MSE News: Autumn Statement: Benefits to rise by just 1%

wayne0

dori2o wrote: »

I use the DLA to top up my employment income (opposite to your example of topping up benefits wirth work) which has allowed me to drop 5 hours a week at work........

this is how the money is "intended" to be used? - but you say you drive... im assuming you wouldnt be able to afford the car without it ?

my dad used to get DLA higher rate - he bought a car with the extra money. due to the area he lived in, it worked out cheaper due to insurance to go via a leased agreement...

meaning he didnt get the cash, but actually had more money left over (repairs paid for by mobility.. instead of him paying for it all etc)

sadly a couple of years ago... he tried to send the car back after two years - he knew he wasnt "fit to drive" any more...but being a 3 year agreement.. he was locked in, so they continued to take the payments off him...

the car did about 3000 miles in the three years he had it, (only about 50 miles of that was in the third year)

he tried to put my name on the insurance etc as i used to drive to see him (i lived in birmingham at the time 20 miles from him) and help with shopping etc in my own car...

they said because i lived over 15 miles from him i couldnt be classed as a "carer" so they couldnt put the car over to me for his use... (i would of paid all the fuel etc - it would of cost them no more etc) - i didnt even expect to be paid any cash etc as i was in full time work too... - i couldnt even drive the car on my insurance when i got to his house, despite being fully comp, since my dad wasnt the owner of the car, he couldnt give me "permission to drive"... so the amount of mileage racked up on my car was horendous - i did however do it... but isnt it sad how "the system" works...

my dad gets his £ now, and since i live in stratford, theres no way for me to take him out and about so he bought himself AND my lil brother who lives at home a bus pass so he can go into town for shopping with him. and my dad pays for taxis from the shopping centre when he wants to go etc - it still works out better for him now...

dori2o

wayne0 wrote: »

this is how the money is "intended" to be used? - but you say you drive... im assuming you wouldnt be able to afford the car without it ?

my dad used to get DLA higher rate - he bought a car with the extra money. due to the area he lived in, it worked out cheaper due to insurance to go via a leased agreement...

meaning he didnt get the cash, but actually had more money left over (repairs paid for by mobility.. instead of him paying for it all etc)

sadly a couple of years ago... he tried to send the car back after two years - he knew he wasnt "fit to drive" any more...but being a 3 year agreement.. he was locked in, so they continued to take the payments off him...

the car did about 3000 miles in the three years he had it, (only about 50 miles of that was in the third year)

he tried to put my name on the insurance etc as i used to drive to see him (i lived in birmingham at the time 20 miles from him) and help with shopping etc in my own car...

they said because i lived over 15 miles from him i couldnt be classed as a "carer" so they couldnt put the car over to me for his use... (i would of paid all the fuel etc - it would of cost them no more etc) - i didnt even expect to be paid any cash etc as i was in full time work too... - i couldnt even drive the car on my insurance when i got to his house, despite being fully comp, since my dad wasnt the owner of the car, he couldnt give me "permission to drive"... so the amount of mileage racked up on my car was horendous - i did however do it... but isnt it sad how "the system" works...

my dad gets his £ now, and since i live in stratford, theres no way for me to take him out and about so he bought himself AND my lil brother who lives at home a bus pass so he can go into town for shopping with him. and my dad pays for taxis from the shopping centre when he wants to go etc - it still works out better for him now...

The car is my own, bought and paid for before I got the DLA.

I'm wondering if your first line should read
1) this is not how the money is "intended" to be used?
or
2) is this how the money is "intended" to be used?

In answer to both, there is no definition on how or what the money has to be used on.

I could, if I wanted, use it to buy drugs, fags and alcohol and there is nothing anyone could do about it, but the fact is I dont.

I can't manage full time work so once I was awarded DLA I worked out a system that would allow me to manage work around my disability. It means I now have a more structured day/week, I am in a routine, taking my meds at certain times that allow me to be able to drive, which allows me to get to, and function at, work, and means I'm not worried about being overtired, or in too much pain to be able to drive home.

IMO I use the money for what, morally, it is intended for, to pay for adjustments/adaptions etc to help live my life as normal as possible despite the disability.

[Deleted User]

LunaLady wrote: »

Why do MSE put these threads here then say that these boards are not the place for discussion?

This thread will end badly like they all do.

I totally agree if any of us put something like this on here it would be moved to DT pdq

wayne0

dori2o wrote: »

The car is my own, bought and paid for before I got the DLA.

I'm wondering if your first line should read
1) this is not how the money is "intended" to be used?
or
2) is this how the money is "intended" to be used?

In answer to both, there is no definition on how or what the money has to be used on.

I could, if I wanted, use it to buy drugs, fags and alcohol and there is nothing anyone could do about it, but the fact is I dont.

I can't manage full time work so once I was awarded DLA I worked out a system that would allow me to manage work around my disability. It means I now have a more structured day/week, I am in a routine, taking my meds at certain times that allow me to be able to drive, which allows me to get to, and function at, work, and means I'm not worried about being overtired, or in too much pain to be able to drive home.

IMO I use the money for what, morally, it is intended for, to pay for adjustments/adaptions etc to help live my life as normal as possible despite the disability.

no,,, i wrote it as i meant it...

the money is intended to be spent on whatever you see fit, so as to help you manage your "disability"... obviously different people have differet needs...

your right, whilst most wouldnt agree with it, and it isnt intended to be spent on booze etc, you could legally etc spend it on fags etc ( not so sure about the drugs tho )

- i know sometimes i might come over as sarcastic... and maybe the "s around the intended come over the wrong way,. it was meant to mean (intended whilst there is not official designation on how you spend your DLA)

as i said, my dad "spends money on my younger brother" by way of a bus pass, thus enabling my little brother to take him shopping (he doesnt/cant drive)... some could argue that is the wrong use of the money... but its the best option my dad has to be able to get out and about... (with his legs etc he is afraid to go out now as he collapsed in the town when he last went out alone)

also, about the car, what i mean is... i know cars cost a lot to run, but i assume that the car means you can work (obviously insurance, mot's, fuel etc are expensive [im guessing you get "nil" road tax due to disability]) even though you say you spend your DLA on XXXX, you might see it as you spend it on X whilst if you didnt get it you might have to get rid of Y, and perhaps then be unable to work...

(although maybe that went into too much detail lol sorry)

Morglin

Just to make it clear that DLA, AA, and Carer's Allowance are all exempt from this 1% cap, as are Retirement Pensions.

This is all a bit 'smoke and mirrors' - those who are the poorest will only get 1% on the actual benefit (say, JSA), but, because the 'applicable amount a person needs to live on' will rise, as usual, then the top up benefit (generally IS), will be higher than it would have been, if the rise had been CPI linked of 2%.

Those not on means tested top ups, and who pay tax on their benefits, will benefit from the tax threshold rise, which may put things back where they were.

Lin

flutterby_lil

How are CTC and WTC affected, does anybody know. I am due back at work in march after maternity leave.

Dunroamin

laptop80 wrote: »

All well and good, but isn't the idea of benefits that they're the minimum required to live on? I wasn't aware that Jobseekers Allowance etc had a luxury / disposable income element built in that enables recipients to soak up a rise that's substantially less than the rate of inflation. I'm sure received wisdom will tell me I'm wrong and that claimants do indeed have lots of spare cash out of their £56/£71 a week for mobile phones and plasma TVs.

Of course there's a disposable element on most benefits otherwise no claimant would be able to have the internet, run a car, have a holiday, smoke, drink, go out occasionally.

Obviously nobody can do all of these but it would be foolish to think that nobody manages to have any of them.

BurnleyBob

On an annual basis, average earnings of full-time workers rose 1.7% in November 2012. In April 2012 it was plus 1.4% from 12 months earlier. However, CPI inflation during that same timeframe rose 3.5% - so the typical full-time worker effectively worked for 2.1% less pay in real terms and, of course, those who received no rise (like many in the public sector, for example) worked for 3.5% less than a year earlier.

As an indicator of how insidious inflation is, the £10 Christmas Bonus for OAPs that was introduced in 1972 would now be at £41 if it was inflation adjusted.

krisskross

BurnleyBob wrote: »

As an indicator of how insidious inflation is, the £10 Christmas Bonus for OAPs that was introduced in 1972 would now be at £41 if it was inflation adjusted.

Using RPI £10 in 1972 would be worth £103 today. Using average earnings as the link it would be worth £174.

Amazing isn't it? I bought £10 worth of food for the foodbank with mine this week.

schrodie

Russe11 wrote: »

yes but many disabled people can and do work to top up their benefits, those who don't are the one on higher rates.

I know someone who gets a car and a rate of disability, plus they do a full time manual job at the same time!

I was referring to when someone on CB ESA gets thrown off it after one year because they're not disabled/sick enough according to the government and their partner earns >£150 a week.

So despite someone working for perhaps 30 years paying their taxes and contributions before becoming too sick/disabled to work they're only given one year on CB ESA before being thrown off it to find a job in the current economic climate!