What money after claiming Incapacity Benefit

marshallka

If you are due a medical review this year after being on incapacity benefit for some time and they say you are fit for work (as i have read they are saying to many now) can you claim jobseekers allowance as you are now actively seeking work (if they tell you that).

Also is this means tested and your household income taken into account.

seven-day-weekend

If you ARE seeking work, you should be able to claim JSA.

There are two types of JSA. Contributions-based is not means-tested, but you can only claim it for six months. Income based is means-tested and your household income will be taken into account, but if eligible you can claim it for as long as it takes you to get a job.

I'm not sure which you would be on if you are coming off Incapacity Benefit.

However, there is no reason to suppose that if you are genuinely unfit for work that the medical result will show otherwise.

marshallka

Its just that i read, and from reading here, that most people are now deemed fit for work as from october this year. Its far harder to reclaim incapacity again.

If you ARE deemed fit for work i need to know if you can then claim JSA and if so are you classed as contribution based or income based. Does incapacity benefit mean you have paid your NI for contribution based JSA>

Or are you just left with no income until you find a job suitable to yourself.

mardatha

I was wondering this too Marshalka. And also if you can still go self employed to try it out .

seven-day-weekend

marshallka wrote: »

Its just that i read, and from reading here, that most people are now deemed fit for work as from october this year. Its far harder to reclaim incapacity again.

If you ARE deemed fit for work i need to know if you can then claim JSA and if so are you classed as contribution based or income based. Does incapacity benefit mean you have paid your NI for contribution based JSA>

Or are you just left with no income until you find a job suitable to yourself.

I'm sorry I don't know the answer to this but I'm sure someone will be along soon who does.

If you are talking about the new Benefit to replace IB that is coming into force later this year (I can never remember its name), then it only affects new claimants initially.

Mojisola

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

However, there is no reason to suppose that if you are genuinely unfit for work that the medical result will show otherwise.

If only that was true!

Oldernotwiser

Mojisola wrote: »

If only that was true!

Why do you say that?

Mojisola

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Why do you say that?

I have personal experience of someone who had been on IB for ten years being declared 100% fit after a medical - a decision which was, rightly, overturned on appeal, after a huge amount of stress which caused a relapse.

I think most people who help others who are on IB because of ill-health - rather than an obvious disability - will know of similar cases. I have met others who have been through similar experiences and have heard about many more.

I think the problem occurs because the benefit was originally aimed at people who couldn't work because of disability and it isn't flexible enough to cope with people who are disabled through illness, eg if you can't read because you are blind, you are entitled to help; if you can't read because the effort required will make you ill, that's not obvious. On the day of the medical you can read/sit on a chair/pick something up from the floor/etc and so you get passed as fit.

mardatha

I'm hearing the same thing on ME groups.

[Deleted User]

marshallka wrote: »

Its just that i read, and from reading here, that most people are now deemed fit for work as from october this year. Its far harder to reclaim incapacity again.

If you ARE deemed fit for work i need to know if you can then claim JSA and if so are you classed as contribution based or income based. Does incapacity benefit mean you have paid your NI for contribution based JSA>

Or are you just left with no income until you find a job suitable to yourself.

its misleading to say that from oct.most people will be deemed fit for work,the new ESA introduced will just have 2 groups(too long winded to explain here but try googling esa or have a look at yourable),it could take as long as 5 years or even longer to move existing I/B claimants over to ESA(and as you know there will be an election in 2,so who knows?)
What is true is that the PCA (ib50)has changed as has the points system and again needs careful research,benefits and work(website)is a good scource of facts but there is a small annual membership fee to get access to their extensive articles
good luck
john

marshallka

woodbine wrote: »

its misleading to say that from oct.most people will be deemed fit for work,the new ESA introduced will just have 2 groups(too long winded to explain here but try googling esa or have a look at yourable),it could take as long as 5 years or even longer to move existing I/B claimants over to ESA(and as you know there will be an election in 2,so who knows?)
What is true is that the PCA (ib50)has changed as has the points system and again needs careful research,benefits and work(website)is a good scource of facts but there is a small annual membership fee to get access to their extensive articles
good luck
john

I know existing claimants are still in the old system but i also know that medicals seem harder to get through now too. When your review is due do you have to see the medical advisors again or is it just a form to fill in.