Who do you speak to about DLA Vs JSA

[Noodoodle]

Firstly, I have been out of the loop on unemployment benefits for a while and I know it's all changed with regards to what they're called so apologies if I name something wrong.

Basically my dad had multiple heart attacks and had stents fitted a few years ago. He has been unfit for work for some time before that due to extreme chest problems which doctors could never find the problem for (until the heart attacks). My dm works full time but they do struggle a bit financially as he has no income at all and hasn't for some time. My mum enquired about him getting jsa (I believe) and they were happy for him sign on but said he woud receive no payment as dm earnings are too high (over 30k, below 35). He felt he would be getting "hassled" to find work he can't do anyway, for nothing, so didn't go. The bigger picture is he there for has no recent NI payments but that's another thing.

Now my df is not a lazy man, but we have all struggled to think of something he could do for work to be honest. After he had stents the docs said he would be fine, he's not. His gp's hear him when he says he's in pain or discomfort but don't listen or do anything about it. Heart problems/early death from them are rife in his family so it's like he's given up bothering.

He gets up with dm (most days) before she goes to work, has a lie down, gets up around 10, has a lie down again at some point and gets up around 3. He'll be up then as long as he's feeling well (his version of it at least) until maybe 10pm. He is in pain/discomfort constantly in his chest but has gotten used to it sadly, has cough/sneeze combinations that take his breath away, cannot walk more than a few minutes without stopping to catch his breath/rest from pain, road bumps if in a car hurt him so public transport is a no no. He finds it hard to sleep at night, I think the day napping is exhaustion but doc says as long as he's sleeping at SOME point it's fine and won't give anything to help night sleeping. He's been in so much pain he can't get socks on, and I've seen him hurt so bad he slowly collapsed to the floor as he couldn't stand with the pain - he told me this is not new but normally he would be sitting or near a chair so nobody would notice it! He honestly could not hold down a job, but he can hold a pencil, (with pain) dress himself, make tea etc... I don't know the criteria with DLA or anything like that, I'm not even sure he would want to put himself through being prodded, but dm is stressed and I can't help wondering if there's a way for them (df) to alleviate that through DLA or otherwise?

I would have thought he would be looking at esa not jsa. DLA/Pip is not means tested but you do need to go through assessment. CAB might be able to advise which is applicable but I think you can apply online.

LIZS I think I need to look at the differences between esa and dla/pip, I thought incapacity benefit had merged into dla somehow and didn't realise there were seperate ones, thanks.

ESA is an income replacement benefit for people who are too ill to work. There are 2 types - contributions based and income based. Ifyou dad has not paid NI contributions then he is unlikely to get the contributions based one. He is also unlikely to get the Income based one as your mum earns a pretty decent income so he would be turned down on that basis.
If your dad has significant care needs so he needs help with washing and dressing , has poor mobility etc then he may be eligible to apply for PIP( personal Independence Payment). This is assuming he is under 65. This benefit is replacing DLA. It is a non means tested benefit so any savings or other income they have will not affect it.
To apply for PIP you need to ring the number which can be found online and they will ask a few questions and send him a form to fill out ( it is quite long and detailed). You then send that back with medical evidence from his GP or consultant etc. He will then be called for an assessment and he will get awarded points for daily living and mobility. How much ( if any) he is awarded will depend on his level of disability. It is pretty hard to get and my advise would be to get help filling out the form from an expert at CAB.

Also I think for contributions based ESA they look at NI contributions over the last 2 years so depending how recently your dad stopped paying them, it may be worth looking into.

The number your dad would need to call for a PIP application form is 08009172222.

If he fills out the PIP2 form himself he should try to be as detailed as possible describing exactly how the pain affects him, for how long on how many days. The award is mostly based on the medical asessment done by ATOS or CAPITA on behalf of the DWP. It would obviously be up to your dad whether he wanted to put himself through this but if he was awarded enhanced rates for both components it is worth something like £130 a week so worth trying for.

Babyroobs wow, thank you for all that detail. He hasn't been able to work for the last 10-15 years I believe so contribution based anything would be out then if they want recent contributions. Not 65 yet, not too far off though. I'll get him to call and get forms and see how far he'll go with it, he's one of those stubborn ones. Thank you!

Make sure he applies quickly then as if he needs to apply after her turns 65, it changes to Attendance allowance which is quite a bit less money and doesn''t have the mobility component. Good luck.