Severe Disablement Allowance & Carer's Allowance

Olana

jetplane wrote: »

OK my query regards do others rely on you for advice and who trained you was in reference to the fact that based on your own posts you do not seem to know the benefit system. Did I misunderstand when you said you were an online benefits adviser on ESA for 3 n half years?

Regards Income Based ESA, the SDP, CP, EDP, premiums are not paid as additional benefits or income they are added to your applicable amount which is your basic allowances and any additional premiums. Any income is then deducted from the applicable amount and you are paid any top up. Currently you are already above this.

Each additional premium increases your applicable amount which can result in you receiving a top up. Do you have a calculation to show that all of the relevant premiums were included in your IB ESA calculation? If so check to see the SDP may already have been included. If you have a mortgage they should also calculate this in with the assessment for possible mortgage interest payments. The premiums should also be included in any housing benefit and council tax benefit calculations.

I take it any working tax credit is also paid to your OH? I appreciate you do not wish to discuss why you stay with him but if he has his DLA, earnings and WTC, does he pay all of the bills, rent, mortgage etc? If not is there an element of financial abuse here?

Did you never receive CB ESA?

I actually said I'm advisor for ESA - which I know inside out, back to front, and upside down - as you'd expect me to. I have a 100% success rate with my clients. I simply have not been well enough to expand beyond ESA ... yet ... I say tentatively.

It had been my understanding, that SDP was a premium that went with DLA; that a person could either claim SDP, or their partner could claim Carer's. As I said, I work with ESA only, so I am not so familiar with DLA. This premium had come up in a thread about "benefits that are not well publicised", before I was receiving DLA myself. From what you're saying, I'm going to conclude that the reason it wasn't well publicised is because the information was incorrect.

I do not receive any money for ESA. So, no premiums are being added to it.

I don't think my OH is receiveing working tax credits. I'm so sorry, but I can't answer the other questions publically - if there is the ability to do so on this forum, please PM me, and I'll explain why, and answer them. You know though - I've never even thought of "financial abuse" as being a thing. Maybe I should.

I never received CB-ESA, no. I've been out of full time work since 2002. I was married until 2010 to a guy who wouldn't allow me to make any claims. He paid my NI every year, but even though he paid the premium amount, it didn't enable me to claim benefits when I became single.

The long and short of the matter at hand though - from what we do understand of the situation, I can't claim SDP?

pmlindyloo

Presumably you know what your OH earns as this would have been used in your ESA assessment.

Did you also inform then that you were receiving CA and DLA (and the components) and that your OH was receiving DLA?

You could try putting your details into the benefit calculator on here

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/benefits-check

and see if it matches up with your entitlements.

Do you claim housing benefit? Council Tax Reduction? How old are you both?

jetplane

Olana wrote: »

The long and short of the matter at hand though - from what we do understand of the situation, I can't claim SDP?

No the long and short of the matter is that you can't claim SDP, it is not a benefit as such, it is a premium. With respect you said you were a benefits advisor on ESA and if you know ESA inside out, back to front and upside down you will know what premiums are. Therefore i can only assume I misunderstood your role.

Why not ask your CAB for a benefits check or use entitled2 to check your income? Here is a link to the benefit rates if you look under ESA you can see that premiums are not a stand alone benefit but a collection of amounts which are added together and offset against your income.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/275291/Benefit_and_Pension_rates_2014-15.pdf

Olana

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Presumably you know what your OH earns as this would have been used in your ESA assessment.

Did you also inform then that you were receiving CA and DLA (and the components) and that your OH was receiving DLA?

You could try putting your details into the benefit calculator on here

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/benefits-check

and see if it matches up with your entitlements.

Do you claim housing benefit? Council Tax Reduction? How old are you both?

I actually can't remember what my OH's earnings were when I applied for ESA. When I ask him he has a tendency to deduct tax, or deduct bills, etc, rather than giving me a straight answer. I believe he's earning over 24k though - he's a part time PCB Engineer if that gives anyone any clues.

When I went through the ESA process, I wasn't in receipt of anything else, but yes, they knew of his DLA and earnings.

I actually used the calculator half way through this conversation lol. There are a few places in it in which I'm not entirely clear on what it means, though, so I may have got it wrong.

Can't claim HB, council tax, etc - we're 35 and 36.

Blackpool_Saver

I would refuse to live in a situation where paperwork with exact figures were not shared, you could end up doing something wrong and be overpaid

pmlindyloo

I have purposely not commented on the OP's relationship with her OH.

We do not know her disabilities and we do not know if she has extra costs associated with these.

We do not know whether the OP's husband pays the rent/council tax/bills/food etc etc.

We do not know whether the OP has any costs towards the household at all or whether the DLA and CA is for her personal use only.

There are often threads on here about how people share their finances. Many people keep their finances separate for one reason or another.

If the OP is unhappy with her financial situation then she, no doubt, realises that she has options.

If the OP's husband is earning at least £24000 then it is very likely that they will not be entitled to any benefits, even with the extra premiums.

jetplane

Olana I agree with pmlindyloo without your OH's details it is pointless you trying to claim any other benefits especially if he earns over 24k and much depends on how much you have to pay into the household.

Some of the other boards on here have great advice for budgeting and if you list your income / outgoings someone could help you.

Regards your offering to explain in a PM, please don't feel you have to explain or justify yourself to anyone on here, you will get many opinions on a forum but they do not know your real life situation.

Good Luck

von

Severe Disability Premium is included (if you qualify for it) as part of your Income-Related ESA assessment. Irrespective of how much your partner is earning, if he is working 24 hours per week or more then you are not entitled to ESA(IR).