Help or Advice wanted please

Margrid

I am trying to find out information for my husband, he has been on ESA contributary for a year now, so the claim has just come to an end as he was put in the WRAG group.
Unfortunately my husband carried on with this benefit without appealing to be put in the support group.
My husband had major heart surgery in 2010, which he thought would give him a new lease of life, however, firstly the kidney problems he had since birth got worse and the remaining part of the one kidney he had functioning declined so much that he had to have dialysis.
Luckily his father agreed to see if he was a match, and he had a kidney transplant at the end of 2011.
However, the jobcentre expect that my husband is able to return to work as being placed in the WRAG group, he has been to all his meetings at the jobcentre where his advisor has also agreed that he is not in a position to return to work.
It's catch 22, my husband lives with a new kidney and has to take immunosurpressants, but has been told if he wants to stop having the irregular heart palpitations that he gets on a daily basis, he should stop taking his kidney medication - well he would end up back on dialysis or dead if he did this.
The heart palpatations are so bad some days he has to stay in bed because he feels he could faint, they can be very erratic and as he had a new aortic root and aortic valve fitted, I can hear for myself as the valve ticks very loudly.
After both surgeries my husband was routing to go back to work, but he suffers daily, as well as the palpatations, he suffers with headaches, memory loss (due to being under for 7 hours - so he has been told), and he has now got to a stage where he feels very depressed, as well as still feeling very tired, and has to go to appointments on a regular basis at both the heart hospital and tests for kidney function.
We would like some advice if possible, what could be our next course of action, does he say he should of claimed for support group sooner, or does he just apply to go on income related now this has come to an end?
To add to this, he reapplied for DLA back in March, for which full mobility and low care was awarded after he had been on middle care, as at the begining I had to help him with his washing, but if he does go out in public, I do have to be with him otherwise if he fainted in the street I don't think anyone would come to his aid.
To also make you aware, we only found out after lots of genetic tests, that my husbands heart condition is due to a chromosone 16 problem, one of the genes in his make up are duplicated.
I hope someone could possibly help me, we are very stressed out and have 4 children to support of ages up to 11 years old.
I have not returned to work as I have a young child to look after, I can not leave him with my husband due to his health.
Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read. My husband is only 36, and I don't think he should have had to have had to deal with all of this in his life so far. His kidney problems stemmed from 6 weeks old when he had to be put into a coma for crystals in his nappy and had to have his heart restarted 3 times.

princessdon

Are you eligible for income related? Ie savings or capital below the level of £16,000?

epitome

What benefits do you claim?

How much was he being paid on ESA, preferably tell me his weekly award amount or if you don't know that just say how much he got every fortnight.

Margrid

Princessdon - yes we do not have any savings, or capital and rent our house and get housing benefit

Epitome - We claim: Child Tax Credit, Child Benefit, Housing Benefit, DLA Mobility and Care.

His ESA payment was 221 per fortnight (£110.50 per week), he was on IB before it changed over to ESA.

wildwestfan

If you have no other income apart from benefits then the ESA won't stop. It will simply become income based.

epitome

Do *you* work ?

Why is he not claiming for you on his ESA claim?

He should be getting ESA at least £140 a week to include you on his claim... that's why I asked what *you* claimed to see if you were getting carers allowance and Income support in your name.

What about when he was on IB a year ago, were you working? did he or you claim Income Support top up to include you on the claim.... if you didn't then you have been not claiming for you for a long time.

epitome

wildwestfan wrote: »

If you have no other income apart from benefits then the ESA won't stop. It will simply become income based.

It's not always automatic lots of claimants have to fill in an ESA3, from what has been said so far this claimants payments will stop and an ESA3 will be needed.

von

Can you clarify how the ESA award is made up? Can you also advise what type of DLA award he has e.g. middle rate car?

epitome

This claim is
£71.70 Personal allowance
£28.45 WRAG
£10.35 TA
£110.50

All "single person" figures.

MidnightHour

epitome wrote: »

This claim is
£71.70 Personal allowance
£28.45 WRAG
£10.35 TA
£110.50

All "single person" figures.

That's what i thought. Perhaps they are separated, or just claiming separate.

More info needed OP.

Margrid

Hi Guys,

Sorry for not replying back sooner, I have not seperated from my husband... I have been claiming Maternity Allowance, and before that I was working part-time, and while I was working my MIL and FIL were coming over to look after him.
We decided to have a child, as after the surgery we made the decision that we were really close and wanted a child together, as the other children are from our previous marriages. Our baby is 6 months old, the Maternity Allowance has come to an end, but the work I was doing before was Bank work, which is obviously as and when they need you, and they currently do not have anything for me to go back and do at the moment.
Epitome has put the correct figures the way ESA had been granted for my husband.
DLA - higher rate mobility, low rate care do think should still be on middle rate care however.
He had letter last week to say CB ESA ended and if he felt he was entitled to IR ESA, that he would have to call them.