Think I have messed up on tax credits

tomtontom

MLPforyou wrote: »

FBaby our situation is a complicated one. But trust me, I would much rather my husband could work and I didn't have a special needs child.

I have heard it before, how can a disabled person care for another disabled person. It isn't difficult to understand, disabilities are all different as you know, my husband's disability means that right now he can't work but that doesn't mean he can't give the care to my son that he needs. I have no idea why you find that amazing or why that is a reason for disability benefits need reviewing. Of course people might assume that my husband is just work shy and can really work as he can care for our son, heard it before and the ignorance just astounds me.

Anyway, I got the help I came here for, so thank you to those who put my mind at ease, the rest of it is neither here or there really.

But apparently your husband cannot meet his own care needs? It's not the inability to work that is in question, it's someone that claims to meet the high standards required for DLA, yet provides a high level of care for someone else.

I'm not unsympathetic to your situation, but it does appear contradictory.

pmlindyloo

MLPforyou wrote: »

Currently receiving WTC.

I was contracted to work for 24 hours then I went onto bank work and told WTC that I would be working between 16-20 hours a week. I only need to work 16 hours a week to get WTC as my husband is disabled.

There has been a few weeks where I haven't quite hit 16 hours. Some due to illness, other times due to unpaid breaks and not working enough shifts meant I went just under 16 hours. Some weeks I have done over 16.

I didn't think much of it because it was just a bad period with sickness etc but I just now had an awful thought that I should have contacted them every time my hours didn't hit 16. From now on I will be working 16 hours at least due to an improvement in my health but I'm really worried now.

I have been doing bank work since the end of Jan. When it comes to renewing my tax credits they are going to ask for proof of hours worked aren't they? I plan to call them first thing on Monday to inform them of the situation but I'm really worried right now.

Can anyone offer any advice please?

If you were off sick then you would still be considered as working the contracted hours which are........? Or are you on a zero hours contract?

nannytone_2

tomtontom wrote: »

But apparently your husband cannot meet his own care needs? It's not the inability to work that is in question, it's someone that claims to meet the high standards required for DLA, yet provides a high level of care for someone else.

I'm not unsympathetic to your situation, but it does appear contradictory.

i get DLA
i am blind
i cannot cook safely
i cannot tell if my clothes are stained
i cannot tell if my house has dirty marks on the wall.

if i lived with someone unable to walk and in a wheelchair ...
they could supervise me cooking
they could tell me that my clothes are unstained
they can tell me if the doors need wiping down
they could guide me when i am outdoors

so they are providing the care i need even though they need care themselves ?

Darksparkle

pmlindyloo wrote: »

If you were off sick then you would still be considered as working the contracted hours which are........? Or are you on a zero hours contract?

Your only considered to be working your normal hours if on SSP, ESA etc.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/tctmanual/TCTM02421.htm

Darksparkle

tomtontom wrote: »

But apparently your husband cannot meet his own care needs? It's not the inability to work that is in question, it's someone that claims to meet the high standards required for DLA, yet provides a high level of care for someone else.

I'm not unsympathetic to your situation, but it does appear contradictory.

We don't know what type of DLA he is on. He could be on mobility only.

Either way, it doesn't actually matter whether we agree or not. It's gov the make the rules, not the OP so why get on at her?

FBaby

if you live with another disabled person, then caring for each other is part of normal life, just in the same way as non disabled families care for each other.

I believe CA is to provide care in addition to normal care. The question is how someone who is so disabled they can't do any work able to do what is in essence is a full-time job.

I read somewhere recently that CA has been considered the most fraudulently claimed benefit. The reason why nothing is done about it is because the costs of investigating cases, knowing how difficult it would be to prove the claimant is not providing 35 hours care, is not worth the actual total cost of the fraud, so they rather focus investigating HB fraud which is easier to prove and yields better savings.

nannytone_2

FBaby wrote: »

I believe CA is to provide care in addition to normal care. The question is how someone who is so disabled they can't do any work able to do what is in essence is a full-time job.

I read somewhere recently that CA has been considered the most fraudulently claimed benefit. The reason why nothing is done about it is because the costs of investigating cases, knowing how difficult it would be to prove the claimant is not providing 35 hours care, is not worth the actual total cost of the fraud, so they rather focus investigating HB fraud which is easier to prove and yields better savings.

i was talking about disabled people providing care for each other, rather than claiming carers allowance.

but if i lived with someone, they would need to provide an awful lot of care for me although i am able bodied.
try walking around with your eyes shut for 24 hours and you might begin to appreciate how almost everything is made more difficult because sight is our primary sense.
yet someone in a wheelchair, totally unable to walk or even move their arms could provide me the full amount of help i need

MLPforyou

The poster above explains it perfectly.

Obviously my husband can give my son the care he needs. That doesn't mean he isn't disabled and can work though. They are two very different things.

Another example

Someone with a mental health illness

They might have severe social anxiety and they might not be able to hold down a job, maybe they have schizophrenia and can't cope outside the home very well, but that doesn't mean that when they are at home they can't supervise their older child who still needs a lot of supervising in the home so they don't harm themselves due to their special needs.

If you care for your child for 30 hours a week and they are on DLA you are entitled to carers. The care they need is going to vary massively between every child. One child might need very intense physical care but another might just need more supervision because they can't be left on their own because they might do something dangerous but there is no physical care to provide as such.

If a disabled person can meet the needs of the other disabled person then they are entitled to CA and there is nothing wrong with that. There are a million and one different disabilities which means a disabled person can meet the needs of another disabled person while not being able to work outside the home.

The one thing I would like to see is more support for those who are disabled to get back into work if that is at all possible. The way things stand right now there is crap all support and bosses will never employ someone who can't always be reliable. It's hard enough to get a job as it is, throw in a CV with huge gaps and being unreliable due to your disability and you're pretty screwed.

Self employment is great, if you actually have the skills to start your own business. Which is where my husband's future hopefully lies when things are better and he can train.

dippy3103

Take my son and I. He has various learning disabilities (he's 9) and I have arthritis and need help to put some clothes on. So we care for each other. I work full time so don't claim CA, but I provide care far more than the average child's Mum. I probably would qualify for some PIP but don't want to go through the fairly intrusive application process.