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Benefit advice for ill daughter please.
Brightcookie
Posts: 1 Newbie
My daughter is 20 soon to be 21. Up until September 2014 she was a full time university student just about to embark on her final year of her Psychology degree.
Over the later part of the Summer and all during September she was unwell. She saw 4 x GPs who all thought she had urine or kidney infections. Never seemed to get better even with the prescribed antibiotics. Her father and I took her back to university at the end of September and she saw her University GP two days later. This was the first doctor who listened to her lungs. Referred her immediately to hospital. Pneumonia, fluid around her lungs, needed to be drained. But what had caused the pneumonia in a young fit woman in the first place? University town hospital drained a couple of pints of fluid and recommended she returned to home town for further investigation. MRI, CAT, CRIC scans and biopsy all done, long story short a tumour the size of a mans hands clasped together in her (dress size 8) chest.
She has deferred her final year of university until September 2015. She managed to find another student to take over the financial responsibility of her accommodation, from January 2015, that she had signed up for in January 2014 and she came home for treatment. Her life has changed from a studious, beautiful, bright cookie with her life moving forward in a positive and promising way to a train crash.
Speaking to one of her surgeons he said that if the tumour had been higher she could lose the use of her arms, lower the use of her legs, bowels, bladder! Simply terrifying. He also mentioned that this was so rare he only sees about 15 of this sort of tumour a year from a pool of 8,000,000 people. So probably more of a chance of being hit by a bus!
On the 15th & 16th December 2014 she had major spinal and thoracic surgery to have the tumour removed (2 x surgeons doing their 'thing' over two days whilst she was kept unconscious for 48 hours). Sending an outwardly fit and healthy young person through the doors to be taken to theatre and then next seeing her unconscious in Intensive Care not knowing if she would be paralysed (which was one of the risks of this type of surgery) was the most awful experience. Not once has she complained, cried or lamented 'why me Mummy' and although it took some time to get her post operative pain under control she never complained, never once. Only spoke to the doctors and nursed in a measured way about how much on a scale of 1-10 it hurt. I'm in total awe of her bravery. We now have her home and each day she gets a little better. She is not out of the woods quite yet as she still needs to find out if the tumour was benign or malignant and if further treatment is needed. But if there is one lesson we have learnt over the last few months it's that each step has to be taken with care and slowly.
So now we come to my actual question, I'm sorry to have 'gone on' rather. She has been unwell since the end of the Summer but I would say the clock started ticking at the end of September when she spent a few days in hospital in her university town. She of course could not continue with her studies so no student loan, she could not start to look for work, she was unemployable..would you start employing someone who needs to be back and forth from hospital? I wouldn't. She is now recovering from two massive operations. Where does she stand re benefits? She is living at home, we don't charge her rent..how could we? She had to pay for her university accommodation for the entirety of the September -January period and so has no income at all except for what her father and I provide. Can she back date any benefits? Who do we talk to? The last time I claimed anything was in the mid 1980's so I've not a clue. Any help, advice, support or pointers would be simply wonderful and much appreciated.
SC.
Over the later part of the Summer and all during September she was unwell. She saw 4 x GPs who all thought she had urine or kidney infections. Never seemed to get better even with the prescribed antibiotics. Her father and I took her back to university at the end of September and she saw her University GP two days later. This was the first doctor who listened to her lungs. Referred her immediately to hospital. Pneumonia, fluid around her lungs, needed to be drained. But what had caused the pneumonia in a young fit woman in the first place? University town hospital drained a couple of pints of fluid and recommended she returned to home town for further investigation. MRI, CAT, CRIC scans and biopsy all done, long story short a tumour the size of a mans hands clasped together in her (dress size 8) chest.
She has deferred her final year of university until September 2015. She managed to find another student to take over the financial responsibility of her accommodation, from January 2015, that she had signed up for in January 2014 and she came home for treatment. Her life has changed from a studious, beautiful, bright cookie with her life moving forward in a positive and promising way to a train crash.
Speaking to one of her surgeons he said that if the tumour had been higher she could lose the use of her arms, lower the use of her legs, bowels, bladder! Simply terrifying. He also mentioned that this was so rare he only sees about 15 of this sort of tumour a year from a pool of 8,000,000 people. So probably more of a chance of being hit by a bus!
On the 15th & 16th December 2014 she had major spinal and thoracic surgery to have the tumour removed (2 x surgeons doing their 'thing' over two days whilst she was kept unconscious for 48 hours). Sending an outwardly fit and healthy young person through the doors to be taken to theatre and then next seeing her unconscious in Intensive Care not knowing if she would be paralysed (which was one of the risks of this type of surgery) was the most awful experience. Not once has she complained, cried or lamented 'why me Mummy' and although it took some time to get her post operative pain under control she never complained, never once. Only spoke to the doctors and nursed in a measured way about how much on a scale of 1-10 it hurt. I'm in total awe of her bravery. We now have her home and each day she gets a little better. She is not out of the woods quite yet as she still needs to find out if the tumour was benign or malignant and if further treatment is needed. But if there is one lesson we have learnt over the last few months it's that each step has to be taken with care and slowly.
So now we come to my actual question, I'm sorry to have 'gone on' rather. She has been unwell since the end of the Summer but I would say the clock started ticking at the end of September when she spent a few days in hospital in her university town. She of course could not continue with her studies so no student loan, she could not start to look for work, she was unemployable..would you start employing someone who needs to be back and forth from hospital? I wouldn't. She is now recovering from two massive operations. Where does she stand re benefits? She is living at home, we don't charge her rent..how could we? She had to pay for her university accommodation for the entirety of the September -January period and so has no income at all except for what her father and I provide. Can she back date any benefits? Who do we talk to? The last time I claimed anything was in the mid 1980's so I've not a clue. Any help, advice, support or pointers would be simply wonderful and much appreciated.
SC.
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Comments
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I'm very sorry to hear your daughter is going through this, hopefully she will continue to improve quickly.
I believe that as she has deferred University she won't be entitled to ESA as she is still considered a full time student. (It doesn't make sense to me either! Hopefully somebody with more knowledge will be able to explain it.)
Does she have personal care/mobility needs? If so she should put in an application for PIP, although given how long it is taking for these to be processed she may still be without money for some time.0 -
Employment & Support Allowance - income related type possibly under special circumstances if tumour is malignant & she needs chemo/radiotherapy.0
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Is it perhaps worth asking the University Welfare and Rights office for some help? They can be a terrific source of advice.
I'm truly sorry about your daughter.
x 0 -
Horseunderwater wrote: »Employment & Support Allowance - income related type possibly under special circumstances if tumour is malignant & she needs chemo/radiotherapy.
As I understand it - not even if 'special rules' can people wanting to claim IR-ESA without also being entitled to DLA or PIP claim - if they are still registered for a full time course, and have not permanently withdrawn.0 -
If PIP is awarded would an IR-ESA claim be backdated. And given how long PIP claims are taking how would that work practically ie would she need to apply for IR-ESA now even if she's not entitled without a PIP award.rogerblack wrote: »As I understand it - not even if 'special rules' can people wanting to claim IR-ESA without also being entitled to DLA or PIP claim - if they are still registered for a full time course, and have not permanently withdrawn.
And would she entitled to Conts ESA whilst deferred from Uni? (if she's entitled to Conts-ESA in the first place!)
I really don't get the deferred from Uni thing, if she had a full time job and SSP ran out wouldn't she be entitled to ESA despite having a full time job to go back to? Sorry, just my mind wandering!0 -
http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/employment-and-support-allowance-overview
See Section 16 "Students" - there is a help line.0 -
Being entitled to conts ESA seems unlikely.GirlFromMars wrote: »And would she entitled to Conts ESA whilst deferred from Uni? (if she's entitled to Conts-ESA in the first place!)
'20, soon to be 21' - final year of uni.
They would need to have been working significantly in addition to uni in order to have the required contributions in 2012/13 and 13/14.
Conts-based ESA can be paid while at uni, as I understand it.0 -
I can't help with the benefits advice, but I just wanted to send much love and strength to your daughter. Just imagine what an asset someone with a psychology degree and the empathy derived from her life experience will be to an employer. How proud you will be on her graduation day xBlackpool_Saver is female, and does not live in Blackpool0
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Like others have said get in contact with University they maybe able to help or very least provide evidence when she attended to where she is up to in her education etc.
some information that might be helpful
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/coping-with-cancer/coping-practically/financial-support/government-benefits
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx
Once you sort your daughters' benefit you may be entitled to carers allowance:
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/HowWeCanHelp/Carers.aspx?origin=homepage-bottom-page-panel
https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/overview
http://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/financial-support/help-with-benefits/carers-allowance0
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