Not eligible for benefits, but not well enough to work full time!!

Pandora_2

No idea where I should post this or if anyone can help, but thought it was worth a try!! Be warned though, it's not fun to read

Basically, I'm not well enough to claim JSA (because I'm not able to attend the Job Centre or work at all the times they say I have to be available due to my disability), but I'm not ill enough to claim ESA (failed my ATOS assessment) and I'm just not eligible for Income Support

I work 7.5 hours a week which is about £200 a month.
I get DLA (higher rate care and lower rate mobility) which is about £400 a month. (Passed the ATOS assessment for this only a couple of weeks before failing the ESA one!!)
I get Housing Benefit which is about £200 a month.
So my monthly income is about £800, but my outgoings are at least £900 a month!
I've used up all my savings, and have almost maxed out my overdraft, and there's no way of me getting any more credit even if I wanted to.

I stopped buying clothes and shoes over a year ago - apart from when I spent £6 on a new pair of work shoes because my other ones were literally falling apart.
My food budget has been reduced to around £40 a month.
I've stopped socialising as even going to a friend's house is going to cost a little bit of money, and there's no way I can afford to have anyone round to my house as that would cost even more.

So I've cut my spending as much as possible but now it's getting to the point where I'm going to have to eliminate spending on everything ever so slightly frivolous in order to pay my essential bills. And when I say 'frivolous' I mean phone, internet, tv, lights, heating, food.......

All this is really affecting my mental health (on DLA for bipolar and anxiety amongst other things) which means I've been missing work a lot which is now putting my job at risk. I'm not sleeping and spend most of my days and nights crying, I'm having suicidal thoughts again, and just don't know what I can possibly do to improve the situation.

I just don't think I have it in me to go through the hell of trying to apply for ESA or JSA again as I'm pretty sure I will just get rejected again.
I'm not really up to leaving the house and I'm struggling to even make phone calls. All I have is the internet.

Things are getting worse day by day and I have no idea how much longer I can survive.

If anyone has any advice at all it would be much appreciated.

zzzLazyDaisy

Did you appeal the ESA decision? It is ridiculous that someone on HRC DLA is denied ESA.

Do you have a CPN or support worker who can help you with this?

Pandora_2

I was advised not to appeal as it wouldn't be worth the stress, and to apply for JSA instead, which I did, and then they arranged my first appointment for a time when I couldn't attend. So I rang them to say I couldn't attend then as it was too early in the morning and with the medication I'm on I can't really function in the morning, and could it be rearranged and I was told no because I didn't have a valid reason for not being able to attend at that time. I was told that you have to be available the whole time the Job Centre is open - Monday to Friday 9-5 - and the only times you are allowed to be unavailable is if you are working or have a pre-arranged appointment somewhere else. They told me I had a choice between attending the appointment and proceeding with my claim, or cancelling the appointment and cancelling my claim. :mad:

I don't have a CPN or support worker or anything like that. When the mental health crisis team were looking after me (at home), they were trying to get one for when I was discharged from their care, but nothing ever came of it.

Going to ring my GP when they open in a couple of hours and request a call back. Even if nothing comes of it, at least it will be noted on my medical records that I'm having a bad time which should help if I do apply for ESA again!

My Mum and Grandma have helped me out loads in the past, but my Mum has just had to take a pay cut to avoid redundancy and 2 of my younger cousins have just gone to live with my Grandma, so neither of them are in a position to help at the moment and there isn't really any other family I could ask

I'm doing my best to fight against the bad feelings, but it's so hard as if I have to cancel my internet, phone and tv, I will barely have any contact with the world outside my house and that will just make me worse When you spend days (or even weeks) alone in the house, internet, phone and tv do become essential rather than luxuries!!

Dunroamin

Why are your outgoings so high - are you paying a higher rent than you get HB?

pmlindyloo

As you on the higher rate care of DLA then you should be receiving the severe disability premium to any of your means tested benefits. (I am presuming you live alone and no-one gets carer's allowance for you?)

This would mean that you are entitled to the one bed local housing allowance. Have you informed the council that you receive high rate DLA? If you haven't then you need to. Take your DLA award letter to the council.

If you are unfit to work then you need to get a fit note from the doctor. I believe that your salary means that you are not eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (I will have to check) if you aren't then your employer will need to complete a form SSP1 and you can claim ESA.

If you feel well enough to continue working then as you are only doing 7+ hours you can still claim JSA. Although your salary will be taken into account you are still missing out on money because of the severe disability premium.

As you are receiving high care DLA you need to ask to see the Disability Employment advisor at the Job Centre Plus. You should be treated with respect to your disability and they should be making reasonable adjustments to your Jobseekers Agreement.

I know it is stressful but you have been managing to work and I suspect that some of your anxiety is due to worry about finances.

You are entitled to more money so you must claim it. if I am right about the Severe Disability premium (hope someone will confirm) it is £59.50 per week.

rogerblack

Pandora wrote: »

I was advised not to appeal as it wouldn't be worth the stress, and to apply for JSA instead,

Who advised you of this?

If it's been over 6 months since your last ESA refusal, you can re-claim.
As your condition has worsened - due to the stress of jsa/... - you are perhaps more likely to succeed in a claim this time.

Pandora_2

My rent is £420 a month but as I'm single and under 35 I'm only entitled to £200 a month housing benefit (I do get the disability allowance) which means my entire wage is used up paying the other £200 leaving me with £400 from my DLA to pay for everything else. I get my HB paid into my bank account and then have a standing order to pay my rent. (Not exact figures) I live alone (and don't have a carer) and am renting privately. I couldn't live in a room in a shared house which is all the housing benefit allows for. I've tried it and been kicked out as my housemates couldn't handle it when I went manic or deeply depressed.

I desperately want to keep my job as it's more of a vocation than 'just a job' and is in the field that I want to work in forever. My employers are absolutely wonderful. They are fine with making 'reasonable adjustments' and in fact do a lot more than they have to. I work for a charity, so funding is limited which is why my hours are so low. They are always looking for more funding as there is always more work to be done than they have money to pay for and they would love to give us all more hours!
I have absolutely no objections to getting a second part time job as it would be fairly easy to fit around my current job and I would be willing to do pretty much anything, but I don't seem to be getting anywhere with finding one - although hopefully I might be able to get an Xmas temp job to keep me going for a bit!
I would also much rather keep working than go on the sick for a long time again. Again, my employers have been wonderful when I've needed a short break from work, but obviously this does affect my sickness record which then looks bad on job applications.

A few years ago when I was on JSA I had a wonderful disability employment advisor who really did do everything she could to help me. I suppose I could ask if I could have her again (if she's still there) as she really was wonderful!!

My financial situation is definitely making me ill, and I've managed to get an appointment with my GP tomorrow morning so I will see what they say.

Yes, it has been more than 6 months since my last ESA and JSA applications, so I suppose it's worth a try again. And it was a man from the Job Centre that advised me not to appeal and just go for JSA instead! :mad:

Sorry if I've rambled. Haven't slept and am struggling to concentrate.

pmlindyloo

I don't think you have understood my post.

Because you are receiving the high rate of DLA you are entitled to extra money (called the severe disability premium)

Because you are receiving the high rate of care DLA this means you should be receiving the one bed rate of LHA not the shared accommodation rate.

Take your DLA award letter to the council and they will adjust your HB. Ask for it to be backdated.

When you apply for JSA again show them your DLA award letter.

Pandora_2

pmlindyloo wrote: »

I don't think you have understood my post.

Because you are receiving the high rate of DLA you are entitled to extra money (called the severe disability premium)

Because you are receiving the high rate of care DLA this means you should be receiving the one bed rate of LHA not the shared accommodation rate.

Take your DLA award letter to the council and they will adjust your HB. Ask for it to be backdated.

When you apply for JSA again show them your DLA award letter.

Ohh!! Really?? I did show them my DLA letter when I put my claim in for HB so assumed that I was getting whatever it was that they could give. Will find my HB letter and double check! Thanks for that!!! :T

Will give JSA a go again and see what happens this time. I know I used to get a higher rate because of disability, but they very rarely made any adjustments/exceptions for my disability.

Thanks for your help and support everyone.

Another question though. I don't really understand Income Support. I'd been told in the past that I wouldn't be eligible, but looking on the gov.com website I do seem to meet the criteria. So confused!!

pmlindyloo

Pandora wrote: »

Ohh!! Really?? I did show them my DLA letter when I put my claim in for HB so assumed that I was getting whatever it was that they could give. Will find my HB letter and double check! Thanks for that!!! :T

Will give JSA a go again and see what happens this time. I know I used to get a higher rate because of disability, but they very rarely made any adjustments/exceptions for my disability.

Thanks for your help and support everyone.

Another question though. I don't really understand Income Support. I'd been told in the past that I wouldn't be eligible, but looking on the gov.com website I do seem to meet the criteria. So confused!!

I should have given you a link about the housing benefit for single people claiming middle/high rate care DLA. This is from the Shelter website:


If you are aged under 35, you won’t be affected by the new rules and you may be entitled the rate for self-contained accommodation instead if:

• you are severely disabled (and receiving the middle or highest care component of disability living allowance)

I think the GovUK website is very confusing about Income Support.

It is only available for certain categories of people. (e.g single parents with a child under school age)

The correct benefit for you is either JSA or ESA.

Pandora_2

pmlindyloo wrote: »

I should have given you a link about the housing benefit for single people claiming middle/high rate care DLA. This is from the Shelter website:


If you are aged under 35, you won’t be affected by the new rules and you may be entitled the rate for self-contained accommodation instead if:

• you are severely disabled (and receiving the middle or highest care component of disability living allowance)

.

Ohhh!!! You're right!! (Not that I doubted you!) I will get onto the Council to see why they haven't given me the one bedroom rate (£83 per week) and have only given me the shared accommodation rate (£56 per week)!!! That's a massive difference and would really help even if I can't get it backdated!!!! Thank you so much!!!!! :T :beer: