Really entitled to nothing?

Mojisola

If there is a local RNID (now Action on Hearing Loss) group around, see if they have any benefit advisors.

http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/supporting-you/factsheets-and-leaflets/benefits.aspx

pmlindyloo

Just to summarise.

Your friend can claim income based benefits if she has savings/capital less than £16000. The house she lives in does not count as capital.

So she can claim income based Job Seekers Allowance (apply online) and council tax support (form available from council) At the same time when she visits her local council she needs to inform them of her partner's death so she can claim a single person's discount on her council tax.

When she claims JSA she should tell her advisor that she has been recently bereaved. They should allow her some time when she does not have to work related activities but she should apply asap.

She can claim child benefit.

She can claim child tax credits. She needs to inform tax credits of her change of circumstances so she can make a single claim instead of the joint one.

It is strange that CAB have said she cannot claim anything.

Is it possible that she has access to any joint bank accounts? In which case the money will become hers even though they were not married.

Is there life insurance where she was the named beneficiary? Perhaps when you speak to her again you will find out more. You could go with her to CAB and find out exactly why she is not entitled to means tested benefits. Perhaps she has misunderstood them.

Indie_Kid

If she claims JSA, she can have limits placed on what jobs and the time she can work due to her caring respnsibilities and her disabilities.

Ames

I think the parents are the big problem, and a solution would depend on why they're giving her such bad and unqualified advice.

They might just be trying to save her even more stress, concerned that she could make herself ill for nothing. If so, would you be able to arrange an appointment with a welfare rights specialist (look for DIAL or similar) at her home, where they can go through everything - what she's entitled to, the process, how much they can do to help?

I think, though, that it sounds more like they just don't want her to be on benefits, because of stigma maybe, or a worry that once she's on them she'll never get off. I'm not sure what you could do about that, I don't know how close you are to the family and whether you could help without being seen to be interfering.

Indie_Kid

McKneff wrote: »

I used to play hell when a teacher said 'we make allowances for your daughters eyesight because she wears glasses' Madness.... if she is wearing her glasses which she never took off apart from bedtime then she actually had 20,20 vision.....

Doesn't work like this. I am lucky if, on a good day I've got more than 50% corrected vision in my good eye. If she's got 20/20 vision, then she shouldn't need allowances.

Errata

Mojisola wrote: »

If there is a local RNID (now Action on Hearing Loss) group around, see if they have any benefit advisors.

http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/supporting-you/factsheets-and-leaflets/benefits.aspx

That would be one option, another would be the Social Work Team for hearing disabled people. From the description the OP gives of her friend's hearing loss they might be best placed to inform and advise the friend on benefits and also on technical aids eg at the moment if the child suddenly becomes very ill or has a serious accident, the friend can't phone for an ambulance so an emergency alarm system would be very appropriate.

sazaccount

Hi,

Can your friend contact any of the charities associated with her deafness? Either though the doctors/EMT departments they normally have posters up. If she signs it might be easier for her to communicate with them. A lot of charities have specialist benefits advisor's or will be able to point her in the right direction.

She (and her parents) might take what they are saying as they are the ones who deal in this area over a "friend" (I'm not saying that your giving bad advise but that they may believe a professional)

Sorry if that doesn't make sense I'm feeling slightly sleep deprived lol.
xx

Newly_retired

If her parents are putting obstacles in the way of her getting benefits, are they prepared to support her financially?