How many holidays can you go on if on disability benefits?

elsien

nannytone_2 said:

And paying travel, accommodation for minimally 2 other people?
Consider the OP 8s in a regime of forced medication... urt they are allowed to go to another country ALONE for 4 weeks?  Seriously?

Depo injections are usually 4 weekly. The whole point is to keep people well so if they are having the medication then they should in theory stay well. So not ruled out by a thorough risk assessment. 

And FWIW CTO can’t enforce medication in the community, it’s there as a mechanism to recall to hospital if someone stops taking meds and subsequently becomes ill. It’s the possibility of hospital recall that tends to make people comply. 

And why would they be paying for a minimum of two other people? 1 to 1 would be more usual, which I’ve done for abroad holidays with people. 

OP may or may not be giving an accurate picture but I also think you are erring too far in the other direction. Any way, I’m out now as all any of us can do is speculate. 

nannytone_2

Fno one is expected to work 24/7 fot 7 days.  The OP states 'support staff' and not a support worker.  Clearly 8mplies more than 1

unhappy58

I suffer from MH as well and I agree that little breaks could be helpful but it's a lot of holidays for one year, plus living on benefits...

williewonder

Holidays are hugely beneficial to me. Before I was getting recalled and sectioned every 6 months and this lasted 10 years.

On the advice of my community nurse and psychiatrist I started with small UK trips with my support staff, one to one bases to work on my confidence, places like Edinburgh. I went for a weeks caravan holiday with my house mate from my supported living home, we then did another weeks caravan holiday, I worked up the courage to do a 9 day trip to Lake Como in 2019 on a coach holiday. Then Cornwall with my Sister last October. It was really in March this year I went to Sri Lanka on my own and I was hugely anxious about going. I nearly backed out, it was with the help of my supported living manager I went. Indeed I have to have assessments before I go on holiday.

I didn't realise about Sri Lanka having restrictions about travel. I went in March and they were having problems with petrol and electricity outages then as well as food shortages and pubic upheaval but that was in Columbo, I was in Hikkaduwa which was pleasant.

I'm going to Turkey with one of my support staff tomorrow, it works out at just under £2000 for the staff hours for the week plus £800 each for the holiday. Accorded  to my Deputy I'm saving over £700 a 4/week month in my account and I'm saving £350 a 4 week/month in my personal account from my personal allowance. I get all my rent covered, no council tax as severely mentally impaired plus I get section 117. I also get a personal budget which I can use for holidays but only my hours which is 31 hours a week, the rest I have to pay the difference and the support cost £17 a hours from the support company.

If I can't go to Sri Lanka in Jan, I'm thinking about making a trip to Northen Indian in November for 28 days. If I'm delayed I will inform, or my deputy will inform the DWP about me being out the country for a couple of days extra 

And my travel insurance is mega expensive. It took awhile to find somebody too insure me. One wanted £1300 for two weeks holiday. I will find it cheaper for November as it will past the 2 year mark I have been sectioned but being on a community treatment order does not help and I have been on a continuous CTO since 2010. If I don't take the injection I become unwell very fast, they say I have a chronic, relapsing - remitting schizoaffective disorder. I went to my ESA (the only benefits assessment I had since I first started claiming benefits since 2003) and after reading the report my community nurse wrote the assessor said if he'd of received the report before the assessment I would not of been called to the assessment and my benefits will remain the same as he could see I was severely disabled.

poppy12345

williewonder said:

If I can't go to Sri Lanka in Jan, I'm thinking about making a trip to Northen Indian in November for 28 days. If I'm delayed I will inform, or my deputy will inform the DWP about me being out the country for a couple of days extra 

If you are away for more than 28 days then your ESA will stop. When you return you won’t be able to reclaim it and you’ll need to claim Universal Credit. 

You also mention saving quite a lot per month so please be aware of the savings limit for means tested benefits.

williewonder

thanks @poppy12345 My deputy at social services takes care of that side of things. He tells me I have to spend money.

diystarter7

elsien said:

I don’t think there is a number.
It’s probably more about being careful not to contradict the reasons you get the disability benefit. 

How can the poster "contradict the reasons..." when most people know that often people with MH issues can often benefit from hols, breaks etc if that is what they want.

lisyloo

diystarter7 said:

elsien said:

I don’t think there is a number.
It’s probably more about being careful not to contradict the reasons you get the disability benefit. 

How can the poster "contradict the reasons..." when most people know that often people with MH issues can often benefit from hols, breaks etc if that is what they want.

Being capable of international travel alone and living in a foreign country for 28 days could potentially be seen to contradict not being capable of working.
of course it’s much more complicated than that.
it sounds like the OP has support workers and is closely monitored so hard to see how they could be gaming the system but it’s easy to see why some might question it - I mean this is like judgment central on here.

calcotti

williewonder said:

... I'm thinking about making a trip to Northen Indian in November for 28 days. If I'm delayed I will inform, or my deputy will inform the DWP about me being out the country for a couple of days extra 

If you are out for a couple of days 'extra' your HB and ESA will end. There is no flexibility on this. You would then be in the position of having to claim Universal Credit to replace the benefits lost (and if you ESA currently includes a Severe Disability Premium will likely be entitled to less money on UC).

williewonder

Should I go for 25 days instead of 28 days? If 4 days enough time to sort any problems out should they arise?