[Sarah - Rethink]

mysticmeg - I hope my answers to yorkiegal's questions about student loans also cover your concerns. Let me know if not!

Does anyone viewing this want to ask any follow-up questions?

[Sarah - Rethink]

ebonycat - I suggest you call our advice line on 0845 456 0455 about your issues. Yes, I'm afraid they can ask for the money back. It sounds like you could do with some help from a care co-ordinator or someone in your council - if you call our advice line (10am - 2pm weekdays) they should be able to help you find the right person.

[Chris - Rethink]

Hi all - I hope that was useful. As Sarah said, you can call our advice team on 0845 456 0455 between 10am and 2pm on weekdays, or email advice@rethink.org about anything to do with debt and money issues.

[ghost]

Hi Sarah, Thanks for taking the time to answer questions

Quote

ghost - you mention that IDS is ‘scrapping IB and everyone is being moved to JSA’. This isn’t strictly the case. Everyone who currently receives the ‘old style’ incapacity related benefits (namely Incapacity Benefit, Income Support on the grounds of disability and Severe Disablement Allowance) will be reassessed over the next 4 years.

I got the 'scrapping IB and everyone moved to 2 basic benefits' from Ian Duncan Smiths Centre for Social Justice. The CSJ turned to America for ideas and IDS is openly in favour of the 'workfare scheme', a very cruel scheme. IDS has spoken openly on the idea of just 2 basic benefits and openly admitted to 'tapering' benefits( welfare and housing) for those that refuse work, until people couldn't eat or survive. The interview were he admitted these plans was on 'straight talk' with Andrew Neil, BBC news channel. I hope you are right but with policy and ideas being chucked together its hard to know what is going on. I fear that maybe the point.

Quote

It has been the case that the new WCA is harder to ‘pass’ than the old test. The test is being reviewed and Rethink and other disability groups are working together to lobby Government to try to ensure the test is fair for all

The old test was putting 2 in 3 straight into the work support group, there seems to be no account taken for fluctuating moods in the 'old test'. The new test goes even further and cuts 41 mental health indicators in half, to about 20. These withdrawn indicators involve considerations about anxiety, stress etc, making it sure to fail those with MH problems.


I recently got awarded DLA until 2015 but there were suggestions that the Government intends to retest everyone with a much harder test, with the aim of reducing claims by 20%. Can you shed light on whats happening with DLA?

Thanks

[ramboghettouk]

Notice the advice to get 2 bank accounts one for bills and one for spends, applied for a bank account with a letter from the bankers organisation so i'd have 2 bank accounts for when i was after direct payments they suggested it, i was refused, i went to lloyds and they offered me a basic account that didn't have a cheque book or card, i said isn't that a breech of the disability discrimination act they said no because it's due to you been on benefits, without a card etc theres no way you can use the account

Rethink has no experience of those living alone, most rethink groups are for carers only that says it all, those living alone carers see us as what will happen to him when i'm gone, we're swept under the carpet

[ghost]

Typical, i can't type that fast

[Sarah - Rethink]

ramboghettouk, on 19 August 2010 - 02:52 PM, said:

i went to lloyds and they offered me a basic account that didn't have a cheque book or card

Hi ramboghettouk - Basic bank accounts won't give you a cheque book, but they all offer a cash card, and some offer a debit card. You can use basic bank account to withdraw money and set up direct debits (and sometimes standing orders).

See this PDF leaflet for a list of all high street banks' basic account facilities:
http://www.moneymade...http://www.moneymadeclear.org.uk/pdfs/bank_accounts.pdf

[Sarah - Rethink]

Hi ghost - There are still no firm plans form the Govt. about a '2 benefits system', or changes to DLA.

Though, as far as the DLA is concerned, there will be no changes until 2013.

As mentioned in my first post, our campaigns team are launching a survey tomorrow to get the data we need to campaign on benefits issues.

[ramboghettouk]

Basic accounts that don't offer debit cards aren't much good for using, you might as well keep the money in the 1 bank account i've had since before i became ill, you can do much the same as you suggested anyway with 1 bank account

I don't know about shopping around for internet provider and telephone, all my e mail addresses are with virgin, it'd be hard to change, shoping around when they all offer cheap for 6 months i'd never figure it out, my concentration span well i've got this illness

As for gas and elecy that always depends on your pattern of usage at some set time, it can change

[ghost]

Thanks Sarah, Its hard to plan financially as a family without knowing whats going on so i appreciate your response. This is taken straight from the CSJ website-

Quote

To encourage claimants into work, the report recommends more gradual rates of withdrawal of benefits, which would lower the PTR and the MTR and make taking a job and working harder far more rewarding. In place of the various confusing and high rates of benefit withdrawal (the so-called tapers) there should be a single 55 per cent rate at which benefit is withdrawn as claimant income rises.

Households should also be able to keep more of their earnings from work before their benefits are phased out, the report says.

The report calls for an end to the tangle of 51 benefits. It says there should be only two benefits for working age people: Universal Work Credit “earned” through participation in welfare to work schemes, which would integrate benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support; and Universal Life Credit providing additional income to people with low or no earnings. All workless households would get ULC, which would absorb benefits such as Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.

CSJ


I hope you are right about these plans but IDS did say in an interview that he favoured them. Thanks

[toffee]

Hi saw Sarah is still on the site.
Wonder if you could still answer a question.
I'm on 'indefinite' DLA. If the time of re-assessment depends on the date of your claims then are indefinite awards likely to be reconsidered first or last.

[ramboghettouk]

My support worker when i had one said tv internet and telephone weren't necessities, yes i can do without them but when the walls start communicating, i'll have to be reassessed and possibly need 1000 pound a week hosital care.

i live quite a reclusive life to make the benefits last, they when i mention it used to suggest day centres then when i say give me the money you'd spend on a day centre for me to do my own thing they turn nasty

[Sarah - Rethink]

toffee- apologies, the assessment I was referring to in the previous post was in relation to Incapacity Benefit claims not DLA.

I'm not sure yet how the assessment process for people who are on indefinite awards of DLA will work when the changes come in as the Government haven't announced any details yet.

[mysticmeg]

Thanks sarah very informative and much appreciated. Nice to see things in writing for once

[ramboghettouk]

Just did my miser bit and looked at my bank account on line, theres been no income support this week, i was expecting that at some point they're changing from 1 week payments to 2 week payments, i'll get 2 weeks money in a weeks time, it is in effect losing a weeks money, if they did it to people in work there would be complaints, still theres the savings, when they go at least they won't ne there for people to hold against me, debt and crisis thats what social services are for

Helped to go to gym, experienced been talked about either my friends father is right in saying thats quite a reputation you've got or i'm hearing voices or both