Carers Allowance swapping claimants etc

confusedmuchly_2

Let me start by saying I am planning on calling the DWP to ask this on Monday but, given how flustered and intimidated I end up speaking with them, I wanted to try and get my facts straight first. In a similar vein, I know how topics on here can veer off so please, if you want to make sarcastic remarks, say how disabled/unemployed like sponging off the tax-payer etc etc, or have squabbles between yourselves, please start a different thread....deep breath and I'll try and explain though I do find "virtual conversations" are far more complicated than good old-fashioned chats that people once had!!!

My mother and I both get DLA HRC &HRM. My father received CA for my mother; no-one receives it for me. My mother applied but was told it clashed with her other benefits (she was on IB at the time, now ESA). I live with them so cannot claim the SDP. However, would it be doable to change my mother's CA claim to me, and my father could then claim CA for me; so each DLA recipient in the household has a paid out CA claim? Is that making any sense? TIA, (please be nice, its Christmas x)

nannytone_2

are you providing a minimum of 35 hours a week care for your mother?
does the care sje requires contradict your reasons for claiming DLA yourself??
for example ... your mother needs help washing and dressing.
if you also need help to wash and dress, you arent in a position to offer that help to another person

Mojisola

confusedmuchly wrote: »

My mother and I both get DLA HRC &HRM.

My father received CA for my mother; no-one receives it for me.

However, would it be doable to change my mother's CA claim to me, and my father could then claim CA for me; so each DLA recipient in the household has a paid out CA claim?

Your father cannot claim CA for two people.

If your needs mean that you can't provide 35 hours of care for your mother, you can't get CA for her - and vice versa.

Someone else from outside the household could claim CA for you if they spend enough hours looking after you.

Smokey_Joe

confusedmuchly wrote: »

Let me start by saying I am planning on calling the DWP to ask this on Monday but, given how flustered and intimidated I end up speaking with them, I wanted to try and get my facts straight first. In a similar vein, I know how topics on here can veer off so please, if you want to make sarcastic remarks, say how disabled/unemployed like sponging off the tax-payer etc etc, or have squabbles between yourselves, please start a different thread....deep breath and I'll try and explain though I do find "virtual conversations" are far more complicated than good old-fashioned chats that people once had!!!

My mother and I both get DLA HRC &HRM. My father received CA for my mother; no-one receives it for me. My mother applied but was told it clashed with her other benefits (she was on IB at the time, now ESA). I live with them so cannot claim the SDP. However, would it be doable to change my mother's CA claim to me, and my father could then claim CA for me; so each DLA recipient in the household has a paid out CA claim? Is that making any sense? TIA, (please be nice, its Christmas x)

Yes it is (making sense) and yes you could (have your father claiming for you and you claiming for your mother) provided you and your father each spend at least 35 hours per week caring, you for your mother and your father for yourself respectively.

Mojisola wrote: »

Your father cannot claim CA for two people.

If your needs mean that you can't provide 35 hours of care for your mother, you can't get CA for her - and vice versa.

Someone else from outside the household could claim CA for you if they spend enough hours looking after you.

This isn't what the OP is suggesting. See my response above.

pmlindyloo

The reason your mum was told not to apply for CA was because she was on IB which is an overlapping benefit with CA (both cannot be paid at the same time)

http://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Overlapping-benefits

However, now your mum is on ESA then she should be able to claim for you (if she meets the caring criteria). This may be more straightforward than what you are suggesting.

BUT this will depend on what benefits you are receiving and whether they are overlapping benefits.

AND you can still claim CA if you are on an overlapping benefit. You won't get the CA but could be awarded the premium (extra money) in your assessment for an income based benefit if you were on a contribution based one.

Sorry, very complicated.

So, either get a 'better off' calculation done at CAB or tell us all the benefits you and your family are getting, (or any income if your dad works) including whether they are income or contribution based and someone may be able to help further.

But the general answer is - you can claim CA if you are receiving DLA/PIP/AA yourself.

confusedmuchly_2

Thank you, I was worried this was going to descend into a personal interrogation and I didn't feel comfortable with that; we have no-one else outside we just all care for each other, and that's all I'm going to say.
But here's what we get:
Me - DLA HRC, HRM. ESA (support group)
Mother - As above
Father - 15hs pw @ min wage, CA.

nannytone_2

no one is interrogating you.
but in order to legitimately claim carers allowance, there are certain criteria that you need to meet. if you arent willing to tell us whether you meet that criteria or not then no one can advise you.
if your benefits are income related ( as opposed to contributions based) the extra CA will only gain you around £35 a week.
you already receive a sufficient amount as a family.... do you really want to go through claiming, and the possibility of your DLA claim being reviewed because you are now a 'carer' for the sake of £35?

pmlindyloo

confusedmuchly wrote: »

Thank you, I was worried this was going to descend into a personal interrogation and I didn't feel comfortable with that; we have no-one else outside we just all care for each other, and that's all I'm going to say.
But here's what we get:
Me - DLA HRC, HRM. ESA (support group)
Mother - As above
Father - 15hs pw @ min wage, CA.

For either you claiming or your mum.

I am presuming you are both on income based ESA.

Your Carer's Allowance will be treated as income so you would get it but the same amount would be deducted from your income based ESA. A Carer's Premium would then be added to your ESA which as Nannytone says is about £35 a week.

So Nannytone is correct. In money terms you would only be gaining about £35 a week.

tea-bag

I think sometimes it is hard to justify 35 hours of care if you exclude everyday stuff people do normally anyway like tidying up, cooking a meal, shoppingstuff like that. And when two disabled people claim for each other just seems unbelievable. Also carers allowance for looking after your own child? It is another one of those benefits that needs looking at very closely.

themull1

How can someone claim CA for themselves when they look after someone else? surely if you're well enough to care for someone else, you wouldn't need carers allowance for yourself, or am i missing something?

Poppie68

themull1 wrote: »

How can someone claim CA for themselves when they look after someone else? surely if you're well enough to care for someone else, you wouldn't need carers allowance for yourself, or am i missing something?

In total agreement... never understood it myself either.