Today I have received a lovely letter.
ATOS want me to go back and see them.
Now just over a year ago, march 2010 I went for my first "medical" assessment. It said I was able to be back at work within 18 months. Uhuh not going to happen. I appealed based on that, and I won. I won last December.
Today July 29 2011 I get a letter telling me:
"We need some information
Dear Mrs *******,
We have sent you a medical questionnaire with this letter. It is important that you fill in this questionnaire. " and on and on until it says the following:
"What happens next
Depending on the level of you illness or disability you may be asked to come to a medical assessment. The medical assessment will help the Jobcentre Plus make sure you are getting the right amount if benefit. If we need you to come to a medical assessment we will contact you to arrange an appointment."
Medical assessment, erm thought it was a Work Capability Assessment?? I was told by the first ATOS person I saw that "this is not a medical its a test to see how well you will cope in a work situation" well make up your minds for goodness sake its either a "medical assessment" or its not!!!!
This is also worth repeating (well I'm angry and its getting late and its my blog so I'm allowed to repeat myself) there is NOTHING remotely "medical" about the test apart from the person doing the tick box assessment will claim to be medically trained (coff coff not always true coff coff) and quite frankly the mouse clicking could be done by an untrained monkey.
I also noted the thinly veiled threat, "will help the Jobcentre Plus make sure you are getting the right amount of benefit." this translated means of course that ATOS disagree with the Tribunal about the group I am in, and want me to go through the seventh circle of hell that is the appeal again.
Ohh and another little gem, the form I was sent with the letter from ATOS, is a Jobcentre Plus form. Hmmmmm why are ATOS sending the forms?? Why are the JCP not sending the forms???
Well the simple answer is ATOS are doing the dirty work of the JCP, it also saves time if I send the form back to ATOS and not to the DWP. This means the mail room (OK the Royal Mail who open all DWP letters and put them aside to lose all pertinent information) wont have to be employed and cuts out the need to pay actual people to actually deal with claimants , not customers, personal and highly sensitive information.
If I send back any reports from any doctors dealing with my condition, they will be "lost" in the system, and I will have no proof of sending them since proof of posting counts for precisely squat with DWP and ATOS.
Well this time I am ready for them. I know that my condition has not changed, maybe that will miff them off since it was an ATOS employee who said I will be back to work within 18 months. I know this is not about me anymore this is about ATOS being angry at me appealing and more importantly winning last time and I expected this. I have been telling my husband that "there will be an ATOS letter anytime now" for the last month, well they did keep me waiting for a month how inconsiderate of them to make me wait!!!!
I noticed on the letter there is a date to send back the form, the date is the 12 September, now that will make very close to the 18 months that I have heard bandied about that if you appeal and win ATOS make you wait before pulling you in again. All this will mean is again this Christmas I will not be able to relax with my kids, I will not have a decent nights sleep, I will barely eat again. All because again I will have this hanging over my head. I will become snappy with anyone who so much as looks at me the wrong way again. But I am prepared this time.
I will however look forward to the changes supposedly brought about by the Harrington Review, within the "medical assessment" this time since my first two were before the review was published late last year.
The fight goes on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Friday, 29 July 2011
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
I am angry . . . . .. . .
I am angry at my stupid useless body, the pain I am in, the fact that it's tea time and I'm still in my jammies, they are rather nicer Betty Boop ones but jammies none the less. I have done nothing today except sleep. I watch my husband running around doing the housework while I stay stuck on the sofa, unable to do what I once did.
I am supposed to be going out tomorrow, will I be able to muster the strength?? Who knows because I don't!!!
I am sick to my back teeth of having to live with half my brain racing with all the thoughts and the other shouting shut up and rest.
I am angry at having to ask my husband to make me a cup of coffee, my meals. I cannot trust myself with a butter knife to make a sandwich, or the kettle to make the afore mentioned coffee since last time I did try I burnt my foot as I spilled boiling water all over the counter top and myself.
I get irritated over the smallest thing these days, all because I am angry at myself for allowing this to control me and not the other way around.
The last time I saw my plastic surgeon he said "you need to get the infection under control" aye OK then because its as simple as that isn't it?? I have tried all antibiotics that are used for HS, none worked. Well maybe Roacutane might have had it not been such a trial for me and my family, but since it was I had to come off it before anyone could work out if it was working or not.
I rattle when I do manage to walk due to the amount of pain meds I am popping like smarties right now. Pity they don't taste as nice actually!!
Today is becoming normal to me, my bad days are out numbering my good days.
That is why I am angry today I am sick of feeling useless and helpless. I want to be how I was before HS stole my life.
I am supposed to be going out tomorrow, will I be able to muster the strength?? Who knows because I don't!!!
I am sick to my back teeth of having to live with half my brain racing with all the thoughts and the other shouting shut up and rest.
I am angry at having to ask my husband to make me a cup of coffee, my meals. I cannot trust myself with a butter knife to make a sandwich, or the kettle to make the afore mentioned coffee since last time I did try I burnt my foot as I spilled boiling water all over the counter top and myself.
I get irritated over the smallest thing these days, all because I am angry at myself for allowing this to control me and not the other way around.
The last time I saw my plastic surgeon he said "you need to get the infection under control" aye OK then because its as simple as that isn't it?? I have tried all antibiotics that are used for HS, none worked. Well maybe Roacutane might have had it not been such a trial for me and my family, but since it was I had to come off it before anyone could work out if it was working or not.
I rattle when I do manage to walk due to the amount of pain meds I am popping like smarties right now. Pity they don't taste as nice actually!!
Today is becoming normal to me, my bad days are out numbering my good days.
That is why I am angry today I am sick of feeling useless and helpless. I want to be how I was before HS stole my life.
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
http://www.nao.org.uk/publicat
if you click on the pdf file for the full report you will find some erm how do I put this ohhh yeah "interesting" reading.
Such little gems as :
"The Department does not yet have a sufficiently detailed model of how it
wants to run in the long term
15 Through having a clear vision of how the organisation will operate in future, senior managers are more likely to be able to prioritise what changes are needed and to explain to staff what their role might be. The approach can be referred to as defining a Target Operating Model. The model is, in effect, a vision of how an organisation will look in future given its objectives and will enable the Department to identify those areas that can be trimmed to reduce costs. The model should be supported by a detailed outline of how it will operate in practice. At the outset the model can be defined in broad terms and include some areas of uncertainty, such as how Universal Credit might be implemented. Such a model should then be refined through regular iteration as the Department’s analysis of information develops. For example, the confirmation in
May 2011 that Universal Credit will initially be delivered by staff from the Department and HM Revenue and Customs means that the model can be refined further."
Which is basically saying the DWP will not be implementing the change over to Universal Credit but the HMRC will. Now these are the people who lost the Child Benefit information a few years back, so excuse me IF I don't hold my breath for ease of transition. The HMRC is also the people who deal with CTC and WTC (Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit) also notorious for making mistakes.
It also states it thinks that streamlining services and relying more on online services is the way to go . . . . . a few problems with that pensioners, and anyone who cannot rely upon the internet such as those who use libraries to access the internet, of course that's not even mentioning people with such conditions as Dyslexia who may find it much much harder to do the form filling online and not in person, or even over the phone.
Much as though I have reservations about the "cost reductions" I fear the people who have never claimed before will lose out.
I also fear that those the planned changes are aiming at stopping (the fraudsters) wont be stopped they know the system they can get around it, not so with people who don't even know they can claim that little bit of help such as DLA, or Pensions such as State Pension and Retirement Pension.
According to the ONS own report on spending in 2009/10 the pensions I mention above are under paid to a much higher rate than the overpayments the government is trying to stop.
Also remember that under payment is seen as "administrative error" and often not put right as seen by the earlier ONS report showing £100 million is under paid to one of the pensions alone!!!!
Now when you remember that :
"The vast majority of reductions will be to expenditure on benefits and pensions, rather than administrative spending. These payments are not within the Departments direct control as they must be paid out the those who apply and are eligible. the reductions therefore depend upon the policy changes announced in the June 2010 Budget, the subsequent Spending Review and the March 2011 Budget, reflecting for the most part adjustments in benefit rates and entitlements."
We should be very very afraid. As I understand the above statement, taken from the linked report. Tough cheese if you need we are saying the pot is empty so instead of putting taxes up and creating jobs as the government did when we had the highest deficit right after 1945 and built houses, roads and gave tax breaks to companies coming here, we are going to change the rules of entitlement. That means even though you have paid in all your live tough cheese no pension, mind you that's if you even know to apply in the first place.
I also note that there is to be a headcount reduction, does this mean that staff will go, apparently so, the report says there will be a reduction of Benefit Delivery Centres, now remember these took over from Benefit Agency offices. This of course meant you could no longer take your evidence to the local office and get them to photo copy it and add it to your file there and then, now you sent it to a BDC wait 4 weeks for it to be found and placed on a desk, ignored for a month, and only when you call up and ask if your evidence has been dealt with can you expect some one to actually deal with it.
Also if there are less staff, we will have to wait longer and longer to have any claim seen and read never mind actually processed.
Ohhh and how will the benefits of the people no longer working for the DWP be paid if there is to be reductions to benefits and pensions????
A very sad day indeed I feel. . . . .
if you click on the pdf file for the full report you will find some erm how do I put this ohhh yeah "interesting" reading.
Such little gems as :
"The Department does not yet have a sufficiently detailed model of how it
wants to run in the long term
15 Through having a clear vision of how the organisation will operate in future, senior managers are more likely to be able to prioritise what changes are needed and to explain to staff what their role might be. The approach can be referred to as defining a Target Operating Model. The model is, in effect, a vision of how an organisation will look in future given its objectives and will enable the Department to identify those areas that can be trimmed to reduce costs. The model should be supported by a detailed outline of how it will operate in practice. At the outset the model can be defined in broad terms and include some areas of uncertainty, such as how Universal Credit might be implemented. Such a model should then be refined through regular iteration as the Department’s analysis of information develops. For example, the confirmation in
May 2011 that Universal Credit will initially be delivered by staff from the Department and HM Revenue and Customs means that the model can be refined further."
Which is basically saying the DWP will not be implementing the change over to Universal Credit but the HMRC will. Now these are the people who lost the Child Benefit information a few years back, so excuse me IF I don't hold my breath for ease of transition. The HMRC is also the people who deal with CTC and WTC (Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit) also notorious for making mistakes.
It also states it thinks that streamlining services and relying more on online services is the way to go . . . . . a few problems with that pensioners, and anyone who cannot rely upon the internet such as those who use libraries to access the internet, of course that's not even mentioning people with such conditions as Dyslexia who may find it much much harder to do the form filling online and not in person, or even over the phone.
Much as though I have reservations about the "cost reductions" I fear the people who have never claimed before will lose out.
I also fear that those the planned changes are aiming at stopping (the fraudsters) wont be stopped they know the system they can get around it, not so with people who don't even know they can claim that little bit of help such as DLA, or Pensions such as State Pension and Retirement Pension.
According to the ONS own report on spending in 2009/10 the pensions I mention above are under paid to a much higher rate than the overpayments the government is trying to stop.
Also remember that under payment is seen as "administrative error" and often not put right as seen by the earlier ONS report showing £100 million is under paid to one of the pensions alone!!!!
Now when you remember that :
"The vast majority of reductions will be to expenditure on benefits and pensions, rather than administrative spending. These payments are not within the Departments direct control as they must be paid out the those who apply and are eligible. the reductions therefore depend upon the policy changes announced in the June 2010 Budget, the subsequent Spending Review and the March 2011 Budget, reflecting for the most part adjustments in benefit rates and entitlements."
We should be very very afraid. As I understand the above statement, taken from the linked report. Tough cheese if you need we are saying the pot is empty so instead of putting taxes up and creating jobs as the government did when we had the highest deficit right after 1945 and built houses, roads and gave tax breaks to companies coming here, we are going to change the rules of entitlement. That means even though you have paid in all your live tough cheese no pension, mind you that's if you even know to apply in the first place.
I also note that there is to be a headcount reduction, does this mean that staff will go, apparently so, the report says there will be a reduction of Benefit Delivery Centres, now remember these took over from Benefit Agency offices. This of course meant you could no longer take your evidence to the local office and get them to photo copy it and add it to your file there and then, now you sent it to a BDC wait 4 weeks for it to be found and placed on a desk, ignored for a month, and only when you call up and ask if your evidence has been dealt with can you expect some one to actually deal with it.
Also if there are less staff, we will have to wait longer and longer to have any claim seen and read never mind actually processed.
Ohhh and how will the benefits of the people no longer working for the DWP be paid if there is to be reductions to benefits and pensions????
A very sad day indeed I feel. . . . .
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new
Hmmmmmmm I'm confused today, those who know me will say that's nothing new for me but this is worse I promise.
I know we arent allowed to be homophobic, racist or ageist, and these are good things however it appears to be we can still be disabledist (ok I know not a real word but I'm claiming it as a "me" word) it seems people are allowed to belittle and humiliate disabled people. WHY????
Because its the last taboo, always something that will happen to someone else. Well I'm living proof that it can and does happen to anyone. I never thought I would be as bad as I am, in fact I never thought I would be anything other than able bodied.
So with that in mind why am I surprised when I read the comments posted on the Daily Mail??
The plain misinformation spouted there is alarming to me.
It seems we who claim (and rightly claim) DLA are liars and frauds. No we are disabled that's what the D in DLA stands for.
DLA = Disability Living Allowance.
Not - I think I shall fake an addiction allowance, or I shall go tell my GP I have a bad back and no testing will be done allowance, or as many seem to think some sort of out of work benefit.
DLA is paid to those who are in work as well as those who cannot work, its paid to recognise people need a bit more help than able bodied people. Its there to help with mobility aids, or carers, or whatever extra help a disabled person needs to make their life a little more tolerable.
In my case it helps pay for the extra clothing I need and when I have to go out (for instance to hospital or doctor appointments) pays for my taxis there and back and I can state it does not pay for holidays and days spent in the pub.
It is not easy to get DLA, you are made first of all to fill out a large form, often needing the help of professionals. Stating things such as how you bathe, use the bathroom, get dressed, shop for groceries, cook, feed yourself, how you take your medications - the dosages, the side effects and all manner of other questions which intrude on how you live your life.
Then you get doctors reports.
Then you get checked out, this may be just a phone call or it may be a medical. I was lucky I didn't have to go through the indignity of ATOS calling me a liar for DLA my doctors were believed, but its coming soon when PIP starts.
Then and only then after you have satisfied all the required tests and your doctors have sent back all reports backing your claim, you might get some DLA.
So you see its not easy to fake and pass all the tests, and to make sure everyone IS treated as a fake until the reports and corroboration is approved by the DWP. I may not agree that people should be treated as a fraud but it seems that's what helps keep the fraud rate for DLA at around 0.5%. Lower than any other DWP benefit and certainly much lower than the fraud rate of MPs expenses claims.
I see misinformed people claiming they know fraudsters who have numerous holidays a year, or they have a new car every 3 years.
Well I don't know about the cars since I don't drive nor does my husband, but I suspect, it may be that a newer car is less likely to break down, or need repairs, so may be a condition of getting the mobility car. I am happy to be corrected on that point as I say I don't know for sure because I don't have a car.
As for the holidays well how do they know the person isn't saving hard and doing without other help to have the weekend away twice a year?? Maybe they are saving up their Child Benefit, after all that's is supposed to pay for the needs of the children and not supposed to be used to pay bills. Maybe they have a friend or relative who owns a caravan at a holiday park, maybe they have a friend or relative who is putting them up for a week to give them a change of scenery.
I also noticed a comment by someone saying they know someone who uses a "sympathy stick" (their words for a walking stick not mine) and claims they see the person walking unaided, well I can categorically state I see more elderly people faking when it comes to walking aids than any working age person. Walk down my local high street on a weekday, and see it for yourself. The pensioners practically running down the road in case they miss a bargain at the market, in most cases they walk faster and easier than me, and I don't have any walking aids provided by the NHS. Then I see people claiming they are frail and need to push in front of everyone waiting on a bus, but they are quite capable of carrying a large shopping bag full to over flowing with groceries. What about the pensioners who demanded I move from the disabled seat on the bus, when I was still able to use public transport?? They look as able as I do.
Now here comes the fancy bit so pay attention . . . . . . JUST BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE A DISABILITY DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT THERE.
I don't call the DWP fraud line and tell them about the people I have seen racing about with heavy shopping bags, why, because I don't know for a fact that's it's not a great day for them. I don't know they aren't normally housebound, and that's why they are racing so they can be home before the pain medications wear off.
So my advice to the Daily Mail readers - walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you cry fraud.
Maybe the person is a fake maybe not, if you seriously think someone is committing benefit fraud call the claim line it's found on the DWP website, and let them earn their wages, instead of whinging and using the "I know someone is a fake because they have a holiday / I know they are a fake because they can walk unaided when I see them once a week" lines.
Maybe pay as much attention to your own life before you point the finger of fraud. I often wonder how the supposed taxpayers can be sat on websites such as the Daily Mail one, spouting off about all the frauds they know if they are working the 40 or more hours per week they claim to be doing. Maybe I should call them on their stealing from the company they work for. That's what being paid for working and fannying about online not for work is you know, theft.
So who really is the fraud???
Plenty people don't LOOK disabled, I don't, but I am. Come visit me for a day see how able I am to do the things you can. Have your eyes opened to how much I rely on other people for basic things such as bathing, eating and drinking, dressing, walking and most importantly taking my medication. Come see my finances, see how "rich" I am, see how much of a fraud I am.
Sadly I doubt it will change any, even one, of the Daily Mail readers minds.
Years ago I heard someone say "a lie gets half way round the world before the truth has its shoes on" and it's true and it seems that if a lie is repeated often enough then it gets stuck in the subconscious of the public. So the Daily Mail and other so called newspapers of its ilk repeat the lie that DLA claimants are frauds and the public start feeling resentful of disabled people, that leads to hate crimes towards disabled people.
Don't forget it's alright to hate us, remember its alright to call us frauds, the papers say so. It doesn't seem to matter that you actually don't know the millions of people who are disabled, you "know" someone who is a junkie who has a mansion, 3 holiday homes, brand new cars and not forgetting the obligatory 50 inch plasma T.V.!!!
Hmmmmmmm I'm confused today, those who know me will say that's nothing new for me but this is worse I promise.
I know we arent allowed to be homophobic, racist or ageist, and these are good things however it appears to be we can still be disabledist (ok I know not a real word but I'm claiming it as a "me" word) it seems people are allowed to belittle and humiliate disabled people. WHY????
Because its the last taboo, always something that will happen to someone else. Well I'm living proof that it can and does happen to anyone. I never thought I would be as bad as I am, in fact I never thought I would be anything other than able bodied.
So with that in mind why am I surprised when I read the comments posted on the Daily Mail??
The plain misinformation spouted there is alarming to me.
It seems we who claim (and rightly claim) DLA are liars and frauds. No we are disabled that's what the D in DLA stands for.
DLA = Disability Living Allowance.
Not - I think I shall fake an addiction allowance, or I shall go tell my GP I have a bad back and no testing will be done allowance, or as many seem to think some sort of out of work benefit.
DLA is paid to those who are in work as well as those who cannot work, its paid to recognise people need a bit more help than able bodied people. Its there to help with mobility aids, or carers, or whatever extra help a disabled person needs to make their life a little more tolerable.
In my case it helps pay for the extra clothing I need and when I have to go out (for instance to hospital or doctor appointments) pays for my taxis there and back and I can state it does not pay for holidays and days spent in the pub.
It is not easy to get DLA, you are made first of all to fill out a large form, often needing the help of professionals. Stating things such as how you bathe, use the bathroom, get dressed, shop for groceries, cook, feed yourself, how you take your medications - the dosages, the side effects and all manner of other questions which intrude on how you live your life.
Then you get doctors reports.
Then you get checked out, this may be just a phone call or it may be a medical. I was lucky I didn't have to go through the indignity of ATOS calling me a liar for DLA my doctors were believed, but its coming soon when PIP starts.
Then and only then after you have satisfied all the required tests and your doctors have sent back all reports backing your claim, you might get some DLA.
So you see its not easy to fake and pass all the tests, and to make sure everyone IS treated as a fake until the reports and corroboration is approved by the DWP. I may not agree that people should be treated as a fraud but it seems that's what helps keep the fraud rate for DLA at around 0.5%. Lower than any other DWP benefit and certainly much lower than the fraud rate of MPs expenses claims.
I see misinformed people claiming they know fraudsters who have numerous holidays a year, or they have a new car every 3 years.
Well I don't know about the cars since I don't drive nor does my husband, but I suspect, it may be that a newer car is less likely to break down, or need repairs, so may be a condition of getting the mobility car. I am happy to be corrected on that point as I say I don't know for sure because I don't have a car.
As for the holidays well how do they know the person isn't saving hard and doing without other help to have the weekend away twice a year?? Maybe they are saving up their Child Benefit, after all that's is supposed to pay for the needs of the children and not supposed to be used to pay bills. Maybe they have a friend or relative who owns a caravan at a holiday park, maybe they have a friend or relative who is putting them up for a week to give them a change of scenery.
I also noticed a comment by someone saying they know someone who uses a "sympathy stick" (their words for a walking stick not mine) and claims they see the person walking unaided, well I can categorically state I see more elderly people faking when it comes to walking aids than any working age person. Walk down my local high street on a weekday, and see it for yourself. The pensioners practically running down the road in case they miss a bargain at the market, in most cases they walk faster and easier than me, and I don't have any walking aids provided by the NHS. Then I see people claiming they are frail and need to push in front of everyone waiting on a bus, but they are quite capable of carrying a large shopping bag full to over flowing with groceries. What about the pensioners who demanded I move from the disabled seat on the bus, when I was still able to use public transport?? They look as able as I do.
Now here comes the fancy bit so pay attention . . . . . . JUST BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE A DISABILITY DOESN'T MEAN IT'S NOT THERE.
I don't call the DWP fraud line and tell them about the people I have seen racing about with heavy shopping bags, why, because I don't know for a fact that's it's not a great day for them. I don't know they aren't normally housebound, and that's why they are racing so they can be home before the pain medications wear off.
So my advice to the Daily Mail readers - walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you cry fraud.
Maybe the person is a fake maybe not, if you seriously think someone is committing benefit fraud call the claim line it's found on the DWP website, and let them earn their wages, instead of whinging and using the "I know someone is a fake because they have a holiday / I know they are a fake because they can walk unaided when I see them once a week" lines.
Maybe pay as much attention to your own life before you point the finger of fraud. I often wonder how the supposed taxpayers can be sat on websites such as the Daily Mail one, spouting off about all the frauds they know if they are working the 40 or more hours per week they claim to be doing. Maybe I should call them on their stealing from the company they work for. That's what being paid for working and fannying about online not for work is you know, theft.
So who really is the fraud???
Plenty people don't LOOK disabled, I don't, but I am. Come visit me for a day see how able I am to do the things you can. Have your eyes opened to how much I rely on other people for basic things such as bathing, eating and drinking, dressing, walking and most importantly taking my medication. Come see my finances, see how "rich" I am, see how much of a fraud I am.
Sadly I doubt it will change any, even one, of the Daily Mail readers minds.
Years ago I heard someone say "a lie gets half way round the world before the truth has its shoes on" and it's true and it seems that if a lie is repeated often enough then it gets stuck in the subconscious of the public. So the Daily Mail and other so called newspapers of its ilk repeat the lie that DLA claimants are frauds and the public start feeling resentful of disabled people, that leads to hate crimes towards disabled people.
Don't forget it's alright to hate us, remember its alright to call us frauds, the papers say so. It doesn't seem to matter that you actually don't know the millions of people who are disabled, you "know" someone who is a junkie who has a mansion, 3 holiday homes, brand new cars and not forgetting the obligatory 50 inch plasma T.V.!!!
The following was posted on the 5th of July on my now deleted group on facebook. . . .
I have been reading comments on the Guardian article about the leaked letter from Mr Pickles (ohhh too easy but a very apt name it seems) department about the 40,000 households who could be made homeless as a direct result of the Housing Benefit cap.
Over and over I see people say - well if you cant afford to live there then move. These are the same people who shouted from the rooftops - if you cant afford children don't have them, when the Child Benefit changes were brought in.
Ok I will tell you about me shall I??
Sitting comfortably?? I'm not but lets begin anyway . . .
My husband and/or I have always worked to support ourselves then ourselves and our children. We until recently never had a credit card, in fact for most of our marriage we didn't even have a debit card.
We paid cash, if we needed something we saved up.
Then I fell ill.
I was working when I got very ill, the hours I worked meant it wasn't easy to see my GP. As a result I bought over the counter medications and replaced my clothing as and when required. Costing me and my family money we didn't really have to spare.
I was on SSP (stat sick pay) woefully inadequate for covering periods of sickness but that's a whole other late night ramble.
I finally got POMs (prescription only medications) these are usually a much higher dosage than over the counter medications, and have much more side effects.
Now one of the symptoms of HS is the constant leakage of puss like liquid from the affected area. This stains clothing and will eat away at the fabric of the clothing, rendering the clothing unwearable and not even useful as a window washing rag.
When I was working I had to replace this clothing at considerable cost to me, I had little state help other than WTC and CTC. Both paid at a low rate, combined under £120. However this money did help to cover the costs such as my childrens school meals, school trips, school clothing and shoes.
My wages had to pay for the rent, council tax, electricity, gas, food, travel to and from work, TV license and household insurance. Leaving me in debt to pretty much everyone except my landlord.
I live in what is called Social Housing. My landlord is a housing association which is a charity. I pay a lower rate than friends who live in council flats of similar size.
Now a little about how rent is collected.
Landlords, including the council expect you to be at least one payment in front. So council tenants must be one fortnight in advance as their rent is paid fortnightly and I must be one month in advance since I pay per calendar month.
However with HB the rent is paid as all benefits are in arrears. So every month I am in arrears with my rent according to the rules. On the first of the month I am expected to have paid for that month, the council will pass on HB at the end of the month.
Now I want you to do me a favour . . . go check what is in your bank accounts . . . all of them . . . how much savings do you have??
Can you calculate how much you NEED to live on each month if you were to lose your job at the end of this month??
How long will your savings cover?? One month, two, maybe six months if you are very forward planning.
A few months back I read somewhere (dammed if I can remember though) that most households are 2 pay checks away from homelessness.
I will repeat for the hard of understanding. 2 PAY CHECKS AWAY FROM HOMELESSNESS.
Still think I'm a scrounger?? What about when your moneys all gone and you HAVE to claim benefits??
Do you think you can live on fresh air and scenery for the 12 weeks on average it takes to process a benefits claim??
How are you going to pay the bills?? How are you going to feed your household?? How are you going to look for work when you have no money to put petrol in your car and go looking?? What about when you have worn a hole in the expensive shoes and cant afford to repair or replace??
Well let me tell you my husband and I have stuffed newspaper (the free one cant afford to buy them) in our shoes, we have gone without food so the children didn't have to. We did go out with the children leave them at school, and looked for jobs until it was time to collect the children again.
People sneer at others who work as cleaners. WHY????? Simple "its not something to aspire to" they say. OK well why not?? My husband worked during the day and I worked as a cleaner in the evenings. Simple we kept our outgoings as low as we could and our children were looked after.
Now if the proposed changes are bought in, (remember there is still time for a uturn) and the very people who were in the same position as me have to do what we did and move to find work, how are they going to look after their children?? No family and friends around them to help. No local knowledge of the new area, so how do they find suitable people to look after the children, and please dont say childminders and nurseries, there may not be any in the small towns and villages they had to move to.
Ohh and council run nurseries the ones remember we were all told our children would have places at by age 3?? Well they are half day ohh the generosity, 2 hours per day, unless you are in greatest need then and only maybe if you have the Social Work involved will you get the whole day placements. ohh and remember just because you work anti social hours is NOT a great need. You will be expected to find alternative arrangements and have you child picked up on time by an adult.
So you have moved, found a job, uprooted your children, and for what, to pay out more than you will earn in your new part time job in childcare. Another thing if your children are all over 5 you will probably find (as I did when I asked) that most childminders will not take them. Not all schools have after school clubs, so what do you do with the children under 14, who cannot legally be left alone for longer than it takes to take a bag of rubbish to the street??
I have been reading comments on the Guardian article about the leaked letter from Mr Pickles (ohhh too easy but a very apt name it seems) department about the 40,000 households who could be made homeless as a direct result of the Housing Benefit cap.
Over and over I see people say - well if you cant afford to live there then move. These are the same people who shouted from the rooftops - if you cant afford children don't have them, when the Child Benefit changes were brought in.
Ok I will tell you about me shall I??
Sitting comfortably?? I'm not but lets begin anyway . . .
My husband and/or I have always worked to support ourselves then ourselves and our children. We until recently never had a credit card, in fact for most of our marriage we didn't even have a debit card.
We paid cash, if we needed something we saved up.
Then I fell ill.
I was working when I got very ill, the hours I worked meant it wasn't easy to see my GP. As a result I bought over the counter medications and replaced my clothing as and when required. Costing me and my family money we didn't really have to spare.
I was on SSP (stat sick pay) woefully inadequate for covering periods of sickness but that's a whole other late night ramble.
I finally got POMs (prescription only medications) these are usually a much higher dosage than over the counter medications, and have much more side effects.
Now one of the symptoms of HS is the constant leakage of puss like liquid from the affected area. This stains clothing and will eat away at the fabric of the clothing, rendering the clothing unwearable and not even useful as a window washing rag.
When I was working I had to replace this clothing at considerable cost to me, I had little state help other than WTC and CTC. Both paid at a low rate, combined under £120. However this money did help to cover the costs such as my childrens school meals, school trips, school clothing and shoes.
My wages had to pay for the rent, council tax, electricity, gas, food, travel to and from work, TV license and household insurance. Leaving me in debt to pretty much everyone except my landlord.
I live in what is called Social Housing. My landlord is a housing association which is a charity. I pay a lower rate than friends who live in council flats of similar size.
Now a little about how rent is collected.
Landlords, including the council expect you to be at least one payment in front. So council tenants must be one fortnight in advance as their rent is paid fortnightly and I must be one month in advance since I pay per calendar month.
However with HB the rent is paid as all benefits are in arrears. So every month I am in arrears with my rent according to the rules. On the first of the month I am expected to have paid for that month, the council will pass on HB at the end of the month.
Now I want you to do me a favour . . . go check what is in your bank accounts . . . all of them . . . how much savings do you have??
Can you calculate how much you NEED to live on each month if you were to lose your job at the end of this month??
How long will your savings cover?? One month, two, maybe six months if you are very forward planning.
A few months back I read somewhere (dammed if I can remember though) that most households are 2 pay checks away from homelessness.
I will repeat for the hard of understanding. 2 PAY CHECKS AWAY FROM HOMELESSNESS.
Still think I'm a scrounger?? What about when your moneys all gone and you HAVE to claim benefits??
Do you think you can live on fresh air and scenery for the 12 weeks on average it takes to process a benefits claim??
How are you going to pay the bills?? How are you going to feed your household?? How are you going to look for work when you have no money to put petrol in your car and go looking?? What about when you have worn a hole in the expensive shoes and cant afford to repair or replace??
Well let me tell you my husband and I have stuffed newspaper (the free one cant afford to buy them) in our shoes, we have gone without food so the children didn't have to. We did go out with the children leave them at school, and looked for jobs until it was time to collect the children again.
People sneer at others who work as cleaners. WHY????? Simple "its not something to aspire to" they say. OK well why not?? My husband worked during the day and I worked as a cleaner in the evenings. Simple we kept our outgoings as low as we could and our children were looked after.
Now if the proposed changes are bought in, (remember there is still time for a uturn) and the very people who were in the same position as me have to do what we did and move to find work, how are they going to look after their children?? No family and friends around them to help. No local knowledge of the new area, so how do they find suitable people to look after the children, and please dont say childminders and nurseries, there may not be any in the small towns and villages they had to move to.
Ohh and council run nurseries the ones remember we were all told our children would have places at by age 3?? Well they are half day ohh the generosity, 2 hours per day, unless you are in greatest need then and only maybe if you have the Social Work involved will you get the whole day placements. ohh and remember just because you work anti social hours is NOT a great need. You will be expected to find alternative arrangements and have you child picked up on time by an adult.
So you have moved, found a job, uprooted your children, and for what, to pay out more than you will earn in your new part time job in childcare. Another thing if your children are all over 5 you will probably find (as I did when I asked) that most childminders will not take them. Not all schools have after school clubs, so what do you do with the children under 14, who cannot legally be left alone for longer than it takes to take a bag of rubbish to the street??
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