Namechanging regular here.
I've been a sahm for a few years after working for around 7 years. In that time I have become disabled, but did not claim Incapacity Benefit (as it was then) because we could live perfectly well on dh's salary and I do not believe in claiming benefits that are not needed. I believed I was protected for a pension and future benefits claims by Home Responsibilities Protection.
I now realise that I am not. I could kick myself but am not sure that I could have done anything differently. I could not have gone back to work and we would not have been able to afford to make class 1 contributions. It is only now that I realise HRP is for Class 3 contributions only and does not count towards certain benefits.
The situation now is that we are running into trouble and believed now was the time to claim ESA. I get DLA but it goes towards the extra costs of living with the disability. We need ESA for normal living costs as I cannot work. My claim has been refused because I have not paid or been credited with enough NI class 1 contributions.
AIBU to think this is wrong and discriminatory against those who choose to sah parent? I did not claim benefits to stay at home, I lived off dh's salary, by no means well off but able to get by. But this law is saying that if people stay at home with their children for a period of time and then become ill there is nothing they can do? I cannot claim the non-contributory type of ESA because dh works more than 24 hrs a week, but we don't have enough now to quite scrape by. I feel that I have paid into the system when I was able, then made the choice to be at home with babies, and am now paying for that choice and for becoming ill.
AIBU? And does anyone have any advice, because I don't know what to do from now.
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AIBU?
to think certain benefits discrimate against SAHMs?
72 replies
stuckinabureaucraticmachine · 29/09/2011 12:28
OP posts:
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