yes they will but if they can find a way out they will try, but go for it theres nowt to lose and you folk deserve your insurance
big hugs
cee
Hi Mel
I’ve been browsing the forums for the past 2 weeks since i found my suspicious lump and i must say what a great help they have been. All you ladies are such an inspiration. When i went to the clinic yesterday it was not such a dread as i knew what to expect. I get my results Tuesday and am sure they will turn out to be fine but if not then at least i know where to come for advice.
I never intended to register until i read your thread. I am sooo sorry you have been diagnosed with this awful illness. You or anyone else should not have to go through this but to then worry about the financial inplications this has also brought about is just so unfair as you so aptly put it.
I know about the benefits system and hope the following helps,
Incapacity Benefit - this is a contribution based benefit , ie based on you national insurance record. In order to qualify you must have paid sufficient NI in the preceeding 2 tax years. They do not take anything prior to that into account unfortuatley which is why you didn’t qualify. It does seem totally unfair and i’d like to say the cases are rare but they’re not. They are a lot of people working part time with low earnings who qualify for nothing if they become ill. Perhaps it is something we should all raise to our local MP’s as it is the government who make these rules.
Disability Living Allowance - this is a non means tested, non contributory benefit which is paid to people when they are ill / disabled in recognition of the extra costs people incur when ill. It is made up of 2 components care and mobililty and split into rates higher, middle and low for the care and higher and lower for the mobility. There is a qualifying period of 6 months ie you must have been ill for 6 months and expect to be ill for a further 6 months as a general rule. This is not the case for people claiming under “Special Rules” with a DS1500 report. This report is issued by the GP to people who are terminally ill and the qualifying period is waived. You should make the claim and ask you GP or bc nurse for advice.
Tax Credits - You should be receiving child tax credit. Have you informed them of your change in circumstances and made a claim based solely on your husbands earnings. If not you should do this. You can call tax credits on 0845 300 3900.
You should also complete a HC1 form to see if you qualify for an exemption certificate for health costs. You can pick up a HC1 at most hospitals, pharmacies or call the benefit enquiry line on 0800 882200 for any forms you may need particuarly the DLA form.
I hope this helps and i wish you well. If you would like to know anything more specific then by all means mail me.
Take care
Grainne xx
so glad you were able to put the record straight
bless you hon
cee
My GP has told me that after my six months of statutary sick pay is up, then thats it, even though i’ve paid in all my life and worked all my life, and the job that i was in involved a lot of heavy lifting, pushing and pulling (that i can’t do anymore) plus the risks of cuts, well, i’m not entitled to incapacity as i would be seen as able bodied! so don’t know what will happen then.
Alison xxx
Hi Alison
I can’t see any reason why you would not qualify for Incapacity Benefit. Your employer needs to issue you with an SSP1 form which is needed to assess any claim to Incapacity Benefit. You should look in your local phone book for the number for your local Jobcentreplus office (new name for DSS) and contact them to make a claim to Incapacity Benefit a couple of weeks before your SSP ends. Your doctor needs to give you medical certificates and you may eventually be called for a medical which if you pass will stop the need to keep sending in medical certificates.
I hope this helps.
Good luck
Grainne xx
Hi Grainne, the problem i would have is that when i had to finish work, they were just about to give me a permanent contract (my temporary one had expired and the person in charge was on holiday!), no chance of that now, but i shall certainly ask them for that form, there’s so much that i don’t know about, never even been on the dole or social, so this really is new to me. thank you so much for the advice, it really is good of you
Alison xxxxx
Hi Grainne,
I was given my doctors note (for 3 months) passed it on to work who then inturn returned it & an ssp form explaininhg that I could not get any ssp through them as I had not been with then long enough or earnt enough NI. Sent on to Jobcentre PLus as told for Incapacituy Benefit and then was sent a letter back saying that I was not entitled to any IB as the year 2003-2006 I had not earnt enough NI during these years! I was working part time whilst doing my Teachers Assisant course at a preschool around my children and OH shifts on little pay that did not qualify paying NI. I have never had a letter asking me to voluntary pay NI like my OH gets sometimes if his works have messed up! I never in my wldest dreams thought that I would be in this situation!
It took work 3 weeks to tell me this then they told via post when I more or less go in once a week. it took the jobcentre 2 wks to tell me know I have to wait until they have send me a form for disbility Living allowance which I then have got to fill in return and wait again!!! in the mean time I have had no money since the 18th July…
At least work have to keep my job open for me!!! feeling alittle dispair Cant Believe that I have spent years of juggling work, training and family for what!!!
I will try to follow through with what help I can get for myself & my family - I dont really have much chose!..
thanks Alison for your information it was really usefull for myself & others.
TC ALL
MEL
X
I actually lost all faith in the benefits system 2 years ago when they stopped my DLA on the basis of one report that was mostly complete fabrication. Even with doctor’s letters and volunteering to go for a REAL medical my appeal was dismissed.
Hi
I am starting to feel the same way!!! I can know understand why my older sister has moved to New Zealand (same day as my 1st chemo) GOD I MISS HER!
My mum & dad are moving to Spain and so is my younger sister & her family. I am starting to fel a little alone , I have one sister left! She is the baby of the family & it should be me looking out for her!!
soz got to go having a wobbly moment.
tc
Mel
x
Oh Mel
Wish I was near you and could help you through this … can’t be nice having your family moving away when you need them so much now and you feeling so alone … hope your wobbly moment made you feel a little bit better, making me feel tearful now.
You have my email address if you want to chat more, and I really don’t mind. This is awful what we are all going through, and things like this don’t help. My heart goes out to you. Grandad has moved in with us right now, as lives in France, but 24/7 can get quite tiring. He is off home next week for couple of weeks to sort out his new car, and then be back in time for my 3rd chemo. 2nd chemo next week is sorted for the children.
Hope you are feeling bit better when you come back on line. I feel so helpless as nothing I can do to make you feel better, yet really want to help. Sending lots and lots of cyber hugs and love.
Speak to you later
Take care
Love
Dawn
x
Hi dawn,
got email thanks, just off to give them a ring…
understand where you are coming from with the hugs!
hope you are feeling well & no more side effects…
Sorry moderator I thought that I sent a private message!!!
cyber hugs
mel
x
Hi Mel
Good luck with your call, I really hope that they can help you out.
I have had an email from my macmillan nurse about the DLA and she is going to get the DS1500 form sorted out for me, and I just have to send her the DLA form. So hopefully that will get sorted. You should try to apply for this too if you haven’t already. We have also had good news on the critical illness front, and it pays out the full sum assured amount which I never expected.
Still no side effects, and you did send a private message, so don’t worry, just not allowed to put email addresses in, think the moderators must scrutinise them before they allow them through.
ANyway, keeping fingers crossed for you.
Love
Dawn
x
Ooops will have to remember that for next time!!!
Macmillian will send appropriate forms & advices to talk to BC nurse etc…
SO pleases about your policy - yippppeeee
We are still waiting to hear about ours!!!
How long did it take for you to get your policy sorted if you dont ind me asking?
TC
Mel
X
We rang them, or should I say, I rang them the day was told had spread to my liver, think I went onto automatic pilot and numb, that was the 26th July. They sent out the forms, but we then dithered, as didn’t want to take a percentage of the lump sum and then it cease, so called them again, and then sent a letter asking them to confirm in writing the amount they would pay. We sent the filled forms off today by registered post, and so presumably they now have to write to the onc or docs or something and get it confirmed and presuming they will pay out after that. Not sure how long that will take, but the ball is now rolling …
Glad Macmillan were helpful … talk to your bc nurse about the DLA and DS1500 form too. Paid our taxes and NI for years, so deserve something back. Although my answers were all no to everything … as not disabled or anything … so will see.
Take care
Dawn
x
mel999
Sorry i haven’t got back to you sooner.
I’m really sorry you have been so let down by the so called system.
I hope you are awarded DLA and if you need any advice on completing forms feel free to ask , if i can help i will.
On your initial post you mentioned your OH’s salary and i mentioned tax credits, I don’t know what specifics can be posted on the site and i don’t want to put figures down but you should be receiving child tax credit - if you have not claimed it please do so - it can be backdated up to 3 months so they should go back to when you were last paid.
Take care,
Grainne
x
Hi
Recieved my disability living allowance application form( Book) today
I hope I have filled it in right. also got a DS1500 from docs, care plan from BC Nurse and I have also put a copy of prescribed medications in for good measure!
My husband picked up his wage slip today and because of the time of this month because he has come with me to the hospial or docs he is 200 down. plus I have no wages another 250 so I have no idea how we are going to survive this month… I just hope that I can get some hope with the DLA (but I will not hold my breath)
I suppose that I will have to wait 2wks plus before I find out!!!
Fed up with the system…
tax credits wont change because of OH wages… they always say you live to yours means but I did not expect to have this! and no help!
soz just wanted a winge
hope everyone is ok
TC to all
Mel
xx
Hi
I know I’m jumping on this one a little late but had to get my rant in about this.
I chose to give up work to bring up my 2 children at home so we just live off my husbands income which we manage to do, just about, we don’t and never have claimed any state benefits. I have started chemo and it this leaves me whacked out for the best part of the following week.I find it almost impossible to look after the children (2 under 5) during that 1st chemo week so really need help. I looked at putting them in nursery for a couple of days after chemo and it would be £40 a day each!!
Now my argument is that if I was working they would already be in nursery so that would have been accounted for pre-cancer days so it would be no extra expense & be paid for by my sick pay so I could have these days to rest. However, when I decided to give up work we didn’t allow for me getting cancer at 34 funnily enough so things have become really hard for me now, and find it so hard to cope on my 1st chemo week with the kids at home.
I phoned Macmillan but because of my husbands salary & we have savings we are not entitled to anything. But my husbands salary just covers our mortgage, bills etc - it’s all accounted for. And as for savings, that was saved up pre-children towards our retirement because the talk is none of us will get a state pension. So we will have to take money from savings to pay these nursery fees - that’ll soon go at £160 a week.
I don’t want offend anyone but my main rant is that if we’d have been careless with our money & p*ssed it all up the wall we’d be entitled to something. And if I went & bought myself a brand new car for the hell of it today and nuked the savings they’d throw money at us. How crazy is it?
Grrr!! I’m off to book a holiday on Nekker island then I’ll phone Macmillan back see what they say. Ha ha!
Love to all
xx
Hi All
Just noticed this thread. I am not sure if this will be of hep to any of you - but worth a try. The Elizabeth Finn Trust (google it please!) is a charity that provides help for those who are “professionals” or children of professionals (possibly spouses) - in recognition that such people can be caught out on means tested benefits. They have a list of the professions - e.g. teaching, nursing etc. They are flexible in the help they provide. I am aware of them helping towards mortage payments whilst a nurse was on long term sick. They are keen to help and I have got the feeling they are not that regularly contacted. Just a thought .
Love
Tinksx
Alison,
Might be a bit late now but I’ve been on hols. Just checking that neither of your children is under 5 (or was some time during the last couple of years)???
There’s some rule about being credited NI while children are under 5 and therefore Mum is out of the workforce. I think it’s supposed to happen automatically so I’m thinking they ought to have allowed for it if applicable but might pay to check if you think it’s an issue.
Of course that won’t help if they’re both 5-10…
mousy
Hi mousy
I hope you had a good holiday?
Thanks for the thought, but unfortunately my kids are 7 & 9! Seems not fair !!!
Trying for disabilty living allowance but was told it could take up to 18wks before they have reached a
decisions! They soon reach a decision when you owe them something…
Thanks again
Take Care
Mel
x