Carers allowance, I work, am I entitled?

Morglin

Shas21 wrote: »

Morglin wrote: »

To address other comments, DLA does not entitle anyone to free prescriptions or bandages and never has.



The whole purpose of DLA is to help with extra costs they may have because they are disabled. If he needs bandages as a result of his disability, then he should be paying for same from his own DLA money !!



(sorry don't know how to quote previous posts)

Yeah, I'm not disputing that, it was just that some previous posters seem to think that free prescriptions etc., came with DLA, and they don't.


Lin

rsdntbplr

I think the ignorance in this thread is terrible, especially in regards to the OP. Those people you're calling "scroungers" are often in a much more difficult position than you'd think! Some people on these benefits are unable to work at all because they're completely unfit for work. For example: I don't have the privellage of being able to drive or even hold a provisional driving license mainly due to the medications I've been stuck on by the people responsible for my "care". If I refuse to take them I get stuck on hospital away from my family against my will.

I live at my boyfriend's mother's house and he only earns about £120 a week, on minimum wage. He has to care for me now as my mum could no longer due to a new job opportunity so she couldn't afford to take the time off work to make sure I don't end up dead. He works four days a week one week and three days a week the other and whenever he's off work he has to give me my medication, keep a constant eye on me (when I'm by myself I'm vulnable to spontaneous and reckless actions), and he is often up ALL NIGHT while I'm crying, screaming and suffering from flashbacks, which pop up at any time. He doesn't get a penny for my care but he can't work any extra than 3-4 days a week because I don't have anyone else to replace him for the rest of the week.

I am always so grateful so I give him money out of my DLA for the care he provides. He doesn't ask for anything else, because we love each other and it's a part of the relationship.

I agree there are some people out there that abuse the welfare system. But when you overgeneralise us all as scroungers because we are not able to work whatsoever, it really is ignorance. My mother used to work as a carer for me and then when she was able to go to work, would care for people with terminal illness. She had to drive 70 miles every single weekend for 6 months to visit me in hospital and she didn't get a penny from the government as my DLA at the time stopped because I was in hospital. Did she complain and call genuinely ill people in benefits and not working at all scroungers? No. She didn't care because that's what you do for people you love.

Many people (including me) hate being on benefits and want to go back to work and drive and get a mortgage and work hard, but we can't. And I earned a lot more working than I do not! I miss working. But returning to work is not an option yet. My friend suffered from similar conditions as myself and committed suicide. In his suicide note he mentioned the guilt he felt from not working. It's not an easy life on benefits, as you may believe. And neither is suffering from an illness in which a doctor decides you're not fit for work!

If my boyfriend was ill and it was the other way around, I'd do the same. Don't expect sympathy and compassion when you slate others that you don't know with illnesses you don't understand. Maybe you should take a hint from your signature!

Morglin

Whose signature and who are you replying to?

Lin

rsdntbplr

Morglin wrote: »

Whose signature and who are you replying to?

Lin

The OP, Lin.

"If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all"

Morglin

Oh right, wondered what I'd done then lol

Lin

BigAunty

rsdntbplr wrote: »

I think the ignorance in this thread is terrible, especially in regards to the OP.

I think the negative posts are related to the fact that this issue appears to be a relationship issue or budgeting issue so there are judgements relating to this. The query relating to whether there is more state subsidy entitlement was answered long ago - the answer is that they are not due anything more from the public purse.

The OPs other half appears to have prioritised property ownership and a car and this has left him unable to afford quite basic medical costs. Running a house when there are no others to share expenses with can be ruinous. Running a car can also prove to be highly expensive. Since there are no more benefits due, their main options are to increase income (which lodgers will do) and decrease living expenses.

The OP should download the MSE budget planner and work through the site to identify where he could slash his costs - for example, identifying the lowest energy/telecoms/house and car insurance tariffs, frugal recipes and cheap groceries, etc.

rsdntbplr

BigAunty wrote: »

I think the negative posts are related to the fact that this issue appears to be a relationship issue or budgeting issue so there are judgements relating to this. The query relating to whether there is more state subsidy entitlement was answered long ago - the answer is that they are not due anything more from the public purse.

The OPs other half appears to have prioritised property ownership and a car and this has left him unable to afford quite basic medical costs. Running a house when there are no others to share expenses with can be ruinous. Running a car can also prove to be highly expensive. Since there are no more benefits due, their main options are to increase income (which lodgers will do) and decrease living expenses.

The OP should download the MSE budget planner and work through the site to identify where he could slash his costs - for example, identifying the lowest energy/telecoms/house and car insurance tariffs, frugal recipes and cheap groceries, etc.

I agree wholeheartedly with the last two paragraphs. One must budget when stuck in situations such as this.

I_Love_Shoes

rsdntbplr wrote: »

I think the ignorance in this thread is terrible, especially in regards to the OP. Those people you're calling "scroungers" are often in a much more difficult position than you'd think! Some people on these benefits are unable to work at all because they're completely unfit for work. For example: I don't have the privellage of being able to drive or even hold a provisional driving license mainly due to the medications I've been stuck on by the people responsible for my "care". If I refuse to take them I get stuck on hospital away from my family against my will.

I live at my boyfriend's mother's house and he only earns about £120 a week, on minimum wage. He has to care for me now as my mum could no longer due to a new job opportunity so she couldn't afford to take the time off work to make sure I don't end up dead. He works four days a week one week and three days a week the other and whenever he's off work he has to give me my medication, keep a constant eye on me (when I'm by myself I'm vulnable to spontaneous and reckless actions), and he is often up ALL NIGHT while I'm crying, screaming and suffering from flashbacks, which pop up at any time. He doesn't get a penny for my care but he can't work any extra than 3-4 days a week because I don't have anyone else to replace him for the rest of the week.

I am always so grateful so I give him money out of my DLA for the care he provides. He doesn't ask for anything else, because we love each other and it's a part of the relationship.

I agree there are some people out there that abuse the welfare system. But when you overgeneralise us all as scroungers because we are not able to work whatsoever, it really is ignorance. My mother used to work as a carer for me and then when she was able to go to work, would care for people with terminal illness. She had to drive 70 miles every single weekend for 6 months to visit me in hospital and she didn't get a penny from the government as my DLA at the time stopped because I was in hospital. Did she complain and call genuinely ill people in benefits and not working at all scroungers? No. She didn't care because that's what you do for people you love.

Many people (including me) hate being on benefits and want to go back to work and drive and get a mortgage and work hard, but we can't. And I earned a lot more working than I do not! I miss working. But returning to work is not an option yet. My friend suffered from similar conditions as myself and committed suicide. In his suicide note he mentioned the guilt he felt from not working. It's not an easy life on benefits, as you may believe. And neither is suffering from an illness in which a doctor decides you're not fit for work!

If my boyfriend was ill and it was the other way around, I'd do the same. Don't expect sympathy and compassion when you slate others that you don't know with illnesses you don't understand. Maybe you should take a hint from your signature!

The 'scroungers' I am referring to, are a couple we know through a friend of a friend, she got pregnant at 18 specifically to get a bigger council house and then smoked throughout her pregnancy, her boyfriend is claiming jobseekers and also does a few cash in hand days of work a week and obviously doesnt declare this (and earns more than I do with his benefits and cash in hand) yet they are comfortable with their big flat screen TV, designer clothes and eating steak dinners whilst also paying for a cannibis addiction. These are the kind of people that I am referring to, and unfortunately there are quite a few people out there like this.
Not once have I mentioned anybody with any kind of disability as being a scrounger, I know how hard it is and the point I am trying to make, is why do both him and me go out and work and struggle with looking after him because of this, yet some people who just cant be bothered get it all given to them. My boyfriend could, if he wanted to, give up his job and get a council house, he wouldn't need a car then because he wouldn't need to get to work, he would have a roof over his head and food on the table and probably wouldn't struggle as much as he does now. But he chooses to go out to work, even though he finds it hard being disabled (and his boss discriminates against him because of the time he has off sick) but he is too proud to do that, and doesnt want to let his disability stop him any more than it does already.
So for all of you having a go, saying we are money grabbing, think of the taxes him and me pay between us each month because we go out to work, it is a lot more than the benefits he receives.

rsdntbplr

I_Love_Shoes wrote: »

The 'scroungers' I am referring to, are a couple we know through a friend of a friend, she got pregnant at 18 specifically to get a bigger council house and then smoked throughout her pregnancy, her boyfriend is claiming jobseekers and also does a few cash in hand days of work a week and obviously doesnt declare this (and earns more than I do with his benefits and cash in hand) yet they are comfortable with their big flat screen TV, designer clothes and eating steak dinners whilst also paying for a cannibis addiction. These are the kind of people that I am referring to, and unfortunately there are quite a few people out there like this.
Not once have I mentioned anybody with any kind of disability as being a scrounger, I know how hard it is and the point I am trying to make, is why do both him and me go out and work and struggle with looking after him because of this, yet some people who just cant be bothered get it all given to them. My boyfriend could, if he wanted to, give up his job and get a council house, he wouldn't need a car then because he wouldn't need to get to work, he would have a roof over his head and food on the table and probably wouldn't struggle as much as he does now. But he chooses to go out to work, even though he finds it hard being disabled (and his boss discriminates against him because of the time he has off sick) but he is too proud to do that, and doesnt want to let his disability stop him any more than it does already.
So for all of you having a go, saying we are money grabbing, think of the taxes him and me pay between us each month because we go out to work, it is a lot more than the benefits he receives.

What you have described sounds like benefit fraud (cash in hand and not declaring it). Thus they should be reported for it. That's my view. Some people live around the corner from us and he doesn't declare any of his earnings and he earns hundreds cash-in-hand, so he didn't have to pay tax on it and their benefits were not adjusted accordingly. I had no issue reporting this.

Morglin

I think that there is a great danger in judging others - I've seen benefits from both sides, both working for the DWP, and then becoming disabled.

Life is rarely simple, and people have to what they do to survive, and it is impossible to judge others, with any accuracy.


We all make some choices, and you and your BF have chosen to work, and good for you, but we have to live with the results, and some on this thread have given you advice that ties in with how the law stands.


Lin