advice needed regarding benefits (credit award)

sheppy42

So from what i can gather so far.

From apr 2013, when we start claiming, i should be able to get esa contribution support group as the article in dwp website dated 17th september states that cancer patients undergoing ANY chemotherapy can go on support group and stay on it until i hopefully beat cancer.

This is how it should be, not only for us cancer sufferers, but to other dreadful life threatening diseases.

Now also in apr 2013, due to the wife earning £14k and me getting the esa we should also be able to get a small amount of ctc per week also. Im not sure of the final amount but it something like £40 per week.

Just to clarify, it will be the contributed esa that cancer patients can stay on? Not the income ralated and we also stay on the

That is what that dwp website states on 17th september?

Horseunderwater

Sheppy - is it injectable chemo or oral tablets/liquids that you take. Not 100% clear. Roger seems to think it is oral, so although you should get into support group you might not if it oral, unless they have updated system. However keep claim open and appeal. I was under impression you were having it intraveniously?

rogerblack

sheppy42 wrote: »

So from what i can gather so far.

From apr 2013, when we start claiming, i should be able to get esa contribution support group as the article in dwp website dated 17th september states that cancer patients undergoing ANY chemotherapy can go on support group and stay on it until i hopefully beat cancer.

Several issues tangled here.
Will the government bring it in in a timely manner - we can only hope.

Secondly - being in the support group does not mean you get payments in all cases. (in your case it does).

You are entitled to contribution based benefits if you have been contributing NI conts (for an apr 2013 claim) in 10/11 and 11/12.
It sounds like you're OK on that basis.
You then if placed in the work-related group would be entitled to contribution based ESA, which ignores household income (your income from other sources counts) for one year.

In the support group, there are no time limits, and an extra fiver or so a week.
(There are additional premiums which may also kick in)

However, for those that don't have the contributions, if there is significant household income, they won't get paid whatever group they are put in.

sheppy42

I am seeing the onco next week to discuss best treatment. I suspect oral to start with. Mine hasnt spread as of now so its about shrinking the tumour.

From reading the 17th sep statement on dwp website it doesnt mention oral it states ANY chemotherapy or radiation. They may not have changed the forms yet but i bet once the new esa reforms start in april 13 then all cancer sufferers will be on it. I hope.

Chemotherapy whether oral or intravenus is debilitating. Especially lung cancer chemo as it has to be very strong as the cancer is agressive. There is no way anyone can work a job While on that. The other thing is throughout the year an onco will try different types of chemo and radiation, you may change a few times, how would that be handled.

rogerblack

sheppy42 wrote: »

Chemotherapy whether oral or intravenus is debilitating.

It varies.
My aunt was on chemotherapy that affected her extremely badly - vomiting, hairloss, severe affects on taste of food, ...

The effects were so bad that my mother decided against chemotherapy until it was really too late.

The chemo was very effective in shrinking the tumors initially, and it's possible that had she taken it earlier, she would have recovered.

She did not find the effects of the chemo particularly debilitating, they were _much_ less severe in her case.

wayne0

garden leave salary is part of your "redundancy package" (at least when i was made redundant from my last job it was)... you can claim (or at least attempt to claim) from the date you last work.

the 3 months i assume will be paid in advance?

i had a letter from employer stating my last date of work was XXXX but would be paid up until the XXX date without the need to attend...

i then signed on from the day after i last worked. the job centre had a copy of my letter, contacted employer to check if there was "sanctionable cause" expecting to be paid from the date my wages end, but was paid from the date after i last worked in my job. with the 1500 wage a month being counted as "capital savings" due to forming part of a redundancy package... the benefits docs online explain this (or perhaps the legislation)...

i know its laid out in the housing benefit act of 2006 that garden leave salary is counted as capital not wages..


edit...

hmmm make sure you declare it though... because it might count as still being employed...

Earnings of employed earners


35.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), “earnings” means in the case of employment as an employed earner, any remuneration or profit derived from that employment and includes—

(a)any bonus or commission;

(b)any payment in lieu of remuneration except any periodic sum paid to a claimant on account of the termination of his employment by reason of redundancy;

(c)any payment in lieu of notice or any lump sum payment intended as compensation for the loss of employment but only in so far as it represents loss of income;

part b says that the periodic sum wont count, but part c says it will? --- thats from hb regulations part 6...
i think the key difference is your being made REDUNDANT (on medical grounds?) so therefore since its redundancy part B would count, and not C... (much like my own "gardeners leave" :P)

kevelesopnic

rogerblack wrote: »

It varies.
My aunt was on chemotherapy that affected her extremely badly - vomiting, hairloss, severe affects on taste of food, ...

The effects were so bad that my mother decided against chemotherapy until it was really too late.

The chemo was very effective in shrinking the tumors initially, and it's possible that had she taken it earlier, she would have recovered.

She did not find the effects of the chemo particularly debilitating, they were _much_ less severe in her case.

The effects of Cancer treatment certainly vary from person to person and dependent on type of chemo administered. I was first diagnosed in 1999 and had 8 months of chemo and did not miss one day of work. However, the Cancer returned in 2005 and I was given a different chemo regime which made me virtually bedbound. When the Cancer returned a year later I was totally bedbound for nearly 6 months. Chemo does have a cumulative effect on the body so the first chemo session may go well but tends to gradually get worse as you move through the cycle.

The longer term effects also vary, both physically and emotionally.

sheppy42

The main hope for me is that as a cancer patient i will be put in the ess cont support group, as long as i stay in the esa cont we wont be means tested. If we are means tested, my wife earns £14k so i wont get esa payment. We will get ctc and wtc but its not as much, we own our own house so no housing benefit. I never in my life thought i would be in this position.

When do these universal credits reforms start. Will this affect esa cont and the cancer inclusion?

HB58

Universal credit will affect income-related ESA but not contributary ESA. The change of rules to include those taking oral chemo has not yet been enacted and only time will tell whether this will happen on schedule or whether, like everything else related to DWP, it is delayed.