MATERNITY ALLOWANCE

MM012

Hi

My daughter suffers from Idiopathic Intercranial Hypertension (IIH - Water on the Brain)

She struggles to work but took a job from home with flexi hours.  She was made redundant after 23 weeks into her job.  She also found out she was  pregnant.  She is unable to take her medication due to pregnancy as it can cause miscarriage.   

Since being pregnant has had to have 3 lumber punctures to drain the excess fluid from her brain and surgery to coat her optic nerve to prevent further sight loss.  She is looking at an operation on her other eye next week to protect the right eye.

She has been unable to get a job because she is so poorly during and after these stays in hospital.  

Will she qualify for maternity allowance as she has only been able to work 23 weeks (not her fault, due to the company going into liquidation)  or does she have to find work for the extra 3 weeks, even though she is very poorly?

Any help would be gratefully received as she is on Universal Credit again as she just cannot work until she can take her Meds again to control the pressure in her head.

Thank you

calcotti

Whether or not she can get Maternity Allowance is probably irrelevant because any MA will simply be deducted from her UC so getting MA would make no difference to her income (unless the MA would be worth more than UC).

Has she had a Work Capability Assessment?

MM012

Hi
Thank you

Yes she has but it took them a year.   

It seems so difficult to get answers from anywhere

poppy12345

MM012 said:

Hi


It seems so difficult to get answers from anywhere

What other answers are you looking for? You were already advised that if she was entitled to MA it would be deducted in full from any UC entitlement she has so it may not be worth her claiming it anyway.

What was the decision on the work capability assessment?

MM012

She would still be better off with the deduction from UC.  

She was limited  capability

poppy12345

MM012 said:

She would still be better off with the deduction from UC.  

That's not correct. The MA would be deducted in full so there's no financial gain to claiming it ( unless the MA is worth more than UC, as advised above)

Alice_Holt

MM012 said:

She would still be better off with the deduction from UC.  

She was limited  capability

      Put the numbers into a benefits calculator on the basis of MA being received, and then come back and tell us the outcome. 

https://maternityaction.org.uk/advice/money-for-parents-and-babies/#:~:text=Maternity Allowance (MA) is treated,help pay for your rent.


   Do you mean LCW or LCWRA ?