Disability benefit

Benno_0214

Hi, my brother has recently been signed of work as his disability now means he can no longer stand for more than a few minutes at a time.
This injury was sustained whilst he was serving in the army.
We went to citizens advice to see what he is entitled to claim and initially it seemed good news, however when he disclosed his girlfriends savings (over £20,000 from inheritance) the amount he could claim dropped to nothing.
He has zero access to his girlfriends money and she has made it clear that she won't be giving him access to anything.
Has anybody got any ideas what he can do? He can't live on zero income, yet he doesn't want to split from his partner as they are expecting a child.
It's quite a worrying situation and I can't believe his girlfriends savings affect his entitlement.
Thanks in advance!

Torry_Quine

Has he been working and paying NI contributions for the previous two years? If he has then he would be able to get contribution based ESA for at least a year. If not enough contributions then he can only get income based which takes a partners income and savings into account so he isn't entitled. As his partner she would be expected to support him

pmlindyloo

Benno_0214 wrote: »

Hi, my brother has recently been signed of work as his disability now means he can no longer stand for more than a few minutes at a time.
This injury was sustained whilst he was serving in the army.
We went to citizens advice to see what he is entitled to claim and initially it seemed good news, however when he disclosed his girlfriends savings (over £20,000 from inheritance) the amount he could claim dropped to nothing.
He has zero access to his girlfriends money and she has made it clear that she won't be giving him access to anything.
Has anybody got any ideas what he can do? He can't live on zero income, yet he doesn't want to split from his partner as they are expecting a child.
It's quite a worrying situation and I can't believe his girlfriends savings affect his entitlement.
Thanks in advance!

This link might be useful for your brother:

https://www.gov.uk/claim-for-injury-received-while-serving

As regards your brother and his partner's refusal to help financially then obviously this is something that he and she will need to work out.

The only other benefit that he may be eligible for is PIP which is not means tested.

Google for more details. It is intended for those who have care/mobility needs.

McKneff

The first thing I would do in his position is get rid of the selfish girlfriend.

Benno_0214

Yes pip was mentioned at citizens advice, and I have also suggested he contact the army regarding his injury to see if anything can be done from there side.
Yes I have thought the same with his girlfriend but this is a really difficult subject... I can't exactly tell him his only option is to leave her if she won't help him financially.
This is a tough situation he has got into.

xylophone

Is he entitled to an immediate pension from the army on grounds of ill health?

http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-support/?gclid=CPPG6tTipsgCFYiE2wod1qcONQ

tomtontom

Would a more sedentary job be an option?

pmlindyloo

If he has been signed off work why is he not getting statutory sick pay?

tomtom256

skcollobcat10 wrote: »

She probably wants to safeguard the inheritance she received from her family for her and her childs future.

She might possibly feel more secure in the relationship when he has shown a certain level of commitment eg marriage.

I kept my finances separate when just having a live in boyfriend, it was only years later when they showed they wanted a more secure future as a couple that finances were shared and we worked more as a team.

How many years makes it a secure realtionship?

Some people get married after weeks, doesn't make it any more secure!

Benno_0214

tomtontom wrote: »

Would a more sedentary job be an option?

Unfortunately at the moment the only partially comfortable position for him is lying down, so long as he is loaded up on Valium and Tramadol...:-/

Benno_0214

Thanks all; he has an appointment with CAB to progress the benefits application in the next couple of weeks (a long wait!).
At the initial consultation it seemed he would be eligible for:
ESA contribution and income related
Possibly PIP
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Relief
Plus, once private joint tenancy agreement expires in April next year he would go onto priority Local Housing list
Once the g/f's inheritance was mentioned most of the above was looking very unlikely, including the LA housing list.
He is threatening to pay for his bills on credit card for the next few months which is a worrying downward spiral.
The way that his boss has laid him off has been incorrectly done, with no 4 week notice given and the money owed to him has been dismissed (this is a separate matter which we are helping him with!). So, sick pay hasn't come in to the equation.
In terms of Army, we need to reopen his case, I guess, because as far as they were concerned, he wasn't fixed but he was in employment, now that he is medically unemployed I think he has grounds to seek further compensation to cover the coming weeks/months/years of zero work. Do you have any suggestions other than the British Legion to support him with this?
He is a hardworking young lad and it is killing him and his ego not being able to continue with his work.