Carers Allowance swapping claimants etc

Somerset

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?

Nope, it's a scam. Part of the great benefits gravy train.

racon

tea-bag wrote: »

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.

Hey, Have you really got a problem with others asking the government for some financial help for those that care for others? The 35 hours INCLUDES ALL levels of care, even spending time on a telephone talking to the cared for person and travelling time to get to and from their home is part of the 35 hours. It doesn't matter what you are doing - if it involves any type of care, shopping, going for a prescription, doing their washing and ironing in your own home, even travelling to provide that care, it can and should be included.

racon

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?

Hey, Yes you are missing the point. If a couple, one is physically disabled and the other mentally disabled, even talking to each other, encouraging them, helping them is all classified as caring.

racon

Poppie68 wrote: »

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

Hey, then I doubt very much that you can understand how the disabled couples are able to carry on living in their homes instead of in care homes. Let's just hope that you never find yourself in a similar position, living with a disabled partner and with no one else to help you try to cope.

racon

Somerset wrote: »

Nope, it's a scam. Part of the great benefits gravy train.

Hey, what? All for an extra 30 odd quid a week?

GreenTed

Obviously it depends on what conditions/disabilities everyone has. I can understand someone not wanting to list those publicly - it is enough that the DWP & medical professions know, which is why there is such a thing as patient confidentiality.

Missing something? Of course anyone who isn't a carer or isn't disabled in a particular way, will be missing out on vital knowledge. Carers are also more likely to suffer health crises themselves. However by looking after one another & considering the hourly carers' "wage" (!), and that they definitely don't get to go home at the end of the day, or the 7-day week, carers are saving the country a magnificent amount of money, sadly at their own expense.

I sincerely hope that things do get sorted out for this family, without making anyone any more ill. I hope there is a support organisation out there to help with the minefield of battling to survive that's placed on the disabled & their carers.

kingfisherblue

tea-bag wrote: »

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.

I claim CA for caring for my severely disabled son. I cannot work as his care needs are constant, both day and night. When he is in school, I often catch up on my sleep. This is, of course, assuming that he doesn't have an appointment at one of the two hospitals he attends, or at one of the many clinics.


CA is a wage replacement benefit, although it is nowhere near the minimum wage. I wasn't in a highly paid job before (shop assistant), but it was far more than the £61 a week I currently receive. Admittedly since my (now ex) husband left me and my three children, I have also received income support and other benefits. Out of these benefits, I continue to pay my mortgage, insurance, etc.


Once, I might have agreed that parents shouldn't be paid to care for their children, but realistically, CA isn't much and does not replace wages. When you have a child with learning difficulties, double incontinence, communication difficulties, numerous medical problems, limited mobility, feeding difficulties, poor hearing and eyesight, and more, caring takes considerably more than 35 hours a week. This is in addition to 'normal' caring that you would do for your child anyway.


My son needs constant supervision at all times when he is awake, and after almost 17 years, I am still up every night dealing with his needs. He will need care for the rest of his life. £60 a week CA is far less than it would cost if he was in a residential facility.

racon

GreenTed wrote: »

Obviously it depends on what conditions/disabilities everyone has. I can understand someone not wanting to list those publicly - it is enough that the DWP & medical professions know, which is why there is such a thing as patient confidentiality.

Missing something? Of course anyone who isn't a carer or isn't disabled in a particular way, will be missing out on vital knowledge. Carers are also more likely to suffer health crises themselves. However by looking after one another & considering the hourly carers' "wage" (!), and that they definitely don't get to go home at the end of the day, or the 7-day week, carers are saving the country a magnificent amount of money, sadly at their own expense.

I sincerely hope that things do get sorted out for this family, without making anyone any more ill. I hope there is a support organisation out there to help with the minefield of battling to survive that's placed on the disabled & their carers.

Hey, well said.

tea-bag

racon wrote: »

Hey, Have you really got a problem with others asking the government for some financial help for those that care for others? The 35 hours INCLUDES ALL levels of care, even spending time on a telephone talking to the cared for person and travelling time to get to and from their home is part of the 35 hours. It doesn't matter what you are doing - if it involves any type of care, shopping, going for a prescription, doing their washing and ironing in your own home, even travelling to provide that care, it can and should be included.

In this case they live in the same house. And £3640 a year tax free extra as well as all the other benefits tops up to a very tidy sum for a household.

Are you being serious about talking is care? Maybe for someone who lives alone but not a couple. If that is the case sign me up I talk all the time.

It is a big fat con created mostly by lazy/faker people over exaggerating their impairment not disability to suck the system dry! I for one am glad people are now being re assessed and kicked off leaving money for people who really need it! Shame the scroungers and the lazy have jumped on this a give the genuine disabled a bad press.

there are too many forums helping fakers/lazy/think they are ill telling them how to fill out forms to maximise claims appeal and clog the system. Unfortunately MSE is one of them.

tea-bag

kingfisherblue wrote: »

I claim CA for caring for my severely disabled son. I cannot work as his care needs are constant, both day and night. When he is in school, I often catch up on my sleep. This is, of course, assuming that he doesn't have an appointment at one of the two hospitals he attends, or at one of the many clinics.


CA is a wage replacement benefit, although it is nowhere near the minimum wage. I wasn't in a highly paid job before (shop assistant), but it was far more than the £61 a week I currently receive. Admittedly since my (now ex) husband left me and my three children, I have also received income support and other benefits. Out of these benefits, I continue to pay my mortgage, insurance, etc.


Once, I might have agreed that parents shouldn't be paid to care for their children, but realistically, CA isn't much and does not replace wages. When you have a child with learning difficulties, double incontinence, communication difficulties, numerous medical problems, limited mobility, feeding difficulties, poor hearing and eyesight, and more, caring takes considerably more than 35 hours a week. This is in addition to 'normal' caring that you would do for your child anyway.


My son needs constant supervision at all times when he is awake, and after almost 17 years, I am still up every night dealing with his needs. He will need care for the rest of his life. £60 a week CA is far less than it would cost if he was in a residential facility.

Great and people like you deserve more however I believe for every 1 like you there is at least 5 milking the system. I would like to take that money away from them and give you more.

The fakers have this sussed out they can call on a multitude of charities who will defend them because they want to defend the disabled and needy and strange as it may seem so do I. I believe truly disabled deserve more but over the last 10 years the bandwagon has got to big and the truly needy are getting left at the bottom.