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Advice & Help please
RayRudd
Posts: 7 Forumite
Hi there
Very new (first post) to this forum but hoping you will be able to provide some useful advice.
In a nutshell I am trying to assist a very good friend who had a operation for lung cancer last October (She had 75% of one lung removed). She has been unable to work since and is advised that she is unlikely to return to work. Her employer was very good but since 01 April 2008 has only been paying SSP. What is worse is that she used to work shifts and SSP is only being paid at a rate of £15.08 per weekday shift. This means her maximum take home pay is around £241 per month. On her behalf I applied for Disability Living Allowance but this was turned down, and since then I have applied for Incapacity Benefit when she went onto SSP, but this has also been turned down. With mortgage payments of £350 per month A service charge of £800 per year plus the usually fuel bills etc we are now wondering were to turn next. There is an outstanding claim for Housing Benefit, but I am not that hopeful that will succeed. I have offered to phone the benefit service but they seem to be suggesting that legally she is in receipt of sufficient money to live on.
Any help and advice members can offer would be helpful.
Ray
Very new (first post) to this forum but hoping you will be able to provide some useful advice.
In a nutshell I am trying to assist a very good friend who had a operation for lung cancer last October (She had 75% of one lung removed). She has been unable to work since and is advised that she is unlikely to return to work. Her employer was very good but since 01 April 2008 has only been paying SSP. What is worse is that she used to work shifts and SSP is only being paid at a rate of £15.08 per weekday shift. This means her maximum take home pay is around £241 per month. On her behalf I applied for Disability Living Allowance but this was turned down, and since then I have applied for Incapacity Benefit when she went onto SSP, but this has also been turned down. With mortgage payments of £350 per month A service charge of £800 per year plus the usually fuel bills etc we are now wondering were to turn next. There is an outstanding claim for Housing Benefit, but I am not that hopeful that will succeed. I have offered to phone the benefit service but they seem to be suggesting that legally she is in receipt of sufficient money to live on.
Any help and advice members can offer would be helpful.
Ray
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Comments
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Ray, surely they are not suggesting your friend lives on £241 per month?
Is your friend married or have older children living with her, if not then she is entitled to more I am almost certain.
You need the advice of the CAB (who are very busy just now) and look at this website: http://entitledto.co.uk/
Did your friend have any mortgage protection or any critical illness cover? (just a thought)
Merlot.x."Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does, except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place." — Abigail Van Buren0 -
It seems to be quite common to be rejected for DLA in the first instance only to have it granted on appeal as well. Surley even income support must be more than £241 a monthMF aim 10th December 2020 :j:eek:MFW 2012 no86 OP 0/2000
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She really needs advice from a qualified welfare rights advisor from somewhere like DIAL.Unless I say otherwise 'you' means the general you not you specifically.0
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Ray, Can I suggest you post this also on the benefits board, they have a wealth of knowledge over there and someone "an expert" may just be able to help you, I am not saying DFW can't help, but its a dedicated board to benefits etc.
I do hope you can get this sorted, its total madness that anyone should live on £241 per month."Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does, except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place." — Abigail Van Buren0 -
"Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does, except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place." — Abigail Van Buren0
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Ray, surely they are not suggesting your friend lives on £241 per month?
They seem to be saying that the result of the cliam states that she is earning more than the Government says she needs.
Is your friend married or have older children living with her, if not then she is entitled to more I am almost certain.
She is divorced and lives alone - her daughter is acting as a carer and cooking her meals for her as she can't lift pots and pans yet
Did your friend have any mortgage protection or any critical illness cover?
She has mortgage protection - that’s her saving grace at the moment keeping her afloat - but it runs out in Feb 2008 and her mortgage carries on for many more years. She has no critical illness cover.
I'll check out the CAB link thanks.
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Ray, has your friends daughter applied for carers allowance then? If not do check this out, she may well be entitled to something.
Absolutely no way on this earth Ray the figure of £241 is enough, are you sure that is right? Does your freind have debts also, if so tell us and we can make suggestions, but your main priority is to phone the CAB or a benefits officer and get this daft sum of money increased.
Did your friend get paid off from work? did she leave on doctors advice, or did she just not return to work (this could be an issue if wanting to receive benefits, I think I am right in saying this, someone else will clarify), or is she just at the moment on the sick, if your friend cannot work again, then surely the Doctor must provide a medical certificate stating this and then your friend would be taken off SSP and placed on Income Support/DLA etc."Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does, except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place." — Abigail Van Buren0 -
Ray, has your friends daughter applied for carers allowance then? If not do check this out, she may well be entitled to something.
Absolutely no way on this earth Ray the figure of £241 is enough, are you sure that is right? Does your freind have debts also, if so tell us and we can make suggestions, but your main priority is to phone the CAB or a benefits officer and get this daft sum of money increased.
Did your friend get paid off from work? did she leave on doctors advice, or did she just not return to work (this could be an issue if wanting to receive benefits, I think I am right in saying this, someone else will clarify).
You cannot claim Carers Allowance unless the disabled person is in receipt of middle or higher rate DLA care element.
The government deems that a single person can live on £241.Gone ... or have I?0 -
You cannot claim Carers Allowance unless the disabled person is in receipt of middle or higher rate DLA care element.
The government deems that a single person can live on £241.
dmg24, I'm flabbergasted! No way can anyone live on that amount of money considering the high cost of living just now....its shocking, but thanks for clarifying it.
I just wish we had a decent party who I could vote for next time, but they tend to sing off the same hymn sheet!"Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does, except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place." — Abigail Van Buren0
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