It seems that I would not be eligible for DLA, as my health condition is not so bad that I need help dressing, eating, etc., or getting around. It seems that DLA is only for people who are really severely limited. Thanks anyway for the suggestion. Tom

It's ME (aka CFS). A lot of ME patients have many food sensitivities, myself included.

The £50 was just for food -- no luxuries. Not even toiletries. The problem is that I have to follow a really weird diet due to this health condition. So I don't suppose there's anything I can do other than rely on help from relatives. =/ Anyway, thanks for the info. Tom

Hi, I'm 24 and living at home with parents. I'm out of work due to a health condition, and I'm on Incapacity Benefit (my only income). I live in Havering. I'm soon to move into a council flat, and I will need to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit when I move in. In order to determine how much Housing Benefit I'll get, I used my borough's Housing Benefit calculator (http://payments.havering.gov.uk:8080/itemnet/webben/mtb.html). The problem is, this came up short. Basically, it tells me that if I were to rent a place that was £70/week, I'd only get £50/week Housing Benefit. Taking into account bills, food, etc., it seems that I would not have enough money to live on. Basically, I get £100/week Incapacity Benefit. If I had to pay £20 for the rent which Housing Benefit doesn't cover, that leaves me with £80. Then I have to pay bills, of perhaps £30, leaving me with £50. Then there are extra charges for the council flat, perhaps coming in at £20. That leaves me with £30. My food costs about £50, leaving me with -£20! Are my calculations wrong, or can I simply not afford to live? I've asked at my local CAB, rung up countless people, and yet I can't seem to get an answer this question. It's so frustrating. Please help!

Hi, Since I'm on Incapacity Benefit, every year I'm required to fill in an Incapacity for Work Questionnaire. I recently received one, and I'm unsure about how to fill in a particular section. The section asks about whether I'm being treated for anxiety or depression (page 16). I am currently seeing a psychotherapist about anxiety and depression, but I'm seeing him privately and don't really want them to contact him. (It says that they will contact him if I put his name down.) I'd rather they didn't contact him because I'm concerned that it might change the dynamic of the 'relationship' between me and this therapist—it's one thing if I'm seeing him to get help with a particular problem, but it's quite another if all of a sudden he has input on whether my Incapacity Benefit stops or continues. Basically, I was thinking of stating on the form that I am seeing a therapist, but that I'm seeing him privately and therefore would rather they didn't contact him. However, at the end of the form it states that if I knowingly give information that is incorrect or incomplete then I may be liable to prosecution. Would this qualify as 'incomplete', would you say? Thanks, Tom

Okay, will do; thanks. Out of interest, I don't suppose anyone knows whether it would affect my insurance in future if I did declare this. Regards, Tom

Hi, I'm filling in a provisional driving licence application form, and there's a section which asks about health conditions. I have CFS/ME, which isn't specified on there as one of the options, although it might come under the category of "any other chronic neurological condition". I'm not sure whether to declare this or not. For a start, CFS/ME is not really understand and therefore, as far as I know, it's not necessarily classified as a neurological condition. For another thing, I don't think it would really affect my ability to take driving lessons. On the other hand, it states at the bottom of the form that a false declaration could lead to imprisonment. Could anyone advise me on what to do here? And if I did put it down, would it increase my insurance in future? Thanks, Tom

Yes, this happened to me too. My IB was stopped and the medical report was so inaccurate that I half wondered if they'd given me someone else's report by mistake! I just appealed, and typed out a whole letter going through each section of the medical report that I disagreed with (when you appeal, there's a space on the appeal form for you to write about any disagreements you have with the report; I didn't write out my disagreements there: I wrote "see attached sheet" and included a two-page letter of disagreements). I didn't either, but I still won the appeal. I think they're just taking everyone off IB after the medical exams, so that those who really need it appeal and get back on.

I mean, how much would I have left (of my Incapacity Benefit) after rent, bills, etc. Thanks. I looked on the site and it predicts that I'd be entitled to ~£20/week Council Tax Benefit and ~£70/week Housing Benefit. So, taking the above into account, am I correct to assume that if the rent is £85/week and I'm getting £100/week Incapacity Benefit, then the amount I would have left (of Incapacity Benefit) would be about £85? Worked out as follows: £85 (rent) - £70 (Hous Ben) = £15 £100 (Inc Ben) - £15 = £85 And, of this £85, I guess about £30 would go towards bills, leaving me with £55 for food, etc. So the amount I would have left "to live on" would be £55. Does that sound about right? Thanks, Tom

Hi, I'm 24 and still living with parents. I've been out of work for several years due to a health condition and I receive Incapacity Benefit. I've put my name down on the council waiting list and am awaiting a council flat. I live in Havering (in case it matters). Basically, if I did move into a council flat, could someone please advice me on roughly how much I would have to live on? I've tried asking at my CAB twice, and both times I've just left confused. It seems overly complicated -- but then again I am completely clueless about this kind of thing. My Incapacity Benefit is around £100 per week. Let's say I moved into a council flat whose rent is £85 per week (excluding bills). Assuming I apply for Housing Benefit to pay for the rent, and Council Tax Benefit to help with council tax, roughly how much could I expect to live on? I would have assumed that Housing Benefit would pay the £85, and Council Tax Benefit would pay the council tax, leaving me with the £100 Incapacity Benefit minus the bills (I guess £30/week), which leaves me with £70 to live on. However, the two people I spoke with at the CAB both came up with a figure of about £40 (where did the extra £30 go?), which I would struggle to live on. Thanks very much, Tom