HELP plez. old lone parent

[h8_Halifax]

loan parent, claiming income support.

when does IS stop? when the child you're claiming for reaches their 15th or 16th birthday?

also, is it worth claiming incapacity benefit, instead of IS? my doctor will certainly sign me off and it certainly looks like this is going to be a long term thing?

[Conniff]

There is a big shake up in the incapacity benefits payment scheme, so you may have to go to an independent assigned doctor before you can qualify.

[shywazz]

If your fit and healthy then you will have to start claiming job seekers allowance, and actively seek employment,once your income support stops, the goverment recently stated that people claiming incapacity benefit would have to proof there are unfit to seek work, and i have heard of some peoples benefit just been stopped untill medically seen by one of there advisors and had a re-accessment, job-seekers does paid less than incapacity benefit, hence why alot of healthy well ableied folk try claim it, as more money for doing nothing, see rates on the JSA website at Jobcentre Plus this site will also give information on what benefits you can and can't claim, once your child reaches a certain age...If you are not able to work due to ill health then claiming ICB would be the route to take, but otherwise job seekers would be the benefit you would be claiming after there stop your income support....you state old lone parent ? not ill parent so would guess that you age doesnt limit you from working...unless of course your over the retirement age...just because your doctor might sign you off, when you get accessed by the medical advisor there might state you are fit for work, hence no claim for ICB.....

Incapacity benefit is for people whom genuiely can-not part-take in any form of deemfull employment, sadly too many people take advantage of this benefit as it pays more, i for one is glad of the goverments recent preposels to clamp down on such claimants, why wait untill 2010 to start the revamp, start it now that would send shivers down the lazy spines of the work shy....

[h8_Halifax]

for the record, i currently have 4 (with further ongoing tests) totally unrelated medical problems, any one of which would qualify me for incapacity benefit.
please don't include me in your generalisation.

[stardust_john]

shywazz, the genuinely ill people on benefits take enough of a bashing being labelled as work shy and if thats not your intention, I can tell you it feels that way. A lot of employers are so loaded down with health and safety pc that they chip away at the confidence of disabled people. We would so like our illnesses to go away and return to work in a safe and understanding enviroment, but its not to be, an illness which can be variable in severity and what can be done on a day to day basis is not catered for at all. I know. Having regular seizures and working shifts at my work, at first they were understanding, they had to be, when diagnosed they would let me go upstairs for a lie down if dizzy etc, after a while the other workers started to nag I was not capable of keeping up and a risk due to varying ammounts of confusion. My seizures have always been variable and I have mental issues which have frightened me for years and I only now ten years later have had the courage to find out that they are related and normal for me. I take things one day at a time and unfortunately employers dont!!!
I also have to keep sane for my two children as I am a single parent. Just to add my employers treat me like dirt when I came round from a fall where I had peed myself, you could see the disgust and health and safety was being disgussed whenever they spoke to me. I was told they could not take the risk of my messing myself due to seizures and should go home.
Do you think I should feel guilty, well I do, its a feeling of lowliness and lonliness. Put me down as mad if you wish, but stop labelling/judging people as it easily offends.

[Goldlady]

Stardust, I am sorry to hear of the way you have been treated. I need to tell you this.

A few years ago we took on a young man on a work placement and all we were told was that he was 'disabled'. He told us himself that he was schizophrenic but was on medication. He was a fantastic worker, lovely guy, so we offered him a full time job after six months. Not long after that he started to be unreliable, was late, didn't do his job properly and then one day we got a call from his neighbour telling us that he had been sectioned as he had attacked someone with a knife.

We found out later that because we had given him a proper job, which he had never expected to get, he had convinced himself he was cured and stopped taking his medication.

The team of social workers, who were monitoring him constantly, later admitted that they had known that he had stopped taking his meds and that he could be a danger. But because of client confidentiality they were not allowed to consult with us. They then tried to persuade us to take him back on once the section was lifted. And indeed made me talk to him face to face to explain why we would not, as if it was me who was at fault.

I feel that in this situation both he and us were let down very badly by the 'system'. If they could have liaised with us about his situation we could have prevented him having this terrible relapse and he would probably still be working for us now.

More needs to be done - not just to encourage employers to take on people with disabilities of all sorts - but to give them support when they do.

[shywazz]

Your own predictiment stardust doesnt fall into the workshy status my quote reads........
Incapacity benefit is for people whom genuiely can-not part-take in any form of deemfull employment, sadly too many people take advantage of this benefit as it pays more, i for one is glad of the goverments recent preposels to clamp down on such claimants, why wait untill 2010 to start the revamp, start it now that would send shivers down the lazy spines of the work shy....


labelling/judging people as it easily offends.

Only offends those guilty of juggling the benefit system, yes there are gen ill folk out there claiming what there entitled, of which is accepted, but ask how on earth why there are 20+ thousand claimants getting 30k plus per year just by claiming benefits, see the sun dated 20th march 2008 page 64 then tell me why it offends such people whom earn twice as much as someone whom gets up and goes to work to support there famlies..... if the lazy work shy want respect and dont want to be labeled, the answer is looking them in the face, get a job and give something back to the system.

[stardust_john]

I really dont think ranters who think one with a conscience must have a guilty reason for it, deserve a right to comment, because its obvious you have no feeling or conscience within youself and therefore should not be taken as informed. You see we are human beings and this has been forgotten, were not all figures which need manipulating into folders of skiver. Those with experience can concentrate on 'really' helping with advice whilst those with nowt better to do will always leave people feeling lower. Good on you another nail battered into the coffin of someone, but seriously watch what you say to the vulnerable!

Sywazz you would make a good politician, enough said

[stardust_john]

I agree gold lady, the structure needs to be there to help the employers and then in turn help the disabled. I dont blame new employers but would worry about telling all to them and appear a liability, only to be rejected again. I couldnt cope with it just to provide an intention to positively be considering returning to work. I cant look in the faces of people now as I feel they can see into me, recovering from hospital stay and back at work years ago, I heared the whispers and when being relief clerk in office, the others said they couldnt trust me on their counters as I appeared on and off confused, which I was but didnt realise it and still dont when it happens. They wernt being maliscious and I understood my mistakes impacted on them, just even when returning from hospital the other employees asked me the night before was I actually going to have a fit that night, because they the night shift wanted to know I would turn up. That was it, the next time I recovered it was very serious and rather than bounce back I found I couldnt anymore. People were watching me it felt and I went from easy going normal person into stressed freak to this day. I cant go out the door unsupervised now but am grateful for the help I recieve.

[Joa]

shywazz, please please do not rely on rags like The Sun, Daily Mail etc. You should be aware by now that scandalizing the public is their job. You may want to see related topic to make a more informed decision for yourself: Benefit Cheats

[h8_Halifax]

Originally Posted by shywazz

Only offends those guilty of juggling the benefit system

wrong! why would you think this? no, don't answer that. obviously you get that from the comics that you read. try thinking about what you said. if i said something nasty about jews, you are saying that only non-jews would be offended. or if i called someone "the 'N' word", only non-coloureds would take offence?
what rubbish!

[PriorityOne]

Originally Posted by shywazz

but ask how on earth why there are 20+ thousand claimants getting 30k plus per year just by claiming benefits, see the sun dated 20th march 2008 page 64....

Certain "newspapers" sensationalise particular issues in order to fuel this kind of thinking.... .... meaning that people on Benefits (genuine or otherwise) get judged all the time without anyone bothering to look at the bigger picture. It's also a very useful tool for diverting public attention from the tax-fiddling antics of "the old boys' network", among other things... who want to protect their financial interests from public scrutiny.

Back to the topic though... Income Support will stop when the youngest child reaches the age of 16... and not 15. The DWP will then expect you to sign up for JSA straight away. If you get DLA/Incapacity however, then they won't force you into paid employment. With Incapacity, you will need to submit certificates every so often, but with DLA... once an award has been given, then that's usually it unless someone decides to dob you in for thinking you're not as ill as you're making out . For genuine claimants, this can be a right pain in the ass....

Whilst on DLA, you will also get premiums added onto your Income Support, but I'm not sure how this works with Incapacity Benefit.

Hope that helps...

[h8_Halifax]

thanks P1. really great help.
now all i need is to work-out why the dss told me that it was when the youngest reached 15 ...

[PriorityOne]

The DWP are a law unto themselves at times. I was told all kinds of bowlarks during my Income Support/lone parent days...

[Joa]

Originally Posted by PriorityOne

but with DLA... once an award has been given, then that's usually it

Not strictly true P1 . Most DLA awards are made for certain periods of time; 1 year, 3 years etc. Not many are made for lifetime.
There are various premiums for IS and IB. It's best to call Community Legal Advice for professional advice.

[PriorityOne]

Sorry Joa.... I should have clarified.... my fault. What I meant was, that's usually it for the period of time specified. Sometimes this is for "life", but usually awards are given for set periods of time and towards the end of this period, people are sent new forms in order to re-apply.... but once an award has been given, it's rare for DLA to stop it unless some nosey parker decides you don't deserve it and dobs you in, so to speak. I am not on DLA myself, but have friends who are and one of these friends has been reported several times by a disgruntled neighbour