DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE

[lighton]

Hi could anyone who has probs with dla and income /expenditure. give some examples. Ive read a few threads where people dont realise that they can offset all of this income.Im going to see if i can find out if we have to state exactly what the extra expenses are used for,after all it is not means tested and when you recieve any goverment benefits ,they just offset it, without a long list of things you use it for. Anyone who recieves this will tell you , you dont know when you will need it or what you are going to need it for.I think we should just be able to put see goverment guidelines on what it is given for.

[rachellxx39]

In our ivas the whole of our dla , which is for my daughter who is 13, was used as income . It only now that we are having problems, because we have no allowances for when we need to take her to hospital 60 miles away.We have had to take her there Monday this week and on Friday.Which is for her care needs but costs a fortune in petrol .

[lighton]

I do believe that when ivas are set up this dla situation needs to be looked at more closely.
Taking it into account as income is one thing ,but this should be offset immediatly,without having to justify it.Like you have pointed out it has cost you more in fuel this month , you shouldnt have to justify where it has gone it is given by goverment for your childs extra needs whatever they might be.You certainly shouldn,t have to make a list of things you use the money on.It shoud be shown as dla on income and classed as childs needs on expenditure thats all we should have to put.

[lighton]

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/communi ... ageIndex=2
HI ALL THIS LINK MIGHT BE OF USE TO SOME IT LOOKS LIKE THERE COULD BE A COURT CASE ON THIS SOON I LOOK FORWARD TO LOOKING AT THE OUTCOME.

[Viki.W]

The same person posted on here a while ago, you can read it here http://www.iva.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TO ... hichpage=2

[pennyfortheguy]

Would this include Incapacity Benefit as well or is this just DLA?

[freelili]

Hiya

Just wanted to say, there are two sides to this coin. Yes it can be argued that nowhere else is this DLA taken into account. However, sometimes you pay something towards your debts with some of it, I certainly did. It doesnt take away the disability but its yours to use as you please.

My thinking is,

You have to remember noone else other than those in your shoes has an iota of what its like living with a disability or caring for someone with one. Life can get very serious sometimes and plans, well.... forget them.

If an IVA is ever going to work in these circumstances then you have to make your IP aware of the variable rollercoaster ride that is normality for you or dont do it. In my case I told my IP, it aint gonna work if you cant allow for this, that and the other. Plus next year, it might be that, other and this, and the next well... we might be facing something else, ie having to travel a fifty mile round trip to school at least twice a term. So if youre going to cut me to the quick then I am quickly going to put this phone down. You dont know the plot and I am still a learner myself.

If youre already in an IVA then you must put this to your IP. Its quite easy when youre stressed to forget the big things never mind the details.

You will be under enough stress if something unexpected happens as it is, without worrying about how on earth youre going to afford it all. All this even before the thoughts of quality of life (for the carer as well as the sufferer) has even begun to enter ones head.

If these things cannot be met under IVA conditions, another way might be better found. There is an answer to every problem, it just might not be the one we wanted. Mine certainly wasnt.

[MelanieGiles]

That's great advice Lily - and inspirational to anyone else in the same circumstances. IPs would do well to note your comments as well.

[chardonnay]

Hi,
I can only speak from my own experience and I recieve a benefit for a past Industrial injury.
When I entered the IVA all my benefit was counted as income and used to allocate my allowances - maybe IP's need to recognise the differences in benefift and what they are allocated for??? I don't mind mine being included - I'm single, etc but I van see the difference between mine and others, why can't they??!!
I hope you get to keep your allowance seperate Lighton,
Hugs,
Chardonnay

[freelili]

Thanks Melanie for the very kind words.

Hi Chardonay

I dont think we can really expect IPs just to know, its up to us to point it out, or even to be aware of it ourselves. Its not always easy to do when youre under the 'I cant take any more phone calls or letters' hammer, I know. You will agree to anything when youre faced with this but its important that the IVA can work and last its course, both for the end user and for the work the IP is putting in. Our circumstances are unique and individual, its up to us to project the variableness ( I am not too sure thats a word) of it all, in order for it to be taken into account.

[lighton]

Thank you chardonnay and thank you melanie.As i understand from melanie it is not ips who set down these rules it is the creditiors.They have the say in what has to be included.This is going to be my mission, i am not saying in any way that it should be included as income coming into the household, i am trying to argue the fact that when you get an allowance for a disability especially for a child what on and how it is spent has nothing to do with the creditors. I want it to be were all yoy have to put in expenditure is this money is used for this persons disability and not have to write a long list of everything it goes on.After all if no goverment deparment asks for this including inland revenue then what right do creditors have in asking such personal questions about a third party especially a child.It should just go on as dla and extra tax credits and off as child /adults extra needs.Its not supposed to be used as income so why do they need to know about it. I will keep you informed off what i find out.

[Viki.W]

Lighton, you have a really good case there, I think. Good luck with it all. Good for you for taking this on. X

[lighton]

Thank you viki,ill try my best.

[chardonnay]

Hi Again,
Good point freelili, the benefit system is indeed very complicated. I hope everyone with a problem relating to benefits gets it sorted - I am by no means an expert and hope I don't come across as trying to be one. I hope my experience may in some small way help others.
Good luck to everyone,
Hugs,
Chardonnay

[freelili]

I feel that as disability is so variable, it really is an individual thing, having been a carer for 20 years with 3 kids on the autistic spectrum, I couldnt ever have predicted the problems that each one has faced. Even though they all suffer the same basic triad of impairment they are really very different and need help in different areas. One will always be completely dependant. I feel that as such most other authorities 'just dont go there' let it be and never include it. But debts are not the same, we signed for the loans and if you explain that you need x, y and z and someone is prepared to help you when the cards are on the table, thats all you can really expect. If my IP wanted to take every penny of my DLA I wouldnt have gone ahead, the IVA wouldnt have worked as I know that there would have been problems, even though I wouldnt have known when and to what degree.