Incapacity benefit urgent help!

leeandrew84

My incapacity benefit has stopped.
I am on long-term incapacity and have been for several years. I suffer with psychosis, anxiety and bouts of severe depression, i sometimes suffer with panic attacks when in social situations. I have been fighting this since i was 17 years old, i will be 24 this year. Last year i decided i wanted to do something with my life, i inquired about an Open University course and received details via mail. To cut a long story short i had to put it off for a year because the flat i was living in was unsuitable for habitation due to a serious damp problem.
The next start date window has arrived for the course i have waited to do, it starts on May 17th. I enrolled on the 1st May and received all my study material + registration confirmation letter on the 6th. I was really excited about this until i realised my Incapacity benefit had stopped; a payment which was due to be made on the 9th May didnt go in. I cannot inquire until Monday 12th because its the weekend and all phonelines are off. But this completely coincides with me registering for OU. I am worried that they have stopped my benefit because i have enrolled for a course. Without my Incapacity benefit my entire income is less than £40 per week, which i receive fortnightly from Housing Benefit. This does not even cover my rent which is £70 per week. Needless to say i am in a state of panic, my next rent payment is due on the 14th May and i wont be able to pay it. Nevermind the electric, water rates, gas, internet, phoneline, tv licence & food shopping.
I have nowhere to go for help, i will literally be homeless within a fortnight and without any income whatsoever.
I have not received any kind of letter from DWP regarding a decision to stop my benefit. I cannot come to terms with this, i'm a nervous wreck at the moment; a time which i should be spending preparing for a course.
Surely my IB cannot just be switched off this easily, i have not been mentally assessed by anybody to say i am fit for work. Would they presume if someone is fit for study they are fit for work? Surely not!
The government is trying to get people off Incapacity and back into work/education, this i understand. I am doing this, I am trying to better myself and be of use to society.. the OU says if you are in receipt of certain benefits the course fees are paid for, this is the only way i could apply as i have been assessed unfit for work, but doesnt it go against the whole principal if when you apply your benefits are taken away? I could've paid for the course fees myself with my incapacity benefit and not asked for help with paying the fees and been in a better position.

What happens from now on? I urgently need help and advise. What are my options? Is this an oversight on their behalf? Please, i really need some help.

Lee.

dmg24

Hi Lee,

First of all, don't panic. It could be that your payment date has been changed and they have not told you, or there has been an oversight, and the money may be in as soon as Monday.

As worrying as it is, there is nothing that you can do until Monday. Tomorrow night, set your alarm for the morning, and make a note to call the DWP as soon as they open. It might make it less stressful if you find the phone number beforehand (it will be on any letters that you have had from them) so you are all prepared.

If when you ring them there is a problem, find out what the problem is, and then come back on here and we'll do what we can to help x

healy

It is probably just a clerical error by the DWP, but no one can say for sure so you will need to contact them on Monday to find out what has happened.

Mojisola

dmg24 has said it all - try not to worry and be prepared for that Monday morning phone call.

[Deleted User]

errors like this do happen and a quick phone call(as others have said)will hopefully sorted it out.
It is highly unlikely that they have just stopped you I/B without any correspondence of any kind.
Just another thought have you ever applied for DLA?

mouseymousey99

Hello leeandrew, Did you get the monies sorted out today???& Good luck with the OU.

leeandrew84

Hi everyone,
Woodbine: i have never applied for DLA.
I phoned up this morning before 10AM and spoke to someone. He said it has been suspended and then asked for my current address, i gave it to him and he then said he has reactivated my claim and i should receive the money within 5 working days. I asked him if it had anything to do with me registering for OU, he said no. He also said they were expecting me to phone them to inquire. It's seems abit odd, i am getting the impression that it was stopped because they didnt have my address? And simply by giving a current address it becomes active again. This has never occured before, this is the fifth address i have lived at since my claim began.

Hopefully the IB will go into my bank on or before friday. I will have to ring my bank and explain about the rent coming out on wednesday or phone the letting agent and plead them to allow me to pay late. The only other worry is that because of this happening i may or may not lose a week's money, which in my case is about £100. As i will be getting my money which should've been paid on the 9th on 16th instead, and maybe i wont get the next payment for another fortnight when it should've been due on the 23rd.

[Deleted User]

I would imagine any shortfall will be made up,you should perhaps tele them again and ask?
As for dla its worth claiming if you have any care or mobilty problems,take a look at theYoureable.com | Benefits forum

Taffyscot

I recently applied for dla for a neighbour of mine who has panic attacks and is developmentally delayed. I was amazed to have got middle rate DLA for her and now she gets a free bus pass too and help with her medical expenses and council tax. Get a benefits social worker to come out and help you apply for DLA. Be prepared to fight for it when they say no normally the first time.

Good on you doing an open uni course. My partner, who gets DLA, because he is quite disabled with parkinson's disease, did it and got wonderful help. Open uni and parkinson's gave him a computer and everythig, made a huge difference to him..

Made him feel as if he was a useful part of society. Do not let anybody or anything take away from you that self respect you will feel for doing an open uni course
Good luck
taffy

LadyMorticia

Taffyscot wrote: »

I recently applied for dla for a neighbour of mine who has panic attacks and is developmentally delayed. I was amazed to have got middle rate DLA for her and now she gets a free bus pass too and help with her medical expenses and council tax. Get a benefits social worker to come out and help you apply for DLA. Be prepared to fight for it when they say no normally the first time.

Good on you doing an open uni course. My partner, who gets DLA, because he is quite disabled with parkinson's disease, did it and got wonderful help. Open uni and parkinson's gave him a computer and everythig, made a huge difference to him..

Made him feel as if he was a useful part of society. Do not let anybody or anything take away from you that self respect you will feel for doing an open uni course
Good luck
taffy

Hello. Just a quick question. Did she get the free bus pass because she's on DLA?

leeandrew84

A little update:

I checked my bank on Friday and nothing had gone in like they said it would. Infact, the day after i rang Incapacity benefit and spoke to a man on the phone about the problem, a woman from the Job Centre rang up in response to an email i had sent when i first realised the money hadnt arrived. I took the oppurtunity to ask her about the problem too, and she too confirmed that the money would be in my bank on friday.
When i checked my bank on friday there wasnt any money in, and unfortunately it was just out of working hours, so i'll have to wait until monday to phone them now. I also checked yesterday (Saturday) and nothing had gone into my bank either.
I managed to persuade to persuade my letting agent to wait for last weeks rent until i had the money; i explained the situation, but it is not ideal and puts me in a bad light. 2 other payments have come out of my bank in the last week, leaving me overdrawn and with charges.
I absolutely cannot ask for more time from my landlord. This problem already has me in debt. I am so furious with this situation, i am not irresponsible, i manage my money brilliantly and i get by with what i receive. My money is calculated to the last penny, i live frugally on the wire. This has put me overdrawn with charges, and possibly more awaiting next week if it isnt sorted.
Regardless, i am already about £100 out of pocket due to charges which i would have otherwise avoided. For someone on as little income as me, it will have reprecussions for months.
I often think they do it on purpose to people like me who are 'on the sick', and therefore considered worthless to society, they talk down to me on the phone, like i'm scum and a bad person.