to ask for help r.e heart attack & benefits

[ShartGoblin]

My dad has been self employed for around the last 10 years as a builder which involves a lot of heavy lifting and manual labour. He has also suffered with PTSD for most of his life which remains untreated as he struggles when questioned to stand up for himself and has had bad experiences with not being believed & shouted at by the PTSD specialist where he is registered. Following this it all fell apart, the rules for tax credits changed retroactively so he couldn't continue to claim, he lost his home and decided that his mental health would be better out of the system and decided that he would rather not claim what he was entitled to.

It all came to a head last week when he suffered a heart attack aged 50. Putting aside my anger at the number of times he's begged his GP for help with his mental health to no avail, he's asked me to look into what he is able to claim because he has accepted that he cannot work while he recovers from this. He also is worried that the system is so hard right now that the stress would be too much for him but he has no choice as he needs to feed himself.

Well I have been looking into it and I'm completely lost. I've used the ESA online calculators and they come up as ineligible, PIP states that he would need to "have had difficulties with daily living or getting around (or both) for 3 months" but I don't understand how he's meant to survive for 3 months. Is there something I'm missing? Does anyone know what options are available for short/medium term illnesses? No-one will speak to me over the phone without him being involved and he's too scared to speak to someone over the phone as they have been so cruel to him in the past.

I don't know what to do, I'm so lost and I just keep crying.

Further information:

• He is living with retired parents, he is not expected to pay rent but does pay in the form of home improvements (I am unsure if they will charge him rent now he's unable to pay in this manner)

• He is a part time student so not eligible for student support but being a student seems to render him ineligible to claim certain benefits according to one calculator. He doesn't want to defer because he is reaching the end of his final year and is enjoying it.

• He does pay for his own food / bills / phone contract etc.

Could you make an appointment with citizens advice, that way you could go with him, maybe the more he understands the circumstances himself the less daunting it will be for him. You could always call up a debt chairing like step change for advice? Although he's not in debt (now?) I'm sure they would be happy to help? Or at least point you in the right direction?

I'm so sorry to hear about your dad.

I'm afraid I don't think there is very much. My dh had to have 6 months off work last year. We thought he'd had a seried of mini strokes but it turned out to be something else.

All he could claim was sick pay. Dh did used to be self employed and when he was we took out an insurance policy for sickness which is still running and would have given him 60% of his income.

How come it came up as ineligible for ESA?

This is why insurance is so important.
What type of heart attack was it op? And did he need any intervention or just medical management?
Depending on the heart attack, he should get back to his previous health state with the right medications and diet, limited alcohol and no smoking etc.
He should be seen by the cardiac rehabilitation team who can advise on how long to take off work and what he's able to claim, but it's likely it will just he statutory sick pay.
Hope he has a speedy recovery

You can't get SSP if you are self employed Greywalls.

Assuming he does not have savings over £16K he would need to claim Universal Credit. He can still study as long as the course is part time.

He won't be eligible for ESA because he won't have paid the correct NI Contributions.

PIP may be applicable depending on the difficulties he has in day to day life, for instance does he need support with personal care or eating, or going out. These difficulties may be related to his mental health as well as his physical difficulties.

Because he is not currently fit for work he should get a fit note from his GP. He hands this in at his first appointment at the Jobcentre (the initial application is done online) and that means his claimant commitments will be limited. He may still have to do some work related activities, but it won't be nearly as bad as if he was fit for work.

Thank you so much for all of your responses, I was going round in circles so I really appreciate advice and support here.

I will certainly be taking out insurance once this is over and he's back at it. At the moment he's not able to leave the house but hoping to go for a walk this week to the corner shop. He's had a stent and the medication is making him quite woozy but it's helping him sleep so I'm hopeful that he'll be better than he's been for a long time when it's over.

@Bombardier25966 thank you for that, really appreciate you explaining the process in such a concise way and it helps me to have a plan of action. The government help guides just lead me round in circles and you've made it sound much more straightforward. I'm sure there will be roadblocks and complications but at least now I have a rough idea and know where to begin.

Another one saying Universal credit with a fit note (which is to say he's not fit to work)

I would also encourage him to get a new GP is this one will not refer him to the community mental health team for his PTSD

Is he ex military? Has his PTSD been formally diagnosed yet? What treatment has he had so far? Is he in treatment now?

My friend has PTSD, is ex military and is in receipt of ESA. She is being treated via Combat Stress, and has also used various local women's organisations which have been more useful than the NHS.

You can also contact the Lighthouse Club, a construction charity for advice and financial support - they can give grants and financial aid to construction workers who become sick or injured:
www.lighthouseclub.org/

I have no constructive advice but just want to say I wish your dad the best and I am sorry he’s been let down so much by the health service.

If he is a student, can he get a hard ship grant from the college/uni ?

Does he have anything that you can sell on Ebay

Does he have anything to pawn

Hope he feels better soon

Just thought he may be eligible to attend a food bank

I think GP can refer to food bank