Urgent benefits help needed!

ross1701

Quick background history:
1996: Had to quit school before my final year due to CFS/ME
1996: Diagnosed CFS/ME by GP
1998-2001: Attended part time college/uni. Again had to quit uni before graduating due to CFS/ME.
2001: Diagnosed CFS/ME by hospital consultant.
2001-2003: Claimed and Received Incapacity Benefit (had to qualify for IB but only got income support due to not enough national insurance credits or something)
2002: Tried to claim DLA but denied to due DSS doctor's report. Appealed but unsucessful.
2003: Moved in with my partner and IB payments stopped due to her earnings supposedly being suffient to cover me! Didn't see the point of continuing with IB assessment with no payments so didn't attend next DSS doctor assessment so judged fit for work in absence. (Yes I know I should have continued re: NI payments)
2005: Got a job for two months but had to give up again due to CFS/ME. Didn't bother to sign on - thought no point as not well enough to work but, according to DSS not ill enough to receive any money.
2003 to present: Managing, just, to scrape by on my partners earnings alone.

Present: Partners employer has changed her shifts which means she loses £50 or so per month with the near possibility of more shift changes soon which means she would lose over £100 more per month.
Also moved flats and council tax has gone up to Band C.
Car needing major repairs which has wiped out our savings and to cap it all I now have two very painful teeth absesses which need treatment which we cant afford to pay.
Phoned up dental helpline and told that I must pay because I'm not in receipt of any benefits. Sh*t!


So in a word - HELP!

I've had a brief look at the DWP website about the various benefits but it looks like the procedure for claiming has changed and now even more confusing. You have to phone and have a work focussed interview? What is that??

I think firstly I need to be able to get free dental treatment. I'm in constant pain and there is no way I can afford the treatment costs. It doen't help that I have a dental phobia. When I was at school a dentist drilled on a previous absess without waiting for the anastetic to fully kick in. He was physically kneeling on me to keep me in the chair while I was screaming!
So now I need to be fully knocked out before anything is done. i.e. expensive.

So do I get a line from the doctor and fill in the incapacity benefit form?
Or what?

I know longer term that we will have to apply for council tax and housing benifit.

Sorry this is such a mish mash post but I am in great pain and really unsure of what to do first and how to go about it.

wolfehouse

longer term you could try reapplying for dla
they would probably like to hear that your condition has worsened since you were first denied dla...but not sure if it is necessary.
they are very very wary of giving it to people with ME and will only do so if you have tried a course of cognitive behavioural therapy which you should be able to be referred to through you gp. even then you need lots of back up letters from professionals who know you and be ready to appeal (get help).

have you asked at your local dental school if there is a way you can be taken on as a 'model' for students. they work very very slowly but are supervised by the best...(i know a rich person who did this in glasgow)

don't know about the rest- but there is always citizens advice.

ross1701

It was a running battle with my old GP (who has since died) to convince him that ME is an actual medical condition. My current GP is also of that type. He says just to get up earlier and go to bed earlier and it will go away. yeah right.

Probably will try with DLA again. What's cognitive behavioural therapy?
My father who has Siatica (sp?) who literally cant move very much without extreme pain was denied DLA. It makes you wonder why the even bother to make DLA available when they never seem to award it?


As long as I'm knocked out completely I dont care how long they take but so long as they do a proper job of it. I've managed to get an appointment with my local dental access centre (I'm not registered with any dentist) to get assessed and referred onwards to the dental hospital. £30 it'll cost just to be seen and get things moving but I've got no other choice.
I'll ask if I can get referred to the Dental School, the one in Dundee is closest I think.

Have tried Citizen's advice in the past, when they initally stopped my IB but they were like "what do you want us to do about it" and very unhelpful. Will try again though. Maybe just a bad egg.

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated.

Miss_Money

wolfehouse wrote: »

they are very very wary of giving it to people with ME and will only do so if you have tried a course of cognitive behavioural therapy which you should be able to be referred to through you gp. .

im sorry but the above isnt true. My mum has ME and was awarded DLA . Cognitive behavioural therapy is just that threapy for behaviours that you cant control eg phobias. (i should know as im having it for a severe hospital phobia) not for illnesses such as ME.

Get your gp to back you up on the ME eg writing a letter to support your claim. I would start a claim for dla hope you get it sorted x

Miss_Money

ok regarding your gp. Is it a practise that has several doctors? if so i would see each one until you fins one that recognises ME for what it is!
It doesnt help when you are ill and doctors are telling you that you arent :rolleyes:

calleyw

ross1701 wrote: »

2003: Moved in with my partner and IB payments stopped due to her earnings supposedly being suffient to cover me! Didn't see the point of continuing with IB assessment with no payments so didn't attend next DSS doctor assessment so judged fit for work in absence. (Yes I know I should have continued re: NI payments)

IB is not means tested as my husband claims it and I am out to work full time.

So I would say that you where still on IS and not IB as that is means tested that is why the benefit ended.

I believe that even making voluntary NI payments does not help in respect to IB.

Don't give up if you entitled to it claim it even if you have to make appeal.

My husband hates to class himself disabled after his stroke last september but he claims DLA and IB because he is entitled to it. As at the moment there is no way he could hold down a job.

Yes there are lots of forms to fill out and yes it is like banging your head against a brick wall that is why the make it so hard in the hope you will give up. The problem is if you don't know how to fill forms in your don't get and that means a lot of peole in real need don't get.

All the best.


Yours


Calley

TOBRUK

Ross1701, I too have ME/CFS and have suffered with it for quite a few years now, 1998 I was diagnosed by my GP but was also referred to an ME specialist who confirmed I had ME. December 1999 I had to leave work completely as I could not function. I applied for DLA and had some trouble, being denied but went to tribunal and was partly successful and by the reapplication with the help of my GP was granted DLA with no problems whatsoever. My GP is absolutely wonderful and I see her on a regular basis and she tries her best to help especially with pain relief. She referred me to an occupational therapist in order to try and make life easier.

I did not receive 'cognitive behavioural therapy' and do not have a problem in receiving DLA. I do think you should try again for DLA but also find a GP who recognises this horrible illness because this will help with your application. I know it is daunting especially when you are feeling so unwell and don't want to be dealing with it. I believe that the DLA people do recognise ME as the illness it is more now than a few years ago. Good luck.

lil_me

Contact your local welfare rights office and ask them I think may be the best bet, or CAB.

As for dental, I know someone who goes to A&E because he can't afford dental treatment or can get a place at a dental surgery and has had antibiotics etc through them. You may be able to arrange a payment method with dentist because if your partner earns over a certain amount you would not be entitled to income support therefore would be unable to claim for dental treatment even if you manage to claim IB/DLA