benefit help please

[angiebaby]

I have just been speaking to Kazzie in chat - help, thankyou for that kaz, and she has suggested that i do a post to see if anyone could give me some info please.
I am in a difficult situation really.
As some of you may know, i work in a nursing capacity in a gp surgery and i only get two months full pay and two months half pay, then nothing. I have been off work now for 4 months. I have PTSD, have had for three years now and i think i was improving a little then 6 weeks ago my dad died suddenly in my arms. I have been even worse since then, understandable i know, and i have an appt with my gp on monday and i was going to get them to sign me off the sick to go back to work on thursday, when my current sick note runs out. I was dreading this and i know that i will not cope, i will go in and my legs will give way and that will be it. Struggling so much at the moment with dizziness and everything is not real, i am not living, just stumbling around, cloudy and floaty and very, very scared. Now today, we find out my father in law is close to death in a hospital bed, struggling to keep going and they have said that it doesn't look good. How much more can i take, i just can't cope with this at all, it is not fair!
If i don't go back to work, i get no money and the mortgage doesn't get paid, my wages pay the whole mortgage each month, just enough to do it. Without my wages, we can't pay it and obviously this is not good.
My hubby doesn't work as he has an arm injury that happened whilst at work 9 years ago so he gets incapacity, lowest dla and industrial injuries. I do get working families tax credit, a little bit anyway. And that's it really.
Does anyone know what i can do, even my mum says that i won't cope with going back and the way i am i dont even feel like i am here, sitting in my living room typing this, let alone going back to work, which i don't really remember anyway. Can anyone help, other than the fact that i need a new brain that is.x

[trac67]

Hi Ange,

I get help with my mortgage, due to being a single parent and im unable to work due to my agoraphobia, I was not told I could get help with the mortgage payments when I started claiming benefits, it was only because a friend mentioned it to me and I rung the benefits people and they confirmed I was allowed to claim, they pay 2/3 of the mortgage for me and I pay the balance from my benefits.

Hope this is of some help

Love

Trac xxxx

[angiebaby]

Ok, thanks, but i really don't know what i am going to do now, how i am going to cope. My father in law died this morning at about 5.30am and with only losing my dad 6 weeks ago i am thinking this is so unfair and i am sure that all the stress and panic and feelings will be the death of me too. Don't know how i am going to manage.

[CliveL]

The citizens advice bureau will help you if you book an appointment

[jo61]

Angie I'm so sorry for your losses. What a dreadful time. As said above, please do go to the Citizens Advice. It sounds as if you're in no fit state to go back to work. Even a non-sufferer would struggle with what you've been through. You're in my thoughts and prayers.

[nomorepanic]

Ange

So sorry to hear about your loss this morning.:weep:

No wonder you are feeling rubbish with all this going on.

I can't help with the money situation I am afraid but wanted to send you a hug for your loss today :hugs:

[bearcrazy]

:hugs:

You are entitiled to incapacity benefit of your own if you are unfit for work. Go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau or make an appointment, they are great and will tell you what you are entitled to etc. They helped my son get incapacity benefit because he has ME. I have applied for it on the grounds of depression and anxiety.

Take care xxxxxx :hugs:

[angiebaby]

Thankyou for your replies, i am really struggling at the moment. Don't even think i am really here to be honest.

[Freaky Chick]

Hi Angie

Sorry for your losses, and i know it's been a really bad time for you.

You can claim incapacity benefit for yourself, Yiou can claim DLA after being off work for 3 months - though when you fill out the form you have to paint worst case scenario on absolutely everything on the worst day you could possibly imagine. i.e - do you buy food that is on the boarder of the date cos it's cheap or eat stuff after the sell by date - put it down that you often do this (not for financial reasons) but because your illness makes you feel like so wot if its out of date? (whether you feel that or not!) Or do you sometimes forget your meds? does your husband tell you to take them? then write it down. Don't lie but make it look as bad as you can!

You should be able to get income support, because your hubby also on Benefits and though IB counts as income DLA and IIB doesn't. You can also apply for help with your mortgage through IS - i just have, and i don't get IS becuse apparently the £90 IB i get is too much cos i only need £560 a week to live on???!!!!

If your traumatic stress is due to something at work, make sure you claim IIB ( i didn't know about this until 4 weeks ago, and i'm claiming because of stress at work - that advice came from the RCN.

Also if you phone the RCN, they have a benefits advisor.

You can apply for the RCN benevolent fund if you a member and/or (if not an RCN member) you can apply for the maydya fund fopr nurses it's open to all nurses everywhere.

The RCN just paid £400 to my mortgage in October. They'll also send out a list of charities which help sick nurses. So contact WING

To start with tho' phone the mortgage company (or get hubby to) and explaint o them what is going on, they can send you out a budget form and might reduce your payments for a couple of months. Mine has reduced me to £165 for Nov and Dec.

Hope this helps

Freaky Chick

[dawny]

angie, phone benifits agency they will help you maybe a claim for incapacity benefit and help with your mortgage. it takes an hour to place the claim, so be prepared, having all your personal info to hand helps. like national insurance numbers, mortgage and bank details, they will back date your claim, so dont worry about doing it today....do it when you feel better.

i am so sorry to hear about the loss of both your father and father in law
how awful that you are dealing with so much grief, your anxiety is bound to be at a high, remember angie in all this turmoil to try and relax, deep breaths, i know its hard but try and eat little and often.

but most of all angie, remember that time doesn't stand still, and how you feel today wont be how you will always be feeling....you will look back on this awful time in your life and realise how you got through it and came out the otherside stronger and you will be proud of yourself.

because you will come through this. xxxxx

take care, my thoughts are with you

dawny x

[angiebaby]

Thankyou so much for your kind replies.
I went to the CAB, was there for 2 hours and 15 minutes! It wasn't nice, but i did it. The man was lovely and we went through everything, hubby was with me too. I have had to ring the family tax credit as their payments will increase and we have got to apply for council tax rebate. So am in the process of doing that.
I should be able to pay the mortgage though, tighten the belts and that, but he said we should manage. So i'm not worried about that now. Just worried about having to go back to work at all, lol.
Thanks again. x

[kazzie]

Well Done Angie:yesyes:

Luv Kaz x x x:hugs: