Sleep Apnea / Benefits / Bedroom tax / LHA

[OnNaturesCourse]

OK. To try and keep this short we are in receipt of universal credit, our LHA states that we only need two bedrooms for our family so our universal credit housing element is based off that. Our rent is more than our housing element. We lived here before starting our universal credit claim and could easily afford rent etc, but due to circumstances money is now super tight. Basically we're being told to move to a smaller accommodation with two bedrooms (in our LHA) BUT my argument to this is we use our ''spare'' room as my partner sleeps there a lot - suffer from sleep apnea and for the sake of our relationship and my mental health we NEED to sleep separately a lot of the time. I contacted my work coach through Universal Credit and was told that my LHA would only be changed if my partner claimed PIP - we don't want to claim more benefits, we just want help getting what we need to keep the home we have as it fits our requirements.

Has anyone had to claim PIP solely to change the LHA rate?
Has anyone claimed similar for sleep apnea?

We're really struggling to keep our home, and it would break me to move and have to share a room all the time again - it exhausted me last time and I ended up in tears at my GP begging them to help get my partner seen at the sleep clinic quicker.

You are unlikely to be awarded PIP just for sleep apnoea I'm afraid. PIP looks at difficulties you have with cooking a meal, communication, washing and dressing yourself, budgeting, mobilising, managing medications. It's very unlikely that unless he has difficulties with these things he is going to score enough points for a PIP award. it is very hard for people to claim.

could you have a sofabed in the living area if you had a smaller house?

That's what I thought! I will seriously end up mentally ill if we lose 'his' room. Our neighbors can even hear the snoring, its chronic.

He's 6'5+ so no way would he fit on a sofa bed, I have pelvic / hip problems so I couldn't sleep there either.

Does he have a CPAP?

He needs to see the doctor and get his sleep apnea sorted out - millions of people suffer with this and there is help out there

You are unlikely to be able to claim PIP so you need to look at medical options

Can't you put a bed in the lounge or something until he gets sorted out and one of you sleep in there?

Put a claim for dhp, how old is your child/children. Do you have opposite sexes?

As @gamerchick asked - does he have a CPAP machine? I was tested before Xmas & stop breathing 49.2 times per hour. On the CPAP it’s down to 1.8. So sleep apnoea is very treatable.

No. He is under reevaluation for one. Last one he didn't improve his stats that much so they stopped it and done a operation on his throat, hes had to wait a while to get another assessment for the machine again. We are hoping that he has better luck with it this time round.

I don't think you can rule out all sofabeds, yes there are cheap ones, but there are other more comfortables ones out there too.

You do need to think of a solution as staying where you are will not be it from what you have said.

My DH a,so has sleep apnea so I do empathise! He does have a machine now, which has reduced the volume by a thousand decibels! On a snore app, he was in the top 95% for both volume and duration of all people world wide using it. Lucky me!
You're not going to get anywhere LA wise or benefit wise unfortunately. He'll not get PiP for it.
What's the short fall rent wise?

The rent shortfall is roughly 200£.

Unfortunately we can't afford to splash out on a decent sofabed however we have considered moving the bed into the livingroom should we need to move - not exactly a ideal situation longterm however. We are unsure of when he'll get the CPAP machine back, basically he had the operation on his throat and they hoped that it would resolve the problem but it didn't so he is back at the start of the waiting lists. Nightmare.

Keep an eye out on FB, etc for someone getting rid of one

Is there a such a thing as a extra long sofabed 😂

www.furl.co.uk/sofa-beds/extra-large-sofa-beds

It looks like he would need to get PIP for an extra bedroom to be allowed-

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/benefits/how_many_bedrooms_you_can_claim_benefits_for

Technicaly the thread of this conversation is wrong, Yes you are Entitled to PIP.
Because sleep aponea affects your sleep pattern, it affects your Mental and Daily rhythm, not to mention being tired and having a sleep during the day time, this is all covered under the, "DAILY LIVING" component of Personal Independance payment,
(how it affects your daily Activities and Abilities). Like driving ? Etc so if you are a risk driving because you could fall a sleep at the wheel? You "CANNOT PLAN AND FOLLOW A JOURNEY", as one of the Pip Asessment Criteria for Daily Living.
I recieve the Enhanced Rate of Pip for Sleep Aponea since 2015, my advise is type into Google,"BENEFITS & WORK", and pay a £15? Membership fee and down load their PIP , PDF, that advises and guides you through filling out the pip form. B & W was set up By 2 welfare Benefit Baristers to give their Advise and Experience in Benefit Appeal cases where they represented Disabled People. It advises you to be diplomatic in what info you use on the form and what you should say and how to word / Phrase it.
And gives advise on other related conditions / Symptoms that Contribute to your main Primary Diagnosed Condition.

Please note the person with sleep Aponea like me will be referd to NHS Secondry care and be issued with a CPAP Breathing Machine ? This can mean DVLA can in extreme circumstances Revoke your Driving Licence ? So as for "Daily Living" you rely on other family members or public Transport, to drive you to your Doctors and Hhopital appointments thus a restriction on your daily living ability.

4 yr old dudes