standing up for yourself with benefits agency

[Guest guest]

This may be something no-one can help with.

A few years ago now my husband was in trouble with the benefits agency

when they sent a two-yearly review form for us to compete ; due to

earning too much per month. He was on incapacity benefit but allowed

to do " therapeutic " work if he kept within a monthly limit. We had

absolutely NO idea the rate allowed had changed, nothing was sent to

the home. Our figures didn't tally when he went into hospital and I

filled in a form on his behalf so I could understand how we appeared

as benefit fraudsters, but I feel attacked. The upshot was I went

through a lengthy and gruelling time with the people at the benefits

office. It is NOT easy trying to keep your temper and be " sweet " with

people who seem overburdend and owing to their caseloads , incompetent

and viewing you with some suspicion. I wanted to get the judgement of

the office turned around ; they took my husband off benefit and made

us re-apply so he is now on a lower rate. We already had to scrimp

with 3 teenagers now we were being, as I feel, robbed by these people.I

got our local M.P. to forward a letter to the Minister for

Disabilities and got nowhere. Our local M.P. handwrote a polite

comment at the

bottom of the Agency's reply : " this certainly seems complicated " .

* Yer don't say!!* But I was looking to him to plead our case not

sympathy and big fat zero!I have nothing in writing from the benefits

agency nor were we invited for an interview. Most of their " decision

making " process was reached by keeping me hopping on constantly late

answers by telephone - requiring chasing them around and being

insistant. And false run-arounds while I had to prove things they then

" found " after all, such as whether my husband even had oficial

permission to " work " I feel so disgusted with them. During this time

their staff even went on stike for better pay so I felt very dismal

about the level of fairness available to me hearingwise.

Sorry this is so long and for a newbie too! Does anyone know of any

help I can enlist to get a) our back dated money or at least my

husband's rate put back to its original level? He is on £150 less per

month. My husband was granted a five minute phone call with a

solicitor recently via a union but this got us no further on. I have

attended the citizen's advice bureau but as my husband was receiving

advice from a similar unit himself I was told I could not discuss it

with them.The people helping my husband merely, it seems, pushed the

lengthy procedure along a little but to no helpful outcome. And *

nobody * seems to do anything about the fact that if a rule changes it

surely is a requirement people are given adequate information/warning?

Because I work full-time we do not qualify for any legal aid. After

the holiday break my husband will ask if he will anytime soon be put

back to the higher rate for long term claimants.

Thanks all.