THE CURSE OF BEING ILL IN THE UK TODAY – APPLYING FOR DLA

I recently discovered after being treated for something for 12 years that the diagnosis was wrong. No wonder the medication made no difference, something that I had been telling my ex GP for years (he is no longer my GP!).

Disability Living Allowance or DLA

I was advised that I should make a claim for Disability Living Allowance as my condition is long term, because my expenses are higher because of my illness and I cannot work full time even if I could get a paid job.

I made my application for DLA in January and in March much to my surprise (not!) this was refused (as I am not clinically dead – you think I am joking!?). I returned in late March and placed an application for an appeal.

Waiting time for appeals 13 months

Imagine my surprise(!?) to discover that the waiting time for appeals is currently 13 months!

It is not possible to make a claim for DSA for the first 6 months of your disablement. Add this to the 2 months it took to process the application followed by 13 months to process the appeal one wonders what the purpose of DSA actually is.

The purpose of DSA certainly cannot be to provide the disabled with money if it is requirement to wait a minimum of 21 months before (provided your appeal is successful) the applicant actually receives any. If the disabled actually needed the money then they would have starved as I am yet to hear of anyone who can live 21 months without food or water.

That is ofcourse if they live that long...

It certainly cannot be there to help the disabled either. The fact that new applicants are being systematically refused benefit actually makes those applicants feel worse and also worthless.

And once the applicants get to the promised land of receiving DSA they may only receive £20.55 per week, up to a maximum of £131.50 per week. That is of course if they live that long….

HOW DO YOU LIVE ON £71 PER WEEK JSA?

After being made redundant 5 years ago I have applied for many hundreds of jobs and had one unsuccessful interview.

£71 per week JSA 

Given my extended period of unemployment I went first to college (for the second time in my life) and each summer having not successfully gained employment I went first back to college and then onto university. There I achieved an Honours Degree in a Computing related discipline. This I didn’t necessarily want but I thought it better to do something positive.

I have therefore now got over £20000 of student debt to add to my mortgage. I am fortunate that when I was working I was careful with my money, was able to save and have no other outstanding debts.

Without savings meaning I could buy food I would have starved to death

Currently on Job Seekers Allowance I am expected to live on £71.00 per week (increased in April 2012 from £67.50, an increase which the UK Government would have loved to renege on).

Thank goodness I saved some money when I was working as without my savings I would not have had money to buy food since May 2011 and would have starved to death. 

There is no money for ‘luxuries’ like food, clothing and soap to wash myself.

My £71 covers all but £1.75 worth of my housing, television license, phone, dental, minimum travel costs and electricity (and I am freezing cold in the winter to save money on heating costs). There is no money for ‘luxuries’ like food, clothing and soap to wash myself.

In addition the popular media dubs me a layabout and the Government says benefits are too generous. What planet do they live on?

Next year I estimate my savings will run out. How will I live on £71 per week?

WHEN I WAS ILL I DISCOVERED I COULD HAVE NO LEGAL INCOME SOURCE

WHEN I WAS ILL I DISCOVERED I COULD HAVE NO LEGAL INCOME SOURCE

A story of being on INCAPACITY BENEFIT and EMPLOYMENT AND SUPPORT ALLOWANCE

I have had an extensive period when I was ill in my life.

Part of that time (although it should have been all) was spent on incapacity benefit.

During this time my benefit was stopped after a DWP medical assessment and then after a successful appeal several months later it was reinstated and backdated. Over those few months when I had no income the stress considerably exacerbated my illness and extended the period which I was ill. Indeed so did having to go through the appeal process as I felt my honesty and integrity were on trial.

However over this period of no income I discovered I could not legally claim or earn anything.

1. I could not claim incapacity benefit as the DWP said I was not ill, although my GP stated I was.

2. I could not claim either job seekers allowance or indeed income support as I was not available for work as I was still signed off and my GP would not sign me back on.

3. I could not work as I was ill, signed off, and indeed working would have voided the employers liability insurance so therefore it would have been illegal for me to be working on their premises and for them to employ me.

Fortunately I had some savings which I could use to fund the gap but without these I would have had only 2 options.

1.       I could have applied for a crisis loan which has to be redone on a weekly basis (or so I understand) and really at that stage I could not have coped with the hassle, or,

2.       Go hungry, freeze, sit in the dark and ultimately become homeless.

At the time I thought this was an isolated incident but have discovered this seemed to be regular occurrence. I know two people to whom this happened, indeed for one of them it has occurred more than once.

I realise there are some people on sickness benefits who should not be, but there seem to be increasing number of people who are not on it who should be.

I hope the new Emplowment and Support Allowance will be better, although initial investigations indicate it is worse – many charities are taking the Government to court over the changes to the benefit system which is not a good start.

I paid into a system when I was working so it would be there to help when I needed it. I found that was a naïve hope. If you become ill you are doomed because the Government and society in general does not seem to care. If it does it has a very odd way of showing it.