Tying up loose ends regarding stopping work and recovering from illness ..

another_casualty

Howdy !

I have always been in good health , and always employable ...until 2014!
In 2014 I was Diagnosed with myasthenia gravis . I kept on working through that and had to be admitted to hospital on 2 occasions in 2015. I was still in employment though , but left in November last year to start a new life as I’d had enough .

Over a year later I have not signed on or claimed any benefits as obviously you get nothing for six months if you quit on your own accord. I have over£15k in my bank account so again , I hear you get nothing . I did not quit through I’ll health btw but I do have a life changing illness . I am hugely overweight due to steroid .

I do want to work part time sometime next year , probably in the spring. You can probably tell that I am old school in my approach . I despise the thought of signing on , and being treated like crap by the gvt and it’s subsideries. However , I am probably missing out on my stamp which affects my pension when I retire at 67 in 12 years time.

I need to lose a huge amount of weight before looking for employment . I am a home moaner( small flat ) but am unsure what to do next . Do I go to my doctor ? When do I actually sign on? It has been over a year since my last spell of employment .
I find all this confusing , as the only time I signed on was 11 years ago. Not enjoyable but I managed to find something within a month .

Please advise

Thanks

pmlindyloo

From previous threads I believe you are single?

The first thing to do is check whether you are in a live service area for Universal Credit (which has gateway conditions) or a full service area which doesn't.

Use this link and come back and tell us.

How much do you currently have in savings?

From what you have said I do not believe that you would be entitled to contribution based benefits so it would be means tested benefits.

TELLIT01

The OP needs to check to see if they have sufficient NI contributions to claim Conts only ESA. Sadly, as they have been surviving off savings for the past year I suspect that they will no longer qualify.
No help to the OP, but it really is important that people claim as soon as employment ceases, or as soon as they are sick and have no income. When I was working on ESA I had many conversations with people who didn't claim because they had savings. They had worked all their lives and just assumed, totally wrongly, that they would be able to get help further down the track.

Alice_Holt

pmlindyloo wrote: »

From what you have said I do not believe that you would be entitled to contribution based benefits so it would be means tested benefits.

Reading his post on this thread, I wondered if the OP would have sufficient NI contributions through employment in the last two tax years to claim New Style (Contributions based) ESA.
Always assuming he can get a fit note.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-style-employment-and-support-allowance

I would have thought (unless the OP is certain he doesn't satisfy the NI contribution requirement in 2014/5 and 2015/16) that it might be worth an application this year.
(As if he delays till 2018 then the relevant tax years move to 2015/16 & 2016/17).

OP - what NI contributions have you made through employment in these tax years. Does it fulfil the criteria in the link above?

TELLIT01

Alice, I agree the OP needs to get an application for ESA in during this month as it is almost certain they won't have the NI contributions once the new tax years kick in.

pmlindyloo

Alice_Holt wrote: »

Reading his post on this thread, I wondered if the OP would have sufficient NI contributions through employment in the last two tax years to claim New Style (Contributions based) ESA.
Always assuming he can get a fit note.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-style-employment-and-support-allowance

I would have thought (unless the OP is certain he doesn't satisfy the NI contribution requirement in 2014/5 and 2015/16) that it might be worth an application this year.
(As if he delays till 2018 then the relevant tax years move to 2015/16 & 2016/17).

OP - what NI contributions have you made through employment in these tax years. Does it fulfil the criteria in the link above?

Sorry, mixed up my years..

Agree OP should make a claim for new style ESA.

another_casualty

Wow ! Thanks for the input so far . I will look at the links provided later.
On mobile due to fault in broadband . Yes I am a single male with no children
I received a cheque from inland revenue of £733.00 do to overpayment of tax. I received this last week.

I have been working with this employer permanently since 2009 ( I was working as a temp for them and other companies previously to this).
I was working in a permanent job from March 2003-2006 best job ever but then got made redundant in Christmas 2006.
More info available
Thanks

another_casualty

I have just browsed the fit note ( Thanks Alice holt ) . Tbh , I don’t think I would have any chance . Not that I’m too proud , but my condition is confusing . Apart from being a fat so and so ( thanks prednisolone ) I don’t look too bad . My condition is tiredness related and the there are people in a lot worse state than myself .
We’ve all heard the reports in the news about how some people who are really really unfit to work are treated appallingly bad.

Obviously one of the reasons I posted here is because my friends don’t seem to grasp my situation . They think that I’m taking too long to either look for work or sign on . I went through major upheaval rather than lie down and carry on living 10 yers of misery.
I thought I’d have myself up and running in 6 months . Myasthenia says no. The best option would be imho for my doctor to sign me off for say 6 -12 months and within that time I find employment .
Then I’m back and not claiming anything and everything is hunky dory . Life isn’t like that tho

xylophone

Have you obtained a state pension statement?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

another_casualty

xylophone wrote: »

Have you obtained a state pension statement?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

Thanks xylophone . I’ve created an account from scratch now the site doesn’t recognise me . I will persevere after dinner

another_casualty

Okay...( or not)
National insurance record : 39 years full contributions - 12 years to contribute before 5 April 2029

I have been in a contracted out pension scheme

So state pension forecast : £167.63 a week / £728.89 per month/ £8,746. 69 a year .

Then the caveats : not a guarantee ££167.63 a week is the most i can get . Blah blah blah