Hi to all

[Jon_1803]

Hi to all,

I have a very difficult situation of which I am sure many here will understand. My partner has a long-term serious mental illness and we have two young children. My partner is completely reliant upon me for her sustainability and care. We also have a daughter who has Cerebral Palsy, epilepsy, developmental delay and autism.

I also work 40 hours per week fulltime.

Last year I developed sepsis and I very nearly perished. It was a huge wakeup call and I am now in the process of aiming to become a fulltime carer.

I rang the carers benefit helpline through the DWP and the person on the phone advised this as follows –

My partner receives PIP and our daughter DLA. She said I should claim carers allowance for my partner and my partner who is in receipt of PIP should claim carers allowance for our daughter who is in receipt of DLA.

The person on the phone explained that there is no definition of care and so even though my partner has considerable deficits from her illness she can still claim.

It came as a surprise to myself in all honesty.

What are the opinions and experience of this scenario?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice.

[Chris From The Gulag]

Hi Jon.

Sounds about right.

Taking a family unit ... work out who does what ... who needs what ... then fit the best combination of benefits / allowances out there to produce the best return.

Like a jigsaw puzzle with no picture to guide you.

Some benefits may clash with each other ... the giving to Richard but cutting to Paul syndrome.

An online benefits calculator will do the same :

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/

The only fly in the ointment maybe Univeral Credit.

Rolled out on your manor ?

https://ucpostcode.entitledto.co.uk/ucdate

Care definition ?

Presumably Carers Allowance ?

https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance

I will assume that both Needs and Carer Assessments are upto date through your local LA ?

Housing ... if social tenants , no potential " Succession " problems ?

Let us know how the figures stack up ... we may be able to suggest some alternatives.

[Jon_1803]

Hi there, many thanks for the links, that's appreciated. I've never claimed any other types of benefits so I have a lot to learn as it were, best wishes and thanks.

[Chris From The Gulag]

Yep ... for me as well when I became a carer.

Took me 5 months to discover that I was , indeed , a carer !

Just took it for granted that this was the natural way of things ... back in 1997 ... when information was like having the same 6 as Camelot's 6.

Applied for CA and that was me on me way ... almost to oblivion and back over ten years.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the UK Benefit System.

Like a maze full of mirrors ... illogical , and difficult to navigate.

Claim this and someone else loses that.

Some have two identities ... Carers Allowance ... both a " Benefit " and a " Replacement wage " ... depending on the context.

Some mines ... you'll find one when you step on it.

£ 13 BILLION went unclaimed in 2017 ... rising year on year.

I wonder why ?

The Carers UK Advice Team is also able to guide anyone through this maze.

Contact details follow ... best by email :

https://www.carersuk.org/forum/support- ... line-24147

To my knowledge , no one has nominated the UK Benefit System as a specialist subject on Mastermind.

No surprise there , then ?

[Jon_1803]

Applying for PIP and DLA was a learning curve for sure. I hope claiming carers allowance is a little easier... lol

[Chris From The Gulag]

Try doing that online without immediate access to a computer ... like low millions of others.

Local library , 20 minute time slot ... queue around an hour to 90 minutes long.

19 minutes in ... only three pages to go ... and ... the save function doesn't work !

All good fun ... so we are told ?

And yet , hundreds of thousands have no choice when reporting in under Universal Credit.

When fully rolled out , make that millions !

[PAUL72]

Hi Jon,
it sounds like you're in a difficult situation, before you give up work have you thought of having a care needs assessment done by your local authority? My wife has severe epilepsy with seizures or clusters of seizures most days and requires 24 hr care.
As you I work full time, caring and working which is a constant juggling act, from what you said you could be entitled to some extra support as well as a Carers Assessment. I'm really sorry to hear of your daughter and partner. You need to have some time to yourself to even going for a walk for 30 mins gives me a new lease of life, so even if you give up work ask about a Carers Assessment to give you some time to yourself.

Take Care Jon and good luck
Paul

[Jon_1803]

Thank you to you both. My partner has been ill for many years and sadly she has no insight into her illness. She couldn't even fully understand why she was being assessed for the PIP benefit so its very sad really. I'm just relieved to have completed this hurdle.

I certainly feel sorry for those without the necessary PC skills or access to a computer and who are now unable to access the benefits they could be entitled to. The last ten years have been a disaster under this government.