Incapacity benefit

System

i am currently on incapacity benefit would like to know about part time work ie: i was thinking of maybe working 2/3 hrs a day window cleaning to try and see if i could cope going back to work i suffer from inflamation of the back,how long could i carry on doing part time work without it affecting my benefit.

mini

Hi James

The rules for working whilst on incapacity benefit changed a few years back, you used to need a doctor to approve the work was of benefit to you, now you need to tell your benefits office & get permission before you start.

You can get more information here

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/pwr.asp not all of the links work but it does have a form to download.

If you want further information you could try a google search on permitted work but watch out for out of date information on the old system.

The other possibility for you may be to work and claim tax credits, depends on how long you have suffered with your disability, money earnt & hours worked.


mini

Fran

Island_man - Did you get your benefits sorted out? I have just read your story today, and from what you said about your wife she should be entitled to the Care Element of Disability Living Allowance. If she is only getting the Mobility Element of DLA, she should apply straight away for the Care Element. I would advise that you take information regarding current benefits to a Citizens Advice Bureau or similar place that will help you fill in a DLA form. They can take a long time to fill in and the CAB advisers are trained to help fill them in. They can also go to appeal with you at some bureaux if the application fails. CAB will also check any other entitlements you may have as a family.

James - I would also advise you go to CAB for up-to-date advice. There is a website published by Citizens Advice: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk which has some information on too.

Money Terrorist - Also suggest your friend visits CAB or similar.

System

thanks mini and fran looking into all info very helpful

Fran

I have just noticed Mini mentioned Disabled Person's Tax Credit, which doesn't exist any more. The following information is a quote from the Citizens Advice published website (adviceguide - see above posting):

"Who can get Working Tax Credit  

Working Tax Credit will be paid if you or your partner:-


are aged 16 or over, working 16 hours or more a week and are responsible for a child or qualifying young person (see under heading Who can get Child Tax Credit   ). (If you are a woman on maternity leave and would normally work 16 hours or more a week, you can still claim Working Tax Credit); or  
are aged 16 or over, working 16 hours or more a week and have a disability for which your are receiving a qualifying benefit; or
are aged 50 or over, working 16 hours or more a week and have started work up to three months before you make a claim and, for the six months before starting that work have been receiving one of certain benefits; or
are aged 25 or over and working 30 hours or more a week."

It is worth checking with Citizens Advice Bureau about any benefit related issues as they change the names and rules from time to time!

James - If your back problem has been going on for some time and seems like it will carry on you may also be entitled to Disability Living Allowance which has two elements, Care and Mobility. This benefit is not income related.

mini

I edited my previous post, there is still a disabled workers credit within working tax credit, you can click on this link to see if you qualify

https://www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/Qualify/DIQHousehold.aspx

If you click on the word disabled on the first lot of questions the criteria for what they mean by disabled is listed, one of the terms listed is


" you currently receive one of the following benefits, or have been receiving one of the following benefits in the last 26 weeks before the date we receive your application:

• Incapacity Benefit at the short-term or higher rate or long-term rate"

homealone_2

i started receiving IB about a year ago and recently have been receivng it mixed with my DLA twice a month. how ofter do they review IB i was under the impression it was something i received as long as the sick certificates continued going in????

Ted_Hutchinson

Although it has been suggested in the media that Incapacity Benefit should be time limited for the moment it remains the case that for as long as you meet the criteria you will continue to get the benefit.

How often your file will be looked at again depends on the condition you have and it's prognosis. Treatments for some conditions are improving and therefore if it is thought you may have benefited or could benefit from improved treatments then they will view your continued claim with greater scrutiny than where there is no effective treatment and the prognosis is one of continued deterioration.

Initially IB claims are usually looked at within a year however if the condition becomes chronic the reviews will extend from 2 to 3 years or more. Unless of course your condition fits into one of the Exempt categories you can find here PCA exempt conditions Some Incapacity Benefit decision makers pretend ignorance of the existence of these exempt conditions, so if you feel your condition does fit these criteria it may be necessary to draw the attention of the Medical Services Doctor to the fact as the PCA assessment starts.

There is a useful calculator here which will give you some idea of whether or not you continue to meet the criteria. It used to be called the All Work Test but is now called the Personal Capability Assessment PCA criteria and threshold score calculator