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Losing benefits
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Today I received a letter saying that I am no longer entitled to income support as my circumstances have changed (I don't understand what they mean, nothing has changed) and that they stopped on the 1st of December (9 days ago but they only told me today). I'm signed off sick and am in a day hospital (5 days a weeks) so I can't work. Also I get housing benefit but that is dependent on getting IS so in theory that will stop too. I just can't cope with all this shit right now.
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They did not tell me how the circumstances have apparently changed.
I'm on PM if you need to rant. I wish I could be some practical use.
I suspect it's the latter.
Good luck with sorting it, and while I realise you probably can't see your advisor before your appointment is there some way you can get in touch with them before hand to tell them the problem so it's not news to them when you turn up.
Hope you get it sorted quickly.
They told me that although my original medical certificate was for 6 months (the doctor said I could just get a new one after 6 months) that because the certificate said depression that I didn't actually need a new one until October 2009 because it was done automatically on a new scheme thing.
This might sound really silly but I feel that the stress of being on benefits e.g. trying to get them, having them force me to do a work focussed interview, having them tell me that I'm no longer entitled to anything for no apparent reason etc is causing me a lot of stress and is actually making my health problems worse rather than allowing me to be in a position to focus on getting better.
They make claiming benefits so hard and complicated, it's no wonder people end up broke and homeless.
Thats because you, like everyone else on incapacity benefit, is a lying bitch who isn't really ill at all :rolleyes:
This country really does stink sometimes. That's what one gets when everyone votes Labour.
She's in hospital 5 days a week, I doubt she wants to work in that little time she does have.
RG is NOT capable of work therefore, cannot get a job whether thats volunteer work or paid work. Thats why she is on incapacity benefit and income support.
To be fair it was just a suggestion, theres no need to jump down the poor girls throat for it.
I really hope they sort it out for you ASAP Randomgirl.
I wonder if you could get an advocate to help you with the benefits people and speak to them on your behalf? Maybe it would take some of the pressure off.
As good as your intentions were in this thread, your suggestions have nothing to do with how to solve the problem at hand and the reason why RG made this thread in the first place.
In response to the original post, I'd telephone the benefits people at 9am, explain what you have just told us and, if it starts to get too much / they aren't helpful / whatever, do as SCC suggested, by appointing an advocate to assist with it all.
Hope you get it all sorted out.
I don't qualify for Incapacity Benefit as I was a full-time university student until the summer so only ever worked part-time in the last two years and hence did not pay enough National Insurance contributions to qualify, so my only income was the 'income support' (£45.50 a week) and housing benefit which I only get because I am on Income Support (this covers most of my rent but I have to pay about £12 of the rent from my income support a week because the housing benefit doesn't fully cover it).
My original medical certificate is not due to expire until February 2007 and I am quite confused with what has happened. I do have one month to appeal (from the date of the letter, not from receiving it about a week later) and I won't starve before then because I still have a student bank account as HSBC wouldn't change it to a graduate account without seeing my degree certificate and hence my over-draft facillity is massive.
If and when I recover enough I may do some voluntry work as it is likely that I would be able to do that sooner than I would be able to get a full-time paid job but for now this is not an option as I am not well.
Thanks for your replies guys, it feels good to be able to have a rant on here about it.
I know what you mean by the stress of benefits, I get DLA for my son (he has high functioning autism) and his DLA runs out at the end of March. I've had to do the 54 page application again, just in case he has been magically cured in the space of a year. Not likely eh! I should get the letter with their decision anyday and I'm seriously panicking that they will stop his pennies and leave us up sh*t creek and I'll have to go through some massive appeal process. Anyhow, hope it's sorted soon xx
I saw the lovely benefits advisor today and she phoned them up and resolved it. It was a mistake on the part of the DWP and they are going to give me the money that I have missed out on this month as a lump sum which will arrive before Christmas.
Glad its all sorted out
The DWP staff get an unfair rep- they'd be good if they weren't understaffed by about a half.
I just checked my bank statement online and I got my lump sum today