How can I register as not fit to work?
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ronnie123
Community member Posts: 8 Listener
I had a quadruple bypass 2 years ago. I would like to get back to work but my old job was very stressful which caused this in the first place and after the op when I thought I was fit enough I was fitting kitchens with my son in law but it was 90% heavy lifting and in the end I had to call it a day. I’m not sure what I can do work wise any more. Can I register as disabled or not fit to work and claim any benifits and how do I do that. We have been surviving on our meagre savings but they are fast running out and I’m not sure which way to go from here.
Comments
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Hi @ronnie123 and welcomeThere are two benefits that you might be able to claimPIP - if you have trouble with some daily living activities or mobilityorFor out of work Universal CreditBe all you can be, make every day count. Namaste
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Thank you Cockney Rebel.
Do I just ring up the council or something ?
i know I’m sounding dim, but I’ve never claimed for anything before and I’m a real fish out of water here.
does age stop benefits. I’m sixty one so I’m not sure if they’re going to turn round and say, it’s not for you, you’ll have to wait for your pension. -
Age does not stop benefits until you reach state retirement, If you have never needed to claim it can be a bit of a minefield so just ask any questions and we wil do our best to helphave a look at the two links below
Be all you can be, make every day count. Namaste -
You might also find the following of some use
Be all you can be, make every day count. Namaste -
Thankyou for your advice. Much appreciated.
I’ll give it a go and see what happens.
Thanks again. -
ronnie123,
We'd need to know more about your circumstances to be sure, but the benefits I'd look at would be:
contributory ESA (this may apply if you've got enough national insurance contributions, looking at the tax years 2016/17 and 2017/18) ESA is employment and support allowance and there's a medical which looks at what work you could do - can be hard to get enough points in the medical so don't be put off & challenge the decision if you need to. You can backdate ESA by up to 3 months so you should ask for this if you could have claimed earlier but didn't
PIP (personal independence payment) - a benefit for the extra costs of disability. May apply if you have difficulty with any tasks at home (washing, cooking, dressing etc) or difficulty getting out & about out of the house.
UC (universal credit) - a benefit based on your income and overall circumstances. You say 'we have been surviving' so I'm wondering if you have a partner you live with. If so, it would have to be a joint claim for UC. You would have to explain your circumstances and eventually, they'd decide whether or not you have to look for work (hopefully not). Any medical assessment result you had for contributory ESA would count for UC too (for example if ESA decided you shouldn't have to look for work, that result should be applied to UC too). You can backdate UC for one month on the grounds of disability, so you might want to ask for that too.
Your savings will need to be below £16,000 to claim UC and below £6,000 to have no effect on your UC (for this rule, your partner's savings and yours are looked at jointly).
All sorts of issues can crop up with these benefits but I think you just have to start your claims and see what happens.
In the unlikely event you weren't entitled to any of the above, you might still be able to get what are called national insurance credits for limited capability for work.
To get things started:
claim contributory ESA here (you will need to ring up the UC helpline eventually in any case to get an appointment)
claim UC online or by phone (online claim route is here)
Claim PIP by ringing up by phone (details here)
Don't be put off by any of the responses you get. You can claim contributory ESA as well as UC if you need to, but remember UC has to be a joint claim, whereas ESA doesn't. So you might want to claim contributory ESA first, along with PIP if you think it applies, and then have a chat with your partner about claiming UC. Citizens Advice can also help answer lots of questions you might have about claiming UC.
The only benefit which is likely to come from the council in your situation is council tax reduction. This is to help you pay the council tax. Ask your local council about this and make sure you tell them if you have any changes in your income (including if you start getting any other benefits, like ESA, UC or PIP).
WillThe Benefits Training Co: -
Wow ! Thank you for that. That really helps. At least I know which direction I should be heading.
i said “We” because on top of everything thing else. I’m looking after my wife who suffers with severe depression and anxiety and can’t do much for herself.
Again, thank you for your feedback, I do appreciate it.
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