Benefits stopped.help me please!!!SUICIDAL

[warren-s]

i have just joined this forum i have no idea if there is a thrwad on this cos i am in a complete panic right now, upset,crying at my very worst.
i got a letter today that said my incapacity benefit was stopped a few days ago..
im in the uk,im 36 and a single father i have severe anxiety issues,manic depression etc...
i recently had a medical assesment... a women asked me a ton of questions, she was speaking in broken english and i had just taken my 100mg pill a couple of hours before so i felt kinda ok... not so irratic as usual.
anyway..today i got the forms and it said i had only scored a 5 and that i now have my benefits stopped.

now im in total panic because im reading online about appeals that take months etc,i will be DEAD in months wthout money... dead.
i am going to hopefully get to see my doctor monday cos i really hope he can correct this women.
please do not direct me to other threads and forms...please please please just somebody tell me if i can get this problem sorted out soon ..
i cant wait for appeals etc,im suicidal.
help me please.

[PoppyC]

Hi Warren
Welcome to the site, despite the circumstances.
I am sorry to hear about your situation. I am surprised that the benefits agency stopped your benefit without prior warning and would have thought they would write and say they were going to and not already have done so..however maybe it would be a good idea to call the Incap Benefit team on Monday and explain your situation and ask them to review it and that you will be appealing. They will be able to tell you what benefit you will now go onto - I think it is Jobseekers Allowance that you will be moved onto.You can appeal within a month and a lot of people do and they get the decisions overturned in most cases.
You will not be left without money.The DHSS do not do that. You will be just moved onto a different benefit for now.
Citizens Advice are very good with helping people apply for benefits and will be able to give you some advice as to what you can do. They may probably ring the benefits agency on your behalf. They have benefits advisors working for them.
I know it must be very worrying for you and I can understand, but please do not get suicidal. Nothing is ever worth committing suicide for plus you have a child to care for.
This matter can and will get resolved. Personally I think it is wrong how genuine cases can be judged on their entire situation by 1 interview or form! It is very unfair. I know that the interviews are done to sort the non genuine from the genuine cases but it seems to be backfiring on the genuine cases. I read that a lot of people tend to not state on the forms how they are at their worst and play how they feel down and also at the interviews.
Speak to your gp about all of this and stress to him how you are feeling. He can help I am sure.
I know how difficult it may be but for now try putting it out of your mind as much as you can until Monday morning when you can deal with this situation. I can understand how frustrating and upsetting it is for you and I know how difficult it can be but try to relax a little.
If you do feel suicidal then please let someone know or call the Samaritans or 999. Please don't do anything drastic as this situation can be resolved.

Hugs to you.

[warren-s]

hi..im a bit calmer now, if they change me onto income support or something ill be ok.but the fact that i got a letter today which i quote .

"as you scored 5 points we have decided that from 21/10/2009 you are not entitled to
incapicity benefit and national insurance credits.

this will leave me £420 short each month now, so you can see my panic.i cant afford to go without money. i live with my parents and my son who is now 13. my folks are in their 60's ...my mum relies on the 300 i give her each month.

anyway,the shock of getting this letter today 24th october really paniced me.
i mean the women i spoke to was i think polish, she was ofcourse pleasant but i had to explain slowly so she would understand.
the questions were things like "do you have friends?" do you have any pets? hobbies ? etc etc...all kinda trivial.
i had told her right away...it was 2.30pm that i had not slept whatsoever as i have bad insomnia,and if i know i have any kind of appointment i can never sleep the night before...
the form states that i have no problems sleeping.... !!!! the rest i cant bare to look at as im so irritated by it all..
i was just trying to be calm as possible,i am not crazy,..i saw her when i felt ok, this changes though within the day up and down. i havent cried in a few weeks but just before i burst into tears for nothing..this i used to do daily until i got on medication,
i dont know how sunday will go.... cos i am so anxious to see my doctor first thing monday so i can sort out this problem. i dont want to tell my parents.
all my benefits go direct into my mothers account,so i dont waste it on comfort shopping.
the fact that this womens questionaire has stopped my benefits has made me furious.
i wont sleep tonight, its 1.30 now ill be up till i guess 6 at least.
i never knew that this could happen and im disgusted, im also disgusted with myself for being nice and calm.
maybe it would of been better for her to interview me when im in uncontrolable tears or screaming when alone in the house.
i feel like doing myself in just to spite her.

[BabyRachel]

Im so sorry this has happened to you.. I wish I had some advice to give you but I don't live in your country and I don't know anything at all about your systems!

All I can offer is an ear that will listen if you need to talk. Please get help from your doctor regarding suicidal thoughts. I've been suicidal a few times and once you look back you realise you had so much to live for even when the times were so so tough. Thats how life goes, there are ups and there are downs and things will turn around for you. This financial situation can be resolved and your parents and child need you in their lives.

[spaced]

No need to panic your sons over the age of 12 so you will need to claim job seekers and income support for your son i'm a single parent with a 13 year old we have about £120 a week with the rent and council tax paid for us. The benefits department always make changes with out telling people before hand.
You will be able to apply for a crisis loan till you sort your benefits so you wont be left with out money.

[sandy35]

I am sorry to hear about this. The horrible and worrying thing about this is that they are just more interested about getting people off benefits without looking properly at your situation. I am also hearing from people that they say that they are having problems sleeping but then the form come back that its been recorded that they have no problems sleeping which I think is totally out of order.

The only thing I can ask is are you entitled to child tax credits?

I also think that they could have told you when they sent the letter that you could apply for JSA instead so that is now going to delay your money. Im sorry to sound a bit negative on here but I think this is going to start happening to a lot of genuine cases from now on. I hope your appeal comes thru as soon as possible and in the meantime contact your doctor and your CPN to discuss it and try not to worry. Hope you get income support or jsa as soon as possible.

[JohnLuke300]

Hi Warren,

What as happened to you is almost a carbon copy of what happened to me. I also got my benefits stopped, I became suicidal and was put in the charge of the Home Crisis Resolution Team. Like you I did not get the 10 pnts from the incapacity questionnaire, I had 5pnts from mental health and 1pnt from physical health. I appealed the decision, I was advised by the Job Center that they would still have to pay my benefits while my claim was under appeal. It will then take 1-2 months for the decision on the appeal and your appeal will probably be turned down. My Job Center adviser said she had not heard of an appeal succeeding. My appeal was turned down and sent to a tribunal, my benefits were also slightly reduced at this time. It took about 6-7 months for the tribunal, but I was still receiving benefits. You will be given an option to turn up personally to the tribunal or just send in paperwork. But you should turn up, as very few actually win tribunals without turning up in person. I won my tribunal and the reduction in my benefits were all back dated. The judge at the tribunal told me that I should never have been sent to a tribunal as my condition clearly made me dysfunctional, and she admitted to failings in the benefit system that did not account for some of the difficulties mental health sufferers encountered. I hope that is of some help.

Take care,

John

[fishman65]

Hey Warren,something very similar happened to me about two years ago.I scored 9 when I needed the 10 points and was informed I wouldn't be getting incapacity benefit any more.As it turned out,my wife and I were able to manage because I was claiming carer's allowance for her,plus she was getting disability living allowance and income support,so it wasn't so much of an issue as to whether we had enough money.Nevertheless,it is disgusting how vulnerable people like yourself receive letters like that without any kind of follow up or response into how it might affect you.On the day I answered my questions,I was having a not-so-bad day and answered accordingly.Big mistake as it turned out,their questions are so black and white and simply don't allow for variations in how and when we might be badly affected by our illnesses.However there are some very good answers posted already and no they won't let you go without any money and your doctor is a good place to start,my wife (who is physically disabled) had a lovely supportive letter written out by her GP when she was facing legal action over an unpaid TV licence bill.

Take care Warren and everything will work out fine ok?

Warmest wishes, Fishy

[mandie]

Hi

I had a medical about 5 months ago, i suffer with anx and panic attacks and have been off work since last may.

I had a letter a few weeks after the medical saying i failed. i have to appeal but im still getting my money which is ESA £64 a week.

If i fail the medical i was told i go onto job seekers allowance which im worried about as i am still employed but signed off sick.

i am a single parent with a child of 9 and i find it so hard to manage on this money, it doesnt help the panic and anxiety

these medicals we have to go to are awful. this doctor who i never met , sae me for about 10 mins and based her decision on that.

i was having a better day than others, i wish she had seen me at my worst!

love mandie x

[PoppyC]

Hi again Warren
How are you feeling today?
I was reading online about the medicals for incapacity benefit and it seems a lot of people are now being taken off Incap Benefit and being made to go onto Job Seekers Allowance.
There were a lot of people saying on one site that they had not been asked specific questions at the interview and yet in the letters the DHSS sent out, it had made out they had been asked the questions. There was one guy who said he had insomnia and all sorts of other problems and yet the medical examiner had wrote down that his problems were fine and did not suffer with those things.
You can appeal up to 1 month from the decision apparently, and from what some of the people on the site had said, they got their gp involved, by him writing a letter. plus getting help off Citizens Advice and the Welfare Rights Officer at the local council. Each council has one.
A lot of appeals do get over turned, but it seems the ones that do get them overturned have gone to the appeal with a Welfare Rights Officer and also had plenty of support from their gp. Citizens Advice also helped a lot.
People who were waiting for an appeal hearing, went on Job Seekers Allowance at a reduced rate to the Incap Benefit, but if they won the appeal, then they got a backlog of Incap Benefit paid out.
I do hope you win the appeal. Let us know how it all goes.
Take care