Newcastle changes to housing benefit

[g.herschel]

Last year all who live in rented property mainly those with private landlords were given information as to the "TRUE" value of the rented property our flat costs £585 per month the old doll claims housing bnefit of about £184 per month i cant claim anything for my half as i dont qualify for meens tested benefit.
the council told us last year that our flat for housing benefit should be £380 per month we are ok there will be no reduction in housing benefit but UNDER THE NEW RULES IF WE MOVE OR HAVE A BREAK IN BENEFIT CLAIM YOU MAY LOSE SOME OF YOUR HOUSING BENEFIT TO BE HONEST IT AT FIRST SEEMS OK TO ME BUT WHEN I CHECKED UP WITH COUNCIL A BREAK IN CLAIM AND THEN RE APPLYING MAY SEE A CUT IN HOUSING BENEFIT AS THE COUNCIL WILL ONLY CALCULATE NEW CLAIM FOR THEIR VALUE OF PROPERTY IN OUR CASE £380 PER MONTH INSTEAD OF WHAT WE ACTUALY PAY £585 . SO WHAT IS A BREAK IN CLAIM THE ONE THAT WORRIES ME IS IF YOU ARE IN HOSPITAL FOR MORE THAN 28 DAYS YOU LOSE YOUR ENTITLEMENT TO BENEFITS AND MUST MAKE NEW CLAIM WHICH WILL RESULT IN LESS HOUSING BENEFIT THIS WILL FORCE MANY ELDERLY DISABLED OR ILL PEOPLE TO GET OUT OF HOSPITAL BEFORE THE 28 DAYS WHEN OF COURSE THEY SHOULD BE CONCENTRATING ON GETING WELL .

GEORGE - WHO MAKES UP THESE RULES AND WHY IS IT AIMED AT PRIVATE RENTED PROPERTIES AND NOT SOCIAL HOUSING / COUNCIL HOUSE.

THE OLD DOLL HAS A LARGE PENSION BUT IN NEWCASTLE THEY DISREGARD ALL WAR RELATED PENSIONS WHICH MEENS HER ONLY INCOME RE BENEFITS IS £34 PER WEEK STATE PENSION LETS HOPE THEY NEVER START TO CALCULTE WAR PENSIONS AS EARNINGS OUR VETERANS DESERVE ALL THE HELP THEY CAN GET THIS YEAR ALONE DUE TO THE IDIOTIC WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WE HAVE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF EXTRA CLAIMANTS FOR WAR PENSIONS

[Guest]

Hi
I thought the state pension was £52.30 min if no stamps had been paid by a woman and that was paid against the husband contribution.
Must councils take pension's in to account for working out council tax and housing benefits but not DLA money.
So George there are a lot more worse off out there on war pensions or not.
John

[g.herschel]

the old doll gets a low state pension because she has war widows pension as well as her own war disablement pension and long service pension the war widows pension comes into the overlapping rule so thats why her state pension is low its all paid as war widows pension her state pension is £38 per week

she has stamps paid in her own right

as far as i know from veterans agency over 90% of councils now disregard the whole of your war pension allowances not just the first £10 those that take war disablement / widows/ long service pensions in to account are anearly all LABOUR controled

george

[Guest]

Hi
Our council is labour you may be right.
When you say war widow's pension i thought you said or have i got it wrong that your Dad survived the war.
I thought war widows pension were paid to those that didn't survive the war.
My Dad went through the war from 1939 till being demobbed in May 1946 Mum never got a pension when he died one year before Mum died.
Mum was called up to work on the Buses although Mum wanted to go into the ATS.
Mum served from 1940 till 1945 and i was born in between those dates and Dad was in hospital injured for some time then sent back to his unit.
John.

[CB]

Hi George,
Thought I might be able to help here - I am a benefits officer at my local council. Well... Someone has to do it!
Anyway, sounds like you are referring to the Local Housing Allowance that comes into force in April this year, for new benefit claims and change of circumstances (ie if you move address). The idea behind it was to simplify the way in which The Rent Service determine the maximum amount of rent council can pay towards Housing benefits costs. The Rent Service determine the amount of maximum eligible rent we can use in assessment of someone's housing benefit in order to try and deter greedy private landlord's over charging and taking advanatge of vulnerable tenants.
Anyway - a person can still get housing benefit for up to 52 weeks if hospitalised. The amount doesn't change. If you come out of hospital say after 5 weeks then have to go back in, the 52 weeks starts again from the time you go back into hospital.
Also, have you applied for a Discretionary Housing Payment to help with the difference between the rent you are being charged and the amount of Housing benefit you get? Might be worth asking about at your local council.
I hope this helps.

CB

[g.herschel]

thanks CB


STAN was on A.ALLOWANCE for many years like many elderly disabled pensioners but about 3 years before his death in feb 2006 he had a review with veterans agency and they pointed out that if STAN died the old doll would get nowt but if STAN was claiming THE CONSTANT CARE ALLOWANCE via the war pensions agency on his death the old doll would get a WAR WIDOWS PENSION without the problems of proving that STAN died from his war related illness this is what we did however the old dolls own state pension was reduced dont ask me how but it was our old friend the overlaping benefits rule


george