Help needed regarding getting Doc to 'declare fit for work'

[Chickpeas]

Hi,
My husband has Asperger's Syndrome and suffers from chronic depression and anxiety.
He has been laid off from his last 2 jobs because of his ill health. He was signed off sick by GP last May even though he wanted to work.

He has been claiming Incapacity Benefit and since Christmas the Benefit Agency has been getting him to come in for a 'pathways to work' interviews. He has told them he wants to work but he has trouble finding it because of his disability. Even if he gets a job he is often bullied due to his social interaction problems and this ends up with him being off work for stress.
He has been offerd to be taken on an agencys books as they believe they have positions he would be suitable for but he must be declared fit for work before they can put him forward to employers.

He went to the GP today to ask to be signed fit for work and she refused saying that 'it would be detrimental for him to suddenly lose half his income when there isn't even a definite job available. The stress of having to go onto JSA and resubmit all his claims would not be good for his mental health.

So what do we do. He has to be declared fit for work to get a job but the GP says he is not fit.

The Jobcentre want him to look for work but GP says he is not fit.

He has been on sick since May 09 and he has tried to apply for many jobs but always gets knocked back due to his health record.

If he can't ever go back to work what do we do?

Chickpeas what is your gut instinct wrt to your DH and his fitness for work?

I know my DH (depression) has always thought himself well enough to go back long before he ever was, (we didnt deal with IB as he was lucky enough to get paid sickleave but GP still signed him back on dh's request way too early).

Have you spoken to the NAS? Am assuming youre not in Wales sadlya s I 'know' the NAS wales lady who works with asults wrt to things such as social skills that your sh struggles with but am presuning england must have one too?

Hi,
I am in Wales.

The reason my DH wants to go back to work is we are stony broke and the mortgage is due. This has all happened once before. He was dismissed on grounds of unfit for his job, had a breakdown - went back to work after 7 months, the stress and bullying got to him again, he took 2 days on the sick and got a redundancy letter in the post. That was last May.

He is hopeless alone, he cannot cook, clean, wash, dress, communicate effectively and he want to go back to work. He puts on this capable front if he goes to an interview but I am hiding in the wings tying his shoelaces and wiping his face like he was a child. Even the GP said to me I was like a single mother with 2 disabled children.

I just don't know what to do really. We are sinking deeper and deeper in debt. My son is Autistic too and I am basically Carer for both of them.

I hate to be selfish but I just need a break from DH. He mopes around the house saying how useless he is, and no-one wants to employ him-washed up. I have to feed him, clean him, dress him etc etc and explain to everyone what he means if we ever go anywhere. He is only happy talking to computers.

It is so hard right now and I try to support him in his quest for employment. I finally gave in today after a year and a half and applied for DLA for him.

Probably won't get a bean though. I thought if he we could get a bit more money he might not be so stressed.

He doesn't even like to drive now because he wrote the car off with me and my son in it; he lost concentration.

I don't feel he is fit to work but there is no choice for us due to finances.

I have tried to get part-time work but I have been unsuccessful and I would be even more run off my feet as now. I am up half the night with my sons insomnia nd behavioural problems, so can barely manage now. I also run a little company that provides holistic therapies for kids with autism but I don't make money from this, it is a free service.

There are not enough hours in the day and I am sinking fast at the moment.

Yopu're in Wales?

Fab!

I am doing an MA in ASD in caerleon and we have the rep from NAS Cymru in regularly and she is bloody wonderful ( I also am a mother of asd kids, 2, and have been dh's carer- I know the chances that you are near me are slim but JIC feel free to contact me).

I can totally understand everything you say wrt to finances and also some space but the rest wert to his areas of need can be worked on.

Do you want me to get you contact details of the lady? She does home visits and assessments.

She may also be able to support the autism business, I am hoping to set up a mentoring charity for asd one day and she is very supportive

Chickpeas, can the GP write a letter to the Jobcentre to explain her reasons for not signing him fit? If he is claiming ESA, he should be able to get help with the mortgage interest.

Chickpeas you sound like a saint! - you also sound like somoene who badly needs some time/ support for herself. The financial worry must be a killer - am wondering if your son is in education yet or home full time? - agree with Gp you don't want to lose disability benefits just to be able to job seek when there may be no job there. Could dh apply for jobs while just claiming benefit and wait and see what happens? If he can't hold down a job maybe you need to think about working full time and looking for other places dh could get support while you work - centres he could visit etc? I am the mother of an autistic child (aspergers) and would love to think she will have a partner who will support her in teh way you do your family - do try to be aware of your own needs too though and do what you can - don't ever think you're being selfish needing space etc for yourself - you are carrying a real burden and I really admire you. x

What an angel you are! IMHO (as a disabled mum with disabled hubby & lots of experience of the benefits system) your hubby should be able to get Incapacity benefit & DLA.

PLus, if your family income is low enough - which it sounds like it is - you can get income support, with a disability premium for your disabled hubby and child. There is also mortgage interest payments, plus council tax benefit (again with disability premium).

Your entitlement to benefits is increased due to the amount of caring you do too (if its over 15 hours per week each for both hubby and chld,) as you are entitled to Carer's Allowance, although if i remember rightly, you may not be paid anything due to other benefits paid, BUT you can get a thing called "undelying entitlement" which increases your child tax credit and income support payments.

As you have a child you can also get Child Tax Credits, where the DLA will not be counted as income and you will get a disability premium, where some income is ignored as you have to deal with the increased costs of living with disability.

You need proper benefits advice from a qualified person, pref Citizen's Advice or other independent welfare rights advisor. DO NOT just rely on advice from the Benefits Agency/JobCentrePlus as they are often poorly trained and it is their job to get people off benefits, as your hubby has found.
The interlocking and overlapping of benefits system makes it a really complicated for us lay people to understand and you deserve to get all that is available for people in your situation. So get help to do it.

It is important hubby's health is not made worse by returning to work if he is unfit to do so, also that your family unit is not undermined by you - as primary carer for two people - having to work or becoming ill through stress too. It is great your GP is supportive of both you and hubby as this is necessary for successful application for disability and carer benefits.

Good luck!

Ps: A website called benefitsandwork.co.uk is good for help with filling in benefit forms as they can be daunting. It is well worth paying to join up as a member