Advice regards Invalidity Benefit

[Blue_Scholar]

Hi, just after some advice

 

I'll give the short version of the story.

 

My Dad is 63. Up until ealry 2006 he worked his entire life, never making a single claim for benefits. Between 200 and 2005 his earnings were the best he ever had, and he paid a lot of tax aqnd NI in that time especially.

 

Unfortunately at the end of 05 he fell down a flight of stairs at his work due to a piece of carpet being loose ( that the company had known about and not fixed ) ... he has since then been a shell of his former self, and has really suffered with contant daily pain, and depression. He is the hardest worker i have ever known, and i think it killed him mentally not being able to work ... anyways .... his financial situation is bad right now

 

Due to him not being able to work he was forced to sell his house and downsize, which he did. He was working with me as part of our business that sadly also wetnm bankrupt around six months afterwards. I ended up losing my house and covering my side of the debt through my house sale ( and now rent ) , but my dad still has loans he has to pay each month related to back then.

 

He gets £360 per month invailidity benefit. He has a claim going through for his accident, but its been dragging on for three years now, with no conclusion in sight. My Mum works and gets around £600 per month. They dont have a mortgage or rent to pay, but the hardship they face due to the loans is crippling him, and theres nothing i can do to help him ( yet )

 

I am sure he should be entitles to more money or more help, but he is bewildered as to if so, and how to claim it .. he called Age Concern, but that confused him even more.

 

I just told him i would post on here and attempt to get any edvice, and see if he was entitled to any further help.

 

As i said, he has worked all his life, and paid into the system, only to be left high and dry when he needs a little help back ...

 

any help or advice would be massively appreciated

 

thanks

[poppynurse]

Has he tried DLA?

[DCA-KING]

Hi and welcome thats the system for you

Fisrt what are the loans for?

are they secured or not?

how much does he pay to each one every month?

please state what companies they are will and one way or the other we will try and help

Regards DK

[Blue_Scholar]

Hi DCAKing, and thanks for replying.

 

Here's the basic details of his loans ..

 

He took out 2 x 6 year loans four years ago, and has somehow paid them for the last four years. It was ok when he was working, but as i said he hasnt worked since his accident.

 

I actually had no idea his situation was so bad, i just called him to ask for the info so i can hopefully help him, he said he didnt want to tell me as it would worry me.

 

He has one loan with Halifax, he pays £418 per month, and it has 2 years to run, and he has another loan with RBS for the same monthly payment, again with 2 years to run.

 

Neither loan is secured.

 

As i said, they own their house outright with zero mortgage, but their income is only the £360 per month he gets on Invalidity, and my mums £600 per month wage for working in a cafe.

 

Please help, i feel sick now thinking of them struggling after working their whole lives, and nothing would make me happier then helping them.

[Blue_Scholar]

sorry to double post but *BUMP* ... can anyone help please ? thanks

[DCA-KING]

I would check his agreements is there insurance cover on them ?

If so make a claim if not i would write to them stating what has happened and that this is all he can afford at this time(i always state that due to my fincancial curcumsates at this time i would welcome any court action and let a judge decied how much i can afford to pay giving my income at the mo it would be a lot less that i am offering) once they know you dont give a toss and would go to court they lighten up a bit i also state that due to me being unable to work and have no assests i may concider going bankrupt thats a word they dont like cuz they wont get a penny

But do check out if he has insurance if so call them

Regards DK

Ps was offline for a few days due to some crap driver knocking down the telephone pole

[gizmo111]

Do not even consider bankruptcy as he has assets.

has he tried to claim DLA? some more information here Disability Living Allowance : Directgov - Disabled people

Check here for what they may be able to claim Start Calculation I would think the yshould be due some working tax credits, also have they applied for a council tax discount/rebate due to low income?

[Blue_Scholar]

Thankyou both for the help and advice

 

Yes he owns his house, thankfully. If he still had a mortgage, or had to pay rent, he would be in major league trouble.

 

He gets £360 a month DLA, but the loans are crippling. I wondered if he might be able to suspend or freeze them since he is on DLA ?

[DCA-KING]

Have you check to see if the loans have insurance? if they do get a claim in

Regards DK

[Blue_Scholar]

Hey

Thanks, I will ask him if they have insurance

If we write to the loan companies and tell them his situation and say he cant pay the monthly amounts due to A ) being forced to retire after falling down a flight of stairs B ) unable to work due to this, and only getting £360 per month DLA and C ) his circumstances changing so vastly, do you think its likely they will accept

I asked my Dad about this, and he said he went into the bank to ask them a year ago ( after banking with them for 25 years and putting a lot of money through them, and they basically didn’t want to know nor cared for his situation

My idea is to at least ease his stress short term while I get back on my feet financially too, in the hope that a year or two down the line I will be bale to help him pay them off properly.. He just needs to buy some time really cos his ship is sinking fast

[Blue_Scholar]

**BUMP** anyone please ?

[Blue_Scholar]

aaannnd BUMP

 

I nned to write letters to both his loans, can anyone please give me any advice ... basically i cant let him default on the loans as he owns his house, but he really cant afford to pay the loans

 

can anyone tell me how likely it is that the lenders will re-organise the loans, or take a newly negotiated lower payments

 

we basically just need to buy him a little time

[GEORGE SAINT]

Not sure if I got the wrong end of the stick here?

 

Has he claimed DLA and 'Invalidity' (Incapacity / ESA) benefit??

 

He is surely entitled to both?

[Blue_Scholar]

He has applied for DLA via Help the Aged, but he wont hear back for a few weeks apparently ...

 

Im going to take the plunge and make appointments at each of his loan places to go in with him and basically tell them there is no way at all he can afford to continue to pay them at the current rates...