Moral dilemma

Claim anything you or your DH are entitled to. I am on ESA (Income based) as I'm only 62 but have "limited work capacity", I also get PIP (been on DLA since 2006), this has now resulted in my being paid Carer's Allowance as no-one claims it for me. ESA means I get free Dental & Optician, haven't paid for Prescriptions since 2003 when I developed Epilepsy. I use my Allowances to pay for help when I need it. I do have my Civil Service Pension but this is subtracted from ESA (I get about £9 pw)

When I have been unable to drive (thanks DVLA, medical reasons) I use the volunteer drivers who are contacted via my Doctor's Surgery, I couldn't afford Taxis to Hospital, they also take you to Surgery Appointments & Dentist.

take what you're offered ,they make people jump through so many hoops now before they get benefits they need and if you can get it without stressful assessments then take it.Given the climate of cuts you might not have it long anyway so squirrel it away for emergencies and dont feel guilty.So many benefits go unclaimed because people aren't told about them an dthey would make life so much better where they are needed

And it's a 'yes' from me. My husband suffered a major stroke in 2015 and we are in a similar situation. As someone else pointed out, it is a gateway to other benefits such as a disabled person's railcard. Look out for concessions at theatres etc., many give complimentary tickets for carers but ask for evidence such as the Attendance Allowance letter. You can always make donations (gift-aided if you pay income tax) to the theatre or charity if you wish, or just go twice as often.

To save the NHS a bit, I buy over-the-counter medications that I could get free on prescription, but we hear so much about what the top NHS execs get that I'm not passing up something to which we have contributed throughout our working lives and are entitled.

Equipment should be available through SS.

I think neither Lucky nor her DH work.

As it's not means tested and is for a genuine disability I'd say jolly well take it. It could come in handy for any equipment needed which could be passed on to another person when it's no longer required. The illness may get worse and earning power will go down. When my DH was terminally ill my boss said, "Whatever you're offered, take it, you've earned it." Don't feel a sense of false pride.

I also think you should take it, good luck

Just on the taxi element of your ongoing costs Lucky - I assume you are aware of community and volunteer transport which can work out much cheaper and is manned by volunteers like my DH who are much more likely to be able to cope with someone like your DH. Their mileage rate (which is usually not charged for hospital visits) is usually very low.

DH takes people to appointments and then waits for them to come out so there are no slip ups.

You perhaps need an 'assessment' of physical ability first done by the chariry. DH drives for RVS but AgeUk do it I think as do other charities and community groups.

I heard of someone who was regularly paying £15 taxi fare to a commercial company which was less than £5 when booked through one of the above!

Lucky I think you should take it. As Maw says it’s an entitlement. You don’t know what’s around the corner that the money might be needed for. Obviously I hope nothing is!

Just be aware that by claiming assistance to which you are entitled this can have the later effect of unlocking other doors which may prove to be a blessing further down the line.
We have claimed and so are able to relax a little on heating costs and pay for a home help, cleaner, gardener and a taxi if I am unable to drive. Nothing major but it certainly takes the pressure off the continual grind as none of these things are a one off. I also pay for supplements, essential oils and good food to keep us well and thereby perhaps not taking up a bed needed by someone else.

If I was entitled to it, I would claim it. If you were wealthy, I might think differently but as you say you are only"ticking along", why should you not claim it?

Having watched a Panorama programme about the total lack of monitoring of people who file for bankruptcy and who claim to have no assets (but are actually living the life of riley), I don't see why the average person should have qualms about doing something perfectly legal and claiming what they are entitled to.

go for it..you deserve it! and if it fails....appeal.

Another point Lucky is that if you claim the money and spend it on services like cleaning or gardening, you are effectively employing someone and actually putting the money back into the economy.
Possibly even better than giving it to charity.

Claim it and if you don’t use it add it to your savings. I’m saying this as I’m in a similar situation to Alygran, my DH died after claiming for 2 months and now, a year later, my income has reduced considerably as I am too young for a state pension and only got bereavement benefit for a year.

Yes, claim it, and use it for all the things which could be made easier for you. Once you begin to think of things you struggle with, you'll realise you can put it to good use.

YES.

It does seem to be a unanimous “Take it’’!

I will put in the claim now!! I can see many ways in which it might make our lives easier.

I cannot see the dilemma. The person eligible for benefits will have been earning a reasonable wage and be paying their taxes which are contributing to the payment of universal benefits. This belief in universal entitlement to benefits forms the foundations of the welfare state.

Some benefits are means tested which is done on an objective and transparent manner. Once we start to ordinary people deciding who is 'morally' entitled to claim certain benefits and who is not we will be descending into systems that in other circumstances lead to McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials, neighbours reaching judgements on neighbours with insufficient or incorrect information, the sick and ill afraid to claim benefits because of what the neighbours will think.

No thank you, if you are entitled to a benefit claim it. That is what it is there for.

Another one who thinks that logically there is no dilemma. It is not charity, we all pay into the tax system one way or another and are all entitled to whatever is due. The fact that the 'insurance' is from the government is no different from if it was Aviva or another insurance company. I think that because we hear so much about the benefit system we feel that it is not like other insurance but it is, it is not discretionary.

I don’t think it matters whether you need it financially or that you have paid into the system. What matters is whether someone qualifies for it. It’s non means tested, non contribution based for a reason - to help meet the extra financial costs of disability ( goodness knows there are plenty of other costs that are non financial). I agree 100% with janea

Sorry, I don't know why but I quoted AA at a rate of £88.10 per week but it is in fact £82.10.

Carers allowance is not available after retirement but, as I said upthread, you might be eligible for Pension Credit of some sort. You should also have a Carer's Assessment and you might be awarded a yearly amount to spend on something specific. It's only a small amount (£250?) but may be worth it.

Take it Luckygirl. Annsixty is doing exactly the right thing. Use it to make your lives a bit less stressful. Employ a Cleaner or Gardner or pay someone to sit with dh whilst you go out for a couple of hours. Pay for online deliveries or cooked meals delivered to your home if you need it. A pub near us cooks and delivers their main meal options and they are nice as well and just need reheating in microwave. If you don't claim it they can't give it to someone else who really needs it. My Mum never claimed anything and she was entitled to non means tested benefits but was too proud to accept it.

But what lovely people you are to think about it?

I would suggest taking what he is entitled to,& put it to some good cause of your own choice. If you don't take ,it has no chance of going to a good cause .