News1 min ago
Benefits For Disabled People
I wonder if anyone can give me some information, or lead to me where i can get information that you can understand about disability benefits, and what they are; specifically entitlement to free prescriptions.
My friend has a son with fragile x therefore he has quite a severe learning disability. He does work, clearing up in a local cafe, but only for 12 hours, on minimum pay so doesn't earn much. She is a pensioner, on a basic pension (she is on her own), and she gets a carers allowance for looking after him as he couldn't live alone. He gets no benefits in his own right, paid to him and she doesn't know if he is entitled to any. I think he should be, and i would have been able to guide her once upon a time, but the changes in the benefits system seem to deliberately make it almost impossible to understand.
Fortunately he is physically very fit, and rarely attends the doctor. Recently he had a chest infection and needed antibiotics. Although she never overstates his disabilities, rather she encourages his abilities, but he is aware that he is disabled. He believed he was entitled to free prescriptions and let the pharmacy tick that box. Clearly they thought so too. After a few weeks they had a letter fining him £50 for claiming a free prescription to which he wasn't entitled. Once upon a time she would have been onto it but a couple of years ago she had a stroke and has lost a lot of confidence. I didn't know anything about this until after she had paid it or I'd have offered to help her look into it.
We have discussed her contacting social services for some help and assistance, or guidance at least, but she is of that generation who are very reluctant to allow social services into their lives!
My friend has a son with fragile x therefore he has quite a severe learning disability. He does work, clearing up in a local cafe, but only for 12 hours, on minimum pay so doesn't earn much. She is a pensioner, on a basic pension (she is on her own), and she gets a carers allowance for looking after him as he couldn't live alone. He gets no benefits in his own right, paid to him and she doesn't know if he is entitled to any. I think he should be, and i would have been able to guide her once upon a time, but the changes in the benefits system seem to deliberately make it almost impossible to understand.
Fortunately he is physically very fit, and rarely attends the doctor. Recently he had a chest infection and needed antibiotics. Although she never overstates his disabilities, rather she encourages his abilities, but he is aware that he is disabled. He believed he was entitled to free prescriptions and let the pharmacy tick that box. Clearly they thought so too. After a few weeks they had a letter fining him £50 for claiming a free prescription to which he wasn't entitled. Once upon a time she would have been onto it but a couple of years ago she had a stroke and has lost a lot of confidence. I didn't know anything about this until after she had paid it or I'd have offered to help her look into it.
We have discussed her contacting social services for some help and assistance, or guidance at least, but she is of that generation who are very reluctant to allow social services into their lives!
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Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where it mentions help claiming benefits
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Thanks for all this, don't know why CAB don't come to mind first, although I know someone who did use them for a similar situation. I know they are extremely busy and it takes time to be seen but I will definitely look into this for her.
Meantime I'll take a look at the other links. Sadly she doesn't use the internet and of course this is something that he isn't capable of. She had been a brilliant advocate for him in the past, but I think she need someone to advocate for her now.
Meantime I'll take a look at the other links. Sadly she doesn't use the internet and of course this is something that he isn't capable of. She had been a brilliant advocate for him in the past, but I think she need someone to advocate for her now.
I agree that the son must be getting some some of disability allowance for her to get carer's allowance but carer's allowance usually stops when the claimant qualifies for state pension (the overlapping benefits rule).
To claim free prescriptions you must have one of the few specific medical conditions as explained here or certain benefits
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The son is certainly able to claim benefits in his own right and I suggest your friend contact this society for help and advice in claiming PIP
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To claim free prescriptions you must have one of the few specific medical conditions as explained here or certain benefits
https:/
The son is certainly able to claim benefits in his own right and I suggest your friend contact this society for help and advice in claiming PIP
https:/
Definitely visit the CAB,when I became disabled after a stroke I'd never had any time off work and I'd no idea what I could or couldn't claim for.So eventually I went to CAB and they sorted every thing, they
even had a lady (a solicitor doing pro bono work) come out and fill all my forms for me.Don't delay if you're entitled to something they'll help you get it.
even had a lady (a solicitor doing pro bono work) come out and fill all my forms for me.Don't delay if you're entitled to something they'll help you get it.
I'll post link for mind, they may be able to give you some advice quicker than CAB.
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Thanks all. The son is going to be 50 i think this year, the mother is 82. She gets a regular old age pension. I'm pretty sure that it is carers allowance she gets, as she cares for him. I seem to remember both my parents getting it for each other as they had different disabilities and needs. They were pensioners when they got it.
It's really all so complicated now, so I really do think a trip to CAB may be the best move. The only thing that complicates it more is that there is an investment, held in trust, for the son for when anything happens to the mother. This was from her divorce many years ago. I'm not sure of the details of this, but I don't believe she can take money out of it, nor does she get an income from it.
I thought he did get some kind of benefit, but he used to work more hours than he does now, not sure if this makes a difference. Even without a disability he has a very low income, but again I was under the impression that to get tax credits you had to be working for 16 hours, which he does not do. And does the fact that the mother gets a pension make a difference. Again, I have no idea.
It's really all so complicated now, so I really do think a trip to CAB may be the best move. The only thing that complicates it more is that there is an investment, held in trust, for the son for when anything happens to the mother. This was from her divorce many years ago. I'm not sure of the details of this, but I don't believe she can take money out of it, nor does she get an income from it.
I thought he did get some kind of benefit, but he used to work more hours than he does now, not sure if this makes a difference. Even without a disability he has a very low income, but again I was under the impression that to get tax credits you had to be working for 16 hours, which he does not do. And does the fact that the mother gets a pension make a difference. Again, I have no idea.
You can use the calculator here to see which benefits he would get under Universal Credit.
The link I posted at 11.18 gives details about claiming for NHS costs if you have a lie income.
The link I posted at 11.27 gives details of f support workers at the Fragile X charity who can help with claims for disability allowance.
Hope these help.
The link I posted at 11.18 gives details about claiming for NHS costs if you have a lie income.
The link I posted at 11.27 gives details of f support workers at the Fragile X charity who can help with claims for disability allowance.
Hope these help.
It is quite complicated, and not sure what they call all these benefits. My parents definitely got a payment each, for the care of each other, but it could have been attendance allowance. A woman came round, not sure where from, and filled in all the forms and got them a large amount of money they weren't getting already. Both of them were disabled, but in different ways.
About my friend, she is not disabled, just on a pension. So far as the prescription is concerned, I believe he has never had one before!! As I said, he is very fit physically and doesn't need any medication for his learning disability. He took the prescription to the pharmacy, and he is not able to read or check the form himself. He has an obvious learning disability but I don't know what they asked him there, but one of the staff will have checked the box.
I did the online check for universal credit, and it seems as though his earnings from the 11 hours preclude him getting it. His mothers house is paid for, there is no mortgage or rent, just the bills she has to pay. The payment that they do get, which she thought was a carers allowance, but could be attendance allowance, is paid to her not to him.
I do believe she contacted Mind a while ago, the person she needed to speak to wasn't available, and they said they'd call back. They didn't call back, and as I said she has lost a great deal of her own confidence and where once she would have been in there, she tends to give up a bit. It wasn't until this issue with the prescription came up that I asked did he get any benefits that would allow him free prescriptions and she told me he doesn't get anything.
Re PIP, I don't believe he scores enough points. He is able to get about, on his own, albeit on foot locally not public transport. He can't read, or only very little, or write, and cannot manage money at all. But he can cook, clean and look after his own physical needs. He can work at menial, repetitive jobs and actually wants to work. He worked more hours and earned more up to a few months ago but they've cut his hours and the chance of him getting a job elsewhere are less than nil.
I agree though, the CAB has to be the way forward. I will get her to contact the local one and see if they will come out. It isn't that they are starving, but they find it hard to manage, and I have noticed when I go round there, that the house, apart from the room they sit in, is cold because she says she can't afford the big heating bills that come with using the central heating system.
About my friend, she is not disabled, just on a pension. So far as the prescription is concerned, I believe he has never had one before!! As I said, he is very fit physically and doesn't need any medication for his learning disability. He took the prescription to the pharmacy, and he is not able to read or check the form himself. He has an obvious learning disability but I don't know what they asked him there, but one of the staff will have checked the box.
I did the online check for universal credit, and it seems as though his earnings from the 11 hours preclude him getting it. His mothers house is paid for, there is no mortgage or rent, just the bills she has to pay. The payment that they do get, which she thought was a carers allowance, but could be attendance allowance, is paid to her not to him.
I do believe she contacted Mind a while ago, the person she needed to speak to wasn't available, and they said they'd call back. They didn't call back, and as I said she has lost a great deal of her own confidence and where once she would have been in there, she tends to give up a bit. It wasn't until this issue with the prescription came up that I asked did he get any benefits that would allow him free prescriptions and she told me he doesn't get anything.
Re PIP, I don't believe he scores enough points. He is able to get about, on his own, albeit on foot locally not public transport. He can't read, or only very little, or write, and cannot manage money at all. But he can cook, clean and look after his own physical needs. He can work at menial, repetitive jobs and actually wants to work. He worked more hours and earned more up to a few months ago but they've cut his hours and the chance of him getting a job elsewhere are less than nil.
I agree though, the CAB has to be the way forward. I will get her to contact the local one and see if they will come out. It isn't that they are starving, but they find it hard to manage, and I have noticed when I go round there, that the house, apart from the room they sit in, is cold because she says she can't afford the big heating bills that come with using the central heating system.
Sorry, more reading
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I think it's worth making a claim for PIP, having read sections 9, 10 & 11, but you need someone (such as the CAB) to tell you how to answer the questions correctly.
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I think it's worth making a claim for PIP, having read sections 9, 10 & 11, but you need someone (such as the CAB) to tell you how to answer the questions correctly.
