting.

I can't say my story's very inspirational, but the whole benefits story appeals to me. I am not a British citizen (but I am an EU citizen), but have lived here for the past 8 years, have got my own home and work in a full time office job, so this really is my home now. Until my son was born 10 months ago I had never claimed any benefits. And what I currently get is only £80 a month on Child Benefits.

My point really is that no one really tells you what you can claim, which may be what has happened to Ross. He may well be entitled to more than what he is getting. It turns out that I can actually claim Child Tax Credits (I thought Child Benefits & Child Tax Credits were the same thing) and Working Tax Credits as I have had to reduce my working hours to be able to drop & pick up my son from nursery.

For everyone opposed to people on benefits... I'm sorry, but I will be getting everything out of the government that I can. I pay my taxes, NI and everything else. Yes, I chose to have a child, but I didn't chose for my ex to run me into debts by his drinking habits, so I need all the help I can get. I work hard for my money and take public transport as I cannot afford a car, so me & my son are out of the house for a good 12 hrs a day, which isn't ideal for my little one really...

I did seriously think of quitting work and 'just going on benefits' because of all the costs involved in having a child, but I don't want to, I want to work and make a contribution to the society, just like Ross wants to be able to get a job.

All I can say to Ross really is perhaps to try something that will allow him to work from home. I know he probably wants to get out of the house as he's been stuck in there for so long, but I understand how judgemental people can be and how it would make him feel by people just looking at his arm and giving him a dirty look. I sympathise and my thoughts are with him and his family...

PhiltheBear

clairewych wrote: »

Philthebear - I am curious to know if you might be able to tackle this by altering your CV? There is no requirement for you to put you DOB on your CV and perhaps you could just list the last company you worked for and use a seperate section to target your skills towards what the job description requires? Maybe you've already tried this trick...I don't know.

Yes, been there, done that. Believe me I've tried just about every trick in the book. (I even thought about writing the book )

In fact I even thought about setting up in some sort of self employment role - but the rules are stupid. If I advertise my services as a freelance, even if I don't get any work, then I'm deemed to be working and my benefits stop. I can't afford to live on nothing and any savings are long gone.

There are those who say - there are plenty of jobs out there, you'll just have to lower your sights. About 90% of the jobs advertised in my local paper either require qualifications in a different field or are for situations like 'carer'. I've applied for those - only to be told, 'We won't hire you because if a better job comes along you'd leave and we'd have to advertise all over again'.

The bizarre thing about my situation, and that of many others, is not just that we can't get jobs but that there's a huge amount of very capable resource just getting wasted - largely by a politically biased government who think that everyone on benefits wants to be there and that the way to deal with that is to put us all to work in Poundland for 50p an hour.

rogerblack

It's a great pity that before linking this again, some effort wasn't made to clarify the seemingly disparate benefits entitled to, and claimed.

If the OP was under claiming, and now realises what he's entitled to, or if there were unmentioned outgoings deducted.

~Jem~

PhiltheBear wrote: »

I've only just come to this thread because of the link from the most recent MSE newsletter.

I haven't read it all - it's too depressing to read comments by the "I'm all right Jack"s who haven't been in the position of being benefit dependent. I am - and have been for some time. Get a job? I wish. I apply for about 20 jobs - every day. I have a good job record and a high academic and work achievement level.

But I'm unfortunately over 60. Basically, I'm told I'm 'over-qualified' for almost every job I apply for - if I even get as far as talking to someone. Read that as "You're too old". I scrape by on benefits - and it's not charity, I paid much more in tax etc when I was working than it would be possible for me to receive in benefits over a lifetime.

If I could get a job - I'd be there as fast as I could - but it's just not happening. I've been 'passed' to one of the wonderful (?) companies that are supposed to help me by the Job Centre. All I get is some 20 year old telling me to search online or phone local employers. !!!!!! do they think I've been doing?

Funnily enough I've met many others, just like me, either at the Jobcentre or the 'welfare-to-work' company. We all have pretty much the same story - job vacancies aren't there - it's that simple.

That sounds like the same position my Mum is in. I know it's really hard for her as she can't do anything physical as she had a slipped disc years back and had an op, but it hurts her.
She goes on these courses to help with computer/admin work but without practicing it the knowledge slips away.
And from an employers point of view are they going to have the 20 year old graduate or the 56 year old that's now got a lot of work experience as she spent years being a single Mum.

And when those companies do roll round that want an older person, well it's 1 job, 100 applicants.

Flyboy152

I wonder how many children Morgwn510 has.

LunaLady

Flyboy152 wrote: »

I wonder how many children Morgwn510 has.

It says he doesnt have any yet.

Flyboy152

LunaLady wrote: »

It says he doesnt have any yet.

Yes, I had read that, but he was trying to make a direct comparison to his situation with Ross's.

His situation his vastly different to that of the OP. I am pretty sure that the OP would love to be able to take several foreign holidays and be as young and as free as Morgwn510, but he hasn't. He has responsibilities, he has others to take care of. So, I think it is a little disingenuous of him to unfairly compare his circumstances to those of Ross's.

Sashabaz

I guess this situation can easily be blamed on the media. I'm sure the majority of people claiming benefits are doing so legally, but that's not interesting news is it? Much like this whole debate on immigrants coming here, stealing jobs and living off benefits, this isn't the reality in the main. You get certain stories blow out of proportion (like that guy who got busted as a benefits fraud on wife swap a few years back). Those stories stay with people and are reported like it's the norm when it's not. I'm sorry you have to deal with the blowback from this. I'm sure you're not the first or the last person who will.

memma2312

Couldn't agree more with the sentiment and content, I too claim DLA & Incapacity benefit. My condition of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome a connective tissue disorder means I aneurise arterys at will, mostly my aorta with seven operations so far!! I too cannot work, NO employer will consider someone who cannot stand for long, sit for long, walk far, I could go on but no point! It's a no go!!

I too AM NOT A BENEFIT SCROUNGER! I need my benefits to survive day to day. In fact I'm typing this on a second hand family donated computer!

There are many of us who need the system, no matter how,flawed it is!!!