Benefits Help Please!!

MUMZ2BEE

I have been on Incapacity Benefit since 1997.

I suffer from severe depression, a heart condition called sinus tachycardia, and an under active thyroid.

In the past year alone, I have had numerous blood tests which showed my thyroid has been causing me more problems and my dose has been increased.

I am due another blood test next week due to further problems of the thyroid.

My GP has told me that she feels I am unfit for full time work.

I live with a partner who works full time; I have no idea what his earnings are, and we keep our finances separate.

My concern is this;

Would I qualify for Employment and Support Allowance even though my partner works!?

I am frightened of loosing my benefit and loosing my independence.

I feel extremely worried and stressed, and have been unable to sleep since getting the dreaded letter from DWP.

Any help please!!

Thanks!!

nannytone_2

depending on the outcome of your medical, you would qualify for contribution based ESA for 1 year if placed in the work related activity group.
if you were put in the support group, you would continue to receive ESA for as long as you continued to meet the criteria.

the fact that you keep your finances 'seperaye' from you partner is irrelevant.
why is it more tolerable to you to accept benefits than it would be for your partner to support you?

MUMZ2BEE

It has always been that we keep our finances separate; we dont have joint bank accounts, and I am not on the deeds or mortgage of the property.

My partner would not financially support me because he pays the mortgage which is around £600 per month; all I know is that the mortgage takes up around half of his earnings so he could not support me anyway.

My GP says all I could do is part time work of around 8 hours a week; I have been applying for part time jobs but no avail.

My friend had her benefit stopped when she attended a medical, even though she had been in a mental health hospital with depression they said she was fit for work!!

nannytone_2

a lot of people are refused ESA and have to go to appeal. not good... but the way it is.

it definately sounds like, if you pass the medical at all ... you will be placed in the WRAG. that means you woll only be entitled to benefit for a year and after that your partner would be expected to support you.

now you have the facts you need to start planning what you would do in this eventuality.
good luck.

MUMZ2BEE

Thanks for the advice.

I will have to continue to look for part time work in the long term of things.

I can always ask my partner to write a letter to DWP saying that he simply doesn't earn enuff money to support both of us together; that might help.

We are also not financially linked to each other either.

I think because of the damn defecit the government is making it awkward for anyone to claim!!

MUMZ2BEE

I forgot to ask will they continue to pay my IB during this time of new assessment!?

merlin68

Writing a letter wouldn't make any difference at all. Means tested benifits go on household income.

BigAunty

MUMZ2BEE wrote: »

It has always been that we keep our finances separate; we dont have joint bank accounts, and I am not on the deeds or mortgage of the property.

I can't answer your specific question about whether your move to ESA would take into account your partners income.

However, personal preferences and the decisions that couples make to sort out household finances, how their structure their bank accounts and share out bills, are all irrelevant to any claimant in the couple receiving income based benefits.

Income based (means tested) benefits for couples always look at household income (and income only, not expenses) as it is built into the structure of the benefits system itself that couples should assist and support each other.

MUMZ2BEE wrote: »

I can always ask my partner to write a letter to DWP saying that he simply doesn't earn enuff money to support both of us together; that might help.

We are also not financially linked to each other either.

I'm going to be harsh here because you are clutching at straws and wishful thinking.

The letter is an irrelevant waste of time and will not influence things. It's a very black and white 'computer says no' approach.

The DWP doesn't take each claim on a case by case basis - the calculations are set according to eligibility and income, that is all.

Personal household expenses are never taken into account - you would just be expected to make your money stretch further. It's a budgeting, not benefits issue, from their perspective.

Your financial separation at a personal level is irrelevant to your benefit entitlements because your household income is viewed as joint. There is no way around this. It doesn't matter that you don't have a joint bank account - that's not a factor in determining your benefits.

How you divvy it up does not concern the DWP and nor does the fact that your partner is overstretching himself with a mortgage that takes up 50% of his income which is a folly for him to deal with, not the benefits system.

To double check if your household could be entitled to any other benefits, such as working tax credits, council tax benefit or so on, model the ESA scenario on the Turn2us online benefit system.

If you have care/mobility needs, have you thought about applying for Disability Living Allowance? This is not means tested. See the Direct Gov website for information.

EDIT - I see from a historic post that you get around £800 a month in benefits so I assume that this is composed of both IB and DLA already?

Caz3121

MUMZ2BEE wrote: »

I can always ask my partner to write a letter to DWP saying that he simply doesn't earn enuff money to support both of us together; that might help.

The DWP consider £111 per week enough to support a couple (after housing costs) so if he earns more than that, which he obviously does, you will not get any payment so, by default, he will be supporting you

nannytone_2

when i ;ived with my ex partner. i got nothing ( apart from my DLA) he had to support me. but went into the relationship knowing this.
now we arent together i get ESA.... but i'm still financially dependant... just to the benefits system instead!

too many people confuse receiving benefits with being financially independant. i would dearly love to work and have true independance ( any employers that want a registered blind employee, please contact me via MSE! lol)
the benefits system has to work along the lines or need and not desire....

the system [ays the piper and those of us that need to claim... have to dance to its tune!

Torry_Quine

You will continue to get IB until they have assessed you and if you pass will get contribution based ESA for a year if WRAG group and indefinately if support group. After the year you would then be only be able to get income based which with your partner working you wouldn't get other than NI contributions paid. The fact that your present set-up is financially seperate makes no difference to the DWP.

If you fail the assesement then you will get the assesement rate of ESA if you appeal.