RustyWheels
-
Posts
12 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
I need to have money left i my account to spend on day-to-day living. As you say, I try to live frugally, but this unexpected £400 wouldn't leave me enough if I also spent my £5k.
-
Thanks for the info. I bought the car whilst still in hospital (after 11 months!) and didn't know / couldn't find out about much of the available help since I was flat on my back and staring at the ceiling. I am spending my mobility DLA component plus a bit extra on the car at the moment. I'll look into any premium I might be entitled to, but I'm already able to save a little each month, so probably won't apply for it. I'm just amazed that there are restrictions on what I can spend my money on. Is there a list of what spending is acceptable to the government? And what legislation enforces this? I was under the impression that (for DLA at least) there are no restrictions on spending, despite the 'care' and 'mobility' monickers. I guess this is why they've specifically demanded a rebate on my ESA even though it all goes into the same bank account. There is very poor communication between the ESA and DLA people - I informed the DLA guys of a change of address and got a stroppy letter from the ESA people complaining that I hadn't informend them of a change in circumstances, which is what prompted all of this in the first place. Their website simply states I had to inform rhe DWP, which I had done - it's not my fault the two offices don't communicate!
-
Thanks for clearing up that bit of confusion. It seems to me that they are going to take it from you regardles of whether or not you spend it on living needs. Telling them you have >£6k will get you a refund demand; not telling them will get a refund demand and possibly a fine and/or fees on top of that. This seems to be a capricious way of capping the savings of people who are trying to be prudent with their income. I accept that it is intended to filter out new benefit applications by people who already have substantial savings, but it has the collateral effect of penalising people who are trying to be financially prudent with their entitlements. The argument seems to be "if you have £6k you're not entitled to anything more". This logic says that I should go to Waitrose rather than Lidl so I won't have anything to save at the end of the month. It simply doesn't make sense to me.
-
Monthly payments would be a good suggestion to avoid saving up a large amount. But my problem is not really in paying for a wheelchair, it's the unexpected demand for repayment of benefits to which I genuinely believed I was entitled. They don't exactly make it clear on their forms that the capital cut-off is £6000. I do remember a question asking if I had £16k savings (in which case the application would be refused), but not £6k. I've only been able to save up that amount using my perfectly legal benefit income, and now they want it back. I should have spent it on more expensive stuff rather than furnishing my flat with cheap second-hand items from ebay!
-
That's the conclusion I've come to as well. Just put up with their ludicrous effective interest rate (since when did £250 earn anyone £1 per week?) and try to keep below £6000 capital. This is really Orwellian.
-
DMG, This is what triggered the demand. They count each £250 over £6000 as providing £1 per week income (what planet are they on?), and have asked for a repayment for a two-year period where I've had approx £7k capital - a bill for over £400 I wasn't expecting. And to stop them charging me even more in the future, I have to spend enough to drop down to £6k totalled over my savings and current accounts. This ridiculous rule actively discourages financial prudence such as saving - that's what I'm confused about.
-
I think getting some advice is excellent, er, advice. I am getting the motability component of DLA, but I bought a (vastly overpriced) car that's been adapted with a power ramp (lifts once I'm inside) and motorbike-style tiller controls (so I can drive from my wheelchair). I have to top up the paymets. A car is essential in the wilder parts of Wales.
-
Hi Margaret, Getting around in a manual wheelchair is a miserable experience. Things I didn't even notice when not disabled become massive issues. Getting over the slightest bump takes a surprisingly big effort and kerbs are impossible. Even carpets try to push you off track due to their 'grain'. And as for going out to the shops, well, apart from the obvious ease-of-mobility issues, I'm using both hands to move the chair. What do I use to pick items off the shelves? And how do I open 'pull' doors? A powered wheelchair would give me one free hand back. These things aren't obvious until you come across them yourself. R.
-
Thanks. So my DLA is disregarded unless I try to save it. I'm not planning on having a spree, just saving up for a powered wheelchair (which is rather the point of DLA) instead of joining an 18-month waiting list and making the NHS pay for one. Still, coming up with false economies like that keeps some civil servants in their jobs, I suppose. I'm feeling a little bitter about this, as you may be able to tell.
-
True enough, provided I don't wish to buy food, pay my utility bills, fuel my car or continue paying off the finance on it! I'll join the waiting list for an NHS wheelchair - I was going to save them money by buying my own, so this rather pointless policy seems a bit of a false economy in my case.
-
Thanks for the quick reply. So, rather than saving up for a £5000 power heelchair, I have to spend it quickly (on stuff I may not need) to avoid going over the capital limit? That's just insane.
-
Hi All. I live in Wales and have been in a wheelchair for the past 6 years. I receive DLA (higher rates), ESA (support group), and housing benefit. I recently received a letter from the DWP demanding a refund for 'overpaid' ESA even though my cirumstances haven't changed and my only income is from my benefits. I have been trying to save somethig each month, and my combined ISA and current account have gone over the £6000 capital limit imposed by the DWP. I was under the impression that benefits received, particularly DLA, did not count as income for this purpose. Can anyone say where I went wrong?
