Work and Finances!
Work and Finances! Hi
Im 6 weeks out of chemo after having a lump/radio/mast and chemo,
I lost my job due to bc and never thought anyone else would employ me, 3 weeks after the finish of chemo I was asked to go for a job interview and got it! They offered me 22 hours but I wasnt sure if I could do that so I approached my local job centre (I was on incapacity benefit) and they suggested that I still claim the incap benefit but approach the company and suggest that I work up to 15 hours and dont get paid more than £80.00, then they would continue to pay me the £70.00 benefit.
This is a new scheme to try to get people back into work slowly, I dont know if this will help anyone else, but it has given me a little more money and a little bit of confidence back. Sometimes when Im working I have to pinch myself as it seems very unreal after the nightmare of the past 12 months! There is a little light at the end of the tunnel!
Much love
Debbie xx
incapacity benefit Hi, I am also on incapacity benefit after being off work for a year.
Can I ask if you have been signed off from the doctors so you can return to work and do you no longer need sick notes to send to the benefit office.
I hope you don’t mind me asking but I am having my first review at work tomorrow with my manager and HR and as I also only work part time I thought your information was very interesting.
Many thanks, Sue
Incap benefit Hi Sue
Of course I dont mind, I haven’t been signed off yet and I have a sick note that covers me until December. You can get all the info from your local Job Centre Plus and the benefit is called ‘Permitted Work’, if you work for a goverment agency I think that its even easier.
Good luck!
Debbie x
No Money Hi Debbie
I am still not back at work just comeing up for 12 months. My Incapacity Benefit was stopped in April after seeing there doctor so no money comeing in for me. ( Does not seem fair after always working) But my health has to come first.
Janets
Same here i was diagnosed in jan., 04, when my ssp stopped i received incapacity benefit, i returned to work in oct., 04, [having finished my treatment at the end aug] on the permitted work scheme, which i thought was a good way to ease myself back in at my own pace [i was deputy manager of a childrens nursery]
i was asked to attend a medical in nov., 04 at the local dss office,
the whole thing was ridiculas, the questions i was asked bore no bearing to my job or my ability to do it, my diagnosis, or my physical or mental state…one of the questions, can you hang the washing on the line or are you one of those women who doesn’t???
at the end of the medical the doctor said to me ’ so its just the cancer that bothers you then’!!!isn’t that enough!..obviously not as my benefit was stopped, which meant i had to return to work sooner than i felt able.
i did contemplate appealing against the decision but didn’t, i wish i had.
i did complain about the doctors comment, but received no reply
i must admit i got the impression that because i’d returned to work under the permitted work scheme i was deemed capable of returning
to my job completely.
karen
To LancsLass What a bummer!!! I’ve just spent ages writing a post to you and have pressed the wrong button and deleted the lot!! So I’ll keep it brief this time. I was wondering if you could help me at all regarding incapacity benefit. I’ve rung up to see if I would be eligible and they said I probably would but I said I hadn’t been working which is true except for the odd days that I have tried to go back and realised I just wasn’t up to it. It’s our own business so I’ve just tried the odd day here and there but it is a heavy and tiring job and although I’ve been off since March 2005 I’m still not recovered enough to do the job. Apart from the physical side ( I had alot of surgery ) I’m still completely exhausted. Do you think they would say that as I had worked the odd day I couldn’t get it or that I could only get it from now as long as I did’nt do any odd day. To me that seems to be the only way you can tell if your ready or not. Hope you can understand what I’m saying but can’t rewrite the original coz I’m too tired.
Benefits! Hi Beryl
I dont claim to be totally ‘up’ on the benefits lark, but here goes…
I had to fill in forms to get incapacity benefit, I did this whilst having chemo, I must’nt have filled in the forms properly as I did’t get the 15 points necessary and was called to a medical 1 1/2 weeks after finishing chemo. I went to the medical and told them the truth about the terrible side effects of chemo, as women we tend to gloss over the bad bits, I think that with this benefit we have to tell them warts and all what we feel like now and what we can and cannot do. Anyway it was deemed that I should still be able to stay on the benefit.
I am due to speak to my local job centre on Monday about finalising the details about permitted work. I think that you are only able to get incapacity benefit for a max of 12 months anyway, although I am a little confused as I have know people on benefits for years!
I feel that this will hopefully ease me back into work, I am only going to do 22 hours anyway, but at the moment I am just dipping my toe into the water. I think that you can only go onto permitted work for a max of 12 months, and I would imagine that with the goverment agenda of getting people off benefit, I will be expected to have quite a few medicals!
Good luck!
Debbie x
Incap benefit Hi Debbie, Thanks for the reply it really does help when we can share information like this, otherwise we just wouldn’t have a clue.
I had my review at work on Friday and they agree with me that I am not ready to go back to work just yet. I will go back when I am physically and mentally ready which is not just yet.
I will definatley look into the permitted to work scheme when I do go back.
Thanks for your help, Sue x