Hi all
I am very angry about some information I have just got!!
I was dx in may 08 Grade 3 aggressive lmphovascular and Triple Negative, currently on 3 out of 4 tax. 15 rads to follow after xmas.
I am divorced(10 year and have always worked) with 2 teenage sons both just left home (uni and army).
I am on ssp my total income is £75.40 per week.
i was discussing this with a friend who works for the benefit office and she told me the only other thing i could apply for was disability living allowancebut had to meet certain needs. I was saying i didnt understand how people that didnt work could afford to be out drinking through the day (you know when you see them smoking outside pubs, i’m sure most towns have them) Anyhow she informed me that they are probably registered alcoholics, and that they get £19 PER DAY on top of their regular benefits to pay for their addiction!!!
Dont get me wrong I know alcoholism is an illness and they probably cant hold a job because of this but I dont want to have cancer and not be able to work either!!!
I feel so cheated to have always worked, and now when i need help find cant get it yet if i turned to drink because of my illness and became a alcoholic they would pay me to be one!!!
if that is correct info. then I am absolutely gobsmacked. That would be over £500 per month. Surely that would not help drinkers as they would just drink that money away and become more ill. The mind boggles…
It seems ludicrous that the taxpayer has to fund someone’s addiction in this way as surely the money would be better spent putting alcoholics in rehab or finding out why they are alcoholics in the first place? But it therefore depends whether you class alcoholism as an illness or a social problem. I suppose if they don’t get the money, they would steal it as they would have to get alcohol somehow so its the lesser of two evils. Chances are their life expectancy will be very low anyway. Not a nice predicament at all.
Gobsmacked and livid was how i felt. It seems its cheaper than “drying them out”.
I have mentioned this to a few other people one of which works in social services and she said it was true they do get extra for their addiction.
I am considering writing to either my local MP or the local paper as I’m sure the general public are not aware of this.
My daughter was diagnosed with terminal cancer last July and was told to apply for Invalidity Pension ( I think it was that one ) anyway she was turned down … some months later she was told to apply again. Three times she was turned down even after she was diagnosed with brain tumours … whether her age was against her I don’t know… 33. Anyway in May, she was admitted to hospital for pain relief following op for brain tumour in March etc. The social worker asked me if she was claiming and I explained what had happened. She was furious that she should have been refused and took it up herself. Lisa got her allowance plus 3 months back pay. She died two days later and never saw it.
Another thing to upset us … I have come to the conclusion that you have to know the system. Not one member of our family has even claimed benefits.
Sue
I am not sure about the accuracy of this. Exactly which benefit/allowance is it that pays £19/day!! Are you sure it is not just high rate care of DLA?
Frequently alcoholicism happens a result of severe mental health problems and is a symptom rather than a problem in its own right.Genetic links are also significant.
I would be interested to find out and am by no means condoning it. I have secondaries and am struggling to work myself.
Dipstick,
I do not want to get involved in a discussion about the nature of addiction, or cause and effect. I have neither the knowledge or expertise. All I know is that 2 members of my family ( my uncle and cousin) both suffered depression all of their lives. One ended up dying of cirhossis and the other hung himself (age 40 with 2 children). Both drank.Both needed help and if there had been mental health intervention I feel both could have been prevented.
I cannot comment on drug abuse as I have no experience of it. I have got experience of the Benefit system. I know that a lot of people I see, some of whom have a drink problem have mental health problems going back years before the drinking.
I am not aware that there is an extra benefit of £19/day. Julie
I didn’t get anything when I was signed off sick as I had a 3 month gap in NI dating back to 2003 when I was caring for my late dad full time. Prior to this gap I had worked since 1977(even when I was a mature undergraduate in the 90s) and hadn’t tried to claim benefits since I was made redundant in 1991. 8 months into my treatment Macmillan Cancer told us we should try for tax credits as we had started a business 6 weeks prior to my diagnosis. We succeeded on the second attempt and managed to get £96 a week on account of our income being so low. This in turn meant we could get cavity wall insulation done for nothing even though we own the house outright. However, me not being able to get IB meant we went through about 8k in savings to cover bills and c/tax.
I don’t know what we would have done without Macmillan advising us.
I also know how people feel - I have a family in a rented house at the bottom of my street, mum, dad and 2 kids and everything is provided by the state. They pile rubbish up at the side of their house and the council take it away for free every couple of months - everyone else has to pay for the uplift.
I don’t think cancer has made me a better person but I like to think that both before and since cancer I didn’t and don’t make uninformed judgements about the sadnesses and hardships in other people’s lives. It always seems very sad to me when people with cancer start making horrible sweeping statements about other people.
I have a pretty good knowledge of the disability benefit system as I have been through it a couple of times for relatives and I am pretty certain that this simply is not true, I am suprised that someone working in the system would spread usch rubbish I just googled it and came up with nothing.
DLA is paid at three rates and has two components and that is it. It is possible you could get DLA but not probable as you will be able to return to work, and if you have a record of contributions you can get incapacity benefit.
As I said I know alcoholism is an illness and I certainly wouldnt want to be an alcoholic. I just dont understand how the benefit system can provide in this way for one illness and not for another. I fully intend to return to work when my treatment is done, I wouldnt want to be stuck in the benefit system I believe in working for a living,
Sadly some people dont know any other way of living because that is the way they have been brought up, I am not criticising the people I am criticising the system.
Ive recently been turned down benefits because ive been traveling and not paid enough tax in the last 2 years. I think this is disgusting! Ive worked my whole life n paid plenty of tax in my life. Im relying on my partners poor wage to live on and it such a struggle. Hopefully getting the odd grant from charities but I think its disgusting the way things are. Its not like ive chosen to get cancer!
Jane
Is it me that you are referring to about uninformed judgements and sad and sweeping statements?
Well I happen to be informed about the benefit system and know that the £19/day thing is absolute nonsense. I also am trained in advice work and counselling. I work for a charity and see such people every day.My experience is based on the sad peoples lives.I regularly visit in their homes and see the devastation. I also have access to their medical reports and case histories. Some people do exploit the benefit system, just like some people fiddle insurance and tax.The system can be very unfair and I would encourage all people to seek advice. For example Helen,if you are only on ssp and intend to return to work, you will probably be entitled to working tax credit, particularly if you are on DLA.Most of the people that I see have genuine disabilities and have genuine need. We work closely with Macmillan, would you accuse them of making sad judgements?
I am not making judgements based on my own life, but my experience and knowledge. The whole cancer thing is very unfair. Making narrow minded judgements about alcoholics, drug addicts are akin to Daily Mail type theories . They are as blinkered as theories about it being our own fault that we got BC ie. diet, alcohol, dairy.etc Julie
I live and mix in an area where over half the population have been fraudulantly receiveing benefits - especially DLA. It is getting better - but s l o w ley! I think the system needs a complete overhaul.I’ve heard it’s happening but still know quite a few people who’ve been on DLA for years who should not be! All I can say is it must have been a lot easier to get it years ago, and once you’ve got it it’s easy to stay on it - in my neck of the woods anyway!
Emelf
I think you will find you can’t get Incapacity benefit because you haven’t paid enough National Insurance, the Tax doesn’t affect it. National Insurance is exactly that, an Insurance. If you don’t pay buildings or contents Insurance you can’t claim if your house falls down of you get robbed. The same with Unemployment or sickness.
I do sympathise with you but it is logical.
I think people who haven’t paid National Insurance can claim Income support or whatever it is called now. I know there is an additional premium ( I think it is disability premium) that is paid on top of the Income support…That may be the extra £19 or whatever that is concerning some people.
Hope that helps
I am am not talking about you at all. I am really shocked by these horrible comments about people on benefits. I know the £19 thing is a load of rubbish. I hate judgements being made about ‘alcoholics’ etc. I’m a
life long socialist, hate the Daily Mail and seem to have been misunderstood!