PIP application with incurable cancer

BooJewels

Thanks for the confirmation - much appreciated. I was semi right, just confusing PIP and ESA. He was in hospital for about 6 weeks in 3 sessions - but only a few days between - so it would count as a continuous period.

But good that he'll get a bit of ESA backdated that I hadn't expected - just need to sort that form now.

Many thanks for your time - it's truly appreciated. My husband says he's very touched that strangers will give their time on a Sunday morning to help us, yet sometimes people that you might expect to be supportive, don't come through when you hope. Times like this are often quite eye opening in respect of human nature. 

BooJewels

BooJewels said:

But good that he'll get a bit of ESA backdated that I hadn't expected - just need to sort that form now;

Just to confirm that he got 6 weeks of ESA paid in today, although we've not had any advice about it yet.  If he were to get a routine payment as well this week of 2 weeks in arrears, that would sit right with my own revised estimate of the timing posted on page 2.  But I won't know for certain until we get something in writing.  He's having treatment today, so will get his CNS to look at the ESA50 form.

It's a bit of a relief after all of this effort to get some pennies in, there's been nothing since before Christmas, other than a bit of work I've done - which is nothing like as much as it should be.

calcotti

BooJewels said:

Just to confirm that he got 6 weeks of ESA paid in today, although we've not had any advice about it yet. 

Payments are often issued at the same time as the letters so the payment arrives before the letter.

calcotti

BooJewels said: It's a bit of a relief after all of this effort to get some pennies in, there's been nothing since before Christmas, other than a bit of work I've done - which is nothing like as much as it should be.

I've lost track of all your circumstances. I know your husband has claimed ESA and PIP. Have you checked to see if you are entitled to Universal Credit or are you excluded due to savings or not entitled because of other income?

BooJewels

calcotti said:

BooJewels said: It's a bit of a relief after all of this effort to get some pennies in, there's been nothing since before Christmas, other than a bit of work I've done - which is nothing like as much as it should be.

I've lost track of all your circumstances. I know your husband has claimed ESA and PIP. Have you checked to see if you are entitled to Universal Credit or are you excluded due to savings or not entitled because of other income

Yes, you're correct - other half has claimed ESA (CNS is filling in ESA50 as I type) and PIP. Macmillan recommended that I get a fit note and apply for UC, as I'm not in that good shape myself, but it doesn't sit well with me. We still have some rapidly-being-eroded savings, which would impact on what we'd get just now - but what feels like a better fit is to wait and see if he gets PIP and then apply for Carer's Allowance.

I'm supposedly self-employed - but looking after him and as an attorney for a couple of elderly family (supposed to be clearing the family home to sell too - more urgent since getting a letter today about Dad's care home fees going up 6.25%) has really eaten into my available time to spend working recently. So CA would allow me to do some, as and when.

Also got the ESA letter whilst typing, paid from 8th Jan and the weekly amount stated, but no dates as to what paid and when. I think he must also get a regular fortnightly payment this week, as it will be 9 weeks on Wednesday, minus the first one = 8 weeks and he's been paid 6 today.

calcotti

BooJewels said:

Macmillan recommended that I get a fit note and apply for UC, as I'm not in that good shape myself, but it doesn't sit well with me. 

You really shouldn't feel bad about claiming. The benefits system is there to help people in need. It would be worth having a benefits check done. 
All too often people do use up savings before claiming but this means they then have no financial cushion to deal with the unexpected.
If you do think about claiming UC it may be worth waiting until husband is in the ESA Support Group because then he will LCWRA element from start of UC claim.

Beenie

I haven't read all this thread, but has anyone recommended asking MacMillan welfare (not the nurses) to complete the PIP claim?

I used their service, had an appointment with them at the hospital, the MacMillan lady completed the form after asking questions and jointly deciding on the best way to describe my difficulties (stage 4 metastatic breast cancer). The whole thing took less than an hour and she posted it off to DWP.

Within 4-6 weeks I got full PIP for both daily and mobility needs, with no need to have a face-to-face, plus it was backdated. So my advice is to ring MacMillan.

BooJewels

calcotti said:

BooJewels said:

Macmillan recommended that I get a fit note and apply for UC, as I'm not in that good shape myself, but it doesn't sit well with me. 

You really shouldn't feel bad about claiming. The benefits system is there to help people in need. It would be worth having a benefits check done. 
All too often people do use up savings before claiming but this means they then have no financial cushion to deal with the unexpected.
If you do think about claiming UC it may be worth waiting until husband is in the ESA Support Group because then he will LCWRA element from start of UC claim.

I'm finding the whole process rather distasteful if I'm honest - having to lay your details bare before strangers for them to make judgements about you.  But having said that, my husband has paid 42 years of full NI and tax, so maybe he's more worthy than some - certainly more so that the bloke on the next table in the JC who admitted quite openly that he's never worked in the UK and wasn't born here.

Thanks for the tip about UC - probably by then, our savings will be be at an appropriate level too.  

BooJewels

Beenie said:

I haven't read all this thread, but has anyone recommended asking MacMillan welfare (not the nurses) to complete the PIP claim?

I used their service, had an appointment with them at the hospital, the MacMillan lady completed the form after asking questions and jointly deciding on the best way to describe my difficulties (stage 4 metastatic breast cancer). The whole thing took less than an hour and she posted it off to DWP.

Within 4-6 weeks I got full PIP for both daily and mobility needs, with no need to have a face-to-face, plus it was backdated. So my advice is to ring MacMillan.

Thanks for the tip Beenie - we did use the phone service of the Macmillan Welfare Rights people - if only because we can't easily get to a hospital with the Macmillan offices - his hospital doesn't have one.  Ironically, when we were already well on with it, he got an urgent cancellation appointment at a hospital that does and we got a lift there, but totally forgot about the office there and the form, so couldn't take advantage.

They primed me first about how to fill in the form, I then filled in a draft on a copy and then went through it again with them and they added a couple of additional pointers, but said that I'd done a really good job on it, but I'm not so sure.

You hear such horror stories about people with significant need, yet not scoring enough points, so I'm encouraged to hear that yours was both dealt with fairly quickly and that you had a good result.  I don't expect him to do well on mobility, we're not expecting to get enough points, but I would hope for daily living.

I wish you well.

NeilCr

Do try and ignore the horror stories. Yes there are some but many more people get the "correct" award for their circumstances

As we say regularly on this forum folk don't tend to post that they have received PIP on the internet. But they do when there have been problems.

Good luck to you and your husband. I do think it's really impressive how you are dealing with this