Am Sure Benefits System Is Corrupt - Sorry - Rant Ahead!

[JARM]

Well I am truly pissed off.

BACKGROUND : Dh was medically discharged from the army 5th august. We moved into a new house on 8th September.

Have claimed in order :

Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit for old house from 6/8 - 8/9

Incapacity Benefit for DH (dated July)

Income Support for both of us (dated July)

Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit for new house 8/9 onwards

No news on HB/CT for old house
Incap/Income support - waiting a call for emergancy payment as they cant sort out who should be dealing with claim now we have moved from one county to another, and get this....

Although we are now a zero income family, my HB/CT claim for new house has been assessed at something like £20 a week for HB and 13pence total for CT.

So, after working out all the sums - my grand total for buying petrol and food a week stands at £13.88 if I have to pay everything out. Surely this cant be right? Im waiting for the CT/HB for new house figures to be confirmed in writing (letter sent yesterday apparently) but a zeroincome family cant even get benefit to help with housing?!

Im absolutely livid, feel sick to the pit of my stomach, and in 8 weeks will have a new baby as well as the 2 toddlers I have running around.

We only want to claim short-term until I can go back to work, but as if any company in their right mind would take on a 32+ week pg woman?!

My neighbour gets £400 maintanance a month, all her housing and council tax paid and is a SAHM (all be it single) She is lovely, but I cant see why she gets full benefits when we get nothing.

I know none of you can help, but yet again, Im in a shit place, and I hate it. I wanted this christmas to be special, not over the top but special, being the first one as a complete family and in a house that although not techincally, is ours (and not the bloody armys!)

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK

Its days like today I wish my mum was still about, she used to work for benefits agency, and she wouldnt have allowed this to go on this long. I really do miss her anyway, but times like this i needed her contacts at work.

RANT OVER - although still feel shite

Sorry you're feeling so down...I don't know anything about benefits, but are you getting everything now? All your income supportand c/tax credits?

What amount of rent are you left to pay? It may be worth phoning them to ask how they have calculated this - it might be a mistake!

I am confused! Is part of the problem that they are taking into account that you should be getting Incapacity Benefit and therefore ignoring the fact that you aren't getting it yet?

JARM - that is wrong if you are claiming income support then you get FULL HB & CT benefits, are they taking into consideration any payment from your dh's old job? did he get a big pay out that the housing benefit people know about because they will take this into account?

It will state on your letter but if you call them they should also explain to you over the phone how they have worked it all out!

I dont really know what they are doing - all I know is we are not getting incap benefit or income support yet - despite having been waiting since July.

Our rent is £333.80 a month, and of which £80(ish) is going to be paid by HB - so we need to find £253.80 a month, the council tax is £127 a month.... we cant afford this on an income of aprox £130 a week, what with water, gas, electric, phone, insurance etc as well.

I just hate them all right now - i really do. And of course it doesnt touch the arrears for rent from the 8th Sept....

Spooky - he did get a payout, but the whole lot went on debts, so there is nothing left. We cleared all our debts and are trying to start again.

i just want to cry, i really do.

First things first - are you sure that their calculations are correct - because they do screw up more often than you'd think.

Check. And double check.

HB is based on income, so 0 MUST mean full HB right now even if it has to be readjusted later. You need to get back on to people.

Ah...do you think they are counting in the payout? Have you clarified this for them? That it is all gone?

Thanks guys.... i did phone them this morning, but was told to wait for the letter (apparently sent yesterday) and to call them once I have it.

Im just so scared. REALLY REALLY scared

They would only have seen it on the bank statements they requested, which they can see it went in, and then straight out again.

guess i need to sit and stew until i get this letter!

How bizzare it all sounds totally wrong, i would be on the phone to all of them including the income support & incapacity benefit because how the hell can they expect you to live on nothing?

Did you tell them about the pay out & also explain it all went on debts etc?

Try not to panic, have you phoned the income support & incapacity benefit office to ask what is going on there, i think you will need to show proof of this to the council for your benefits from them, Also why did you claim for your income support etc? when they eventually do get there arses into gear you will be getting back dated money from when you filled forms in & sent them.

I have been in this position a few years ago & it is shit!

Have you looked at www.entitledto.co.uk

No don't sit & stew i would call them back & say please could you explain why my benefit is only X amount, i know there is a letter in the post but i need to get my finances sorted out i have 2 young children.

They can explain over the phone they have it all copied onto a computer.

Phone them please.

You say they would have seen it on the bank statement & then see it go out, did the money all go out at once, i:e you take it out or you paid of 1 big bill? can they see it was removed or was it "paid" to people direct?

Have to explained about the money?

Message withdrawn

agree with AM - go to the office and refuse to leave if you have to - I had so much shit here with the job centre - being pasted form piller to post took 2 weeks before anything constructive happened.

anyhow also you ring and chase every day if you have to - I ahve no idea if it's quicker or not for lone parents but 10 days after posting a claim I ahve TC's and also 2 weeks (hopefully) for IS claim - apparently the days of waiting months are long gone (althou my aunty was told 3 months for her claim).

re HB - afaik you will get all of it paid - put it this way, as explained by the JC woman herself. for TC they don't look at maintenance as income, BUT they do for HB - so to that end I would assume they are taking into account the pension payments and all other benifits etc you should be getting - in the long term it would suggest you are going to get some form of incap and IS benifits. althou to that end I also was under the impression that IS = pretty much full HB.

this really can't go on much longer - what does the SW say not that she seems to be much use tbh.

also don't forget to ring the CB peopel to ahve that weekly - and also you can get your sure start grant as well.

You need to speak to them & get to the bottom of the issues.

It may be they are applying the "deprivation of capital" rules on your DHs payout - I'm a bit (nearly 10yrs!) rusty, but if memory serves me right if you pay off debts earlier than they are due to be paid off you can be classed as deliberately depriving yourself of capital in order to get more benefits & as such they may calculate your benefit due as if you still had the capital for a certain length of time.

I would agree with going to your local JCP office & staying until it's sorted out. Take all the paperwork you have with you - that way they can take a photocopy of anything they need to speed up your claim, rather than ask for it later. They should be giving you an emergency payment ASAP given your family situation & processing your claim as soon as possible too.

Speak to welfare rights.