"Support yourselves without help from public funds"

Peter is correct on this one. Just because he was getting certain benefits before doesn't mean he will now. Even things such as incapacity CAN be means tested. They were for my husband because he went on incapacity when he was just out of uni and hadn't worked enough yet. Plus things like council tax reduction, etc CAN go away if the home is occupied by someone in addition to the claimant.

I just found out the new rules on Incapacity Benefit.....it is going. People who are off work claiming this sickness benefit, will now get medicals and then will either be put onto job seekers or employment support allowance. Most of those going onto ESA will be put in work focused groups which are run by private companies. Then it looks like those on contribution ESA will have that benefit stopped after 1 year.

I just found out the new rules on Incapacity Benefit.....it is going. People who are off work claiming this sickness benefit, will now get medicals and then will either be put onto job seekers or employment support allowance. Most of those going onto ESA will be put in work focused groups which are run by private companies. Then it looks like those on contribution ESA will have that benefit stopped after 1 year.

My husband has been off incapacity ever since we moved in together (ie - I made too much money for him to get it). His medical condition is much better now and he works part time.

But this is excellent information for people to know. A lot pf us who met our spouses online did so because the other person was able to adapt to the time difference. This often means that one or the other was not working. I have seen a lot of people on here with spouses getting incapacity benefit.

I am shocked at the new scheme. I think too many people were able to blag the system before (this is always a risk with social welfare) but to yank ESA after one year? There are MANY conditions that preculde any type of work for the indefinite future (cancer, AIDS, some psychiatric disorders just to name a few). These diseases aren't about people not wanting to work - people with cancer (I am sure) would rather have a job than chemotherapy.

My husband has a rare genetic disorder that caused him to be in very advanced liver failure. He would have rather been out working. Even with treatment he still suffers from a severe vitimin B deficiency that causes psychiatirc problems due to pernicious anemia. When he can't work, it can be because his iron is so high and his vitimin B is so low, he can't make his eyes focus straight. That ain't going away.

My husband has been off incapacity ever since we moved in together (ie - I made too much money for him to get it).

There ae two types of IB, contribution and income based. Contribution is for those that have paid into the system and income based is for those that haven't. Income based IB ceases when the income of the family increases, but for some strange reason, contribution based IB, carried on for ever, regardless of the household income. Most contribution based welfare payments have a time limit, such as job seekers where where cash payments cease after 6 months. It is this contribution based which is being stopped after 1 year, but all IB claiments are now going to have to attend medicals and most will now be sent to private companies to help them get back into work.

It's a crazy welfare system that gives money to a household where they already have a reasonable income. This is just one of the 50+ welfare payments (many that only been introduced in the last 10 years) that are now being amemded/reduced/got rid of, as welfare payments now (for the first time ever) exceeds the money the government receives in income tax. The UK borrowing money to pay it's welfare claiments is no longer an option and it never should have been.

There are MANY conditions that preculde any type of work for the indefinite future (cancer, AIDS, some psychiatric disorders just to name a few). These diseases aren't about people not wanting to work - people with cancer (I am sure) would rather have a job than chemotherapy.

Those who are terminally ill ie cancer, will not be in the work focused groups. Those who are off on the sick, get much more money on welfare than those that are looking for work and this system is getting abused by too many. Those that are looking for work have always had to attend fortnightly to sign on, while those that are on the sick, have just received welfare in their accounts and some have gone for years without any medical assessment. Incapacity benefit claimants often get other welfare payments too, such as DLA, and their housing (rent or interest on their mortages paid: but both of these welfare payments are being lowered too) which means they get very generous welfare payments, often much more than they get if they did a fulltime job. We now have huge numbers of people off on the sick.

The new system is now being rolled out across the county and those that will be of retirement age by 2014, will not be swapped onto ESA, although they will have to attend regular medicals.

Congratulations to your husband for getting back to work. It is the aim of the working groups to help others back to work too, hence the new welfare name for Incapity Benefit of Employment Support Assistance.

My husband has been off incapacity ever since we moved in together (ie - I made too much money for him to get it).

This is a prime example of what I was trying to explain to mirrajay when she told Kalah that her husband could still have his benefits (DLA and IB and probably other welfare payments like housing benefits and council tax benefits too). He can’t claim extra for someone with “no recourse to public funds” but his own benefits could cease or be lowered when a partner arrives. Which is why the various  benefits offices' must always be advised of changes (such as a partner moving in) to avoid fraud and overpayments. Welfare claiments know they have to report changes

No disrespect intended to mirrajay, but the UK welfare system is complicated and rapidly changing.

Could someone possibly post a link where you find this information about benefits and the changes coming up? That is definitely something me and (especially) my husband will need to read up on.

Could someone possibly post a link where you find this information about benefits and the changes coming up? That is definitely something me and (especially) my husband will need to read up on.

There is something about it today in the Daily Mail concerning someone's tragic story about his benefits being cut.
I wouldn't worry about benefits because you can't collect until you have been in the UK for a while. I think it's 2 years.

I think it is difficult to say what exactly is going to happen by reading the newspapers as they often have no particular idea what the difference between different benefits are. 

Perhaps your spouse (future spouse?) should go to CAB to ask how he would be affected by the changes.

I think it is difficult to say what exactly is going to happen by reading the newspapers as they often have no particular idea what the difference between different benefits are.  

Perhaps your spouse (future spouse?) should go to CAB to ask how he would be affected by the changes.

The CAB will just look it up on the government site. I just looked it up on the government site and here is the link:-
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Illorinjured/DG_188859

The first benefit to be hit will be SMI (support for mortgage interest) which started on 1 October, but as they pay 4 weeks behind and direct to the mortgage lenders, many seem to have blanked it out. Although the government have announced they will extend the temporary term (pay out in 13 weeks instead of 39) and temporary limit (up to 200k instead of 100k) until January 2012.

LHA rates drop in the next tax year and the removal of keeping up to £15 pw if you find somewhere cheaper. Then the LHA caps come in and changes in the amount a dependant pays (this bit the papers seem to have missed, although the government haven't announced by how much these will change). Tax credits altering too and the means testing limit is dropping in half. Couples to do more to help themselves by increasing work hours. Limits to the amount the governmnet will give each week, which includes housing. Government talk of no more subsidised housing association rents and no council houses for life. Single parents claims are altering etc....

The changes are all in the public domain.

Another link about Incapacity benefit being replaced by Employment Support Allowance*
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/esa/DG_171894

The reassessing of Incapacity Benefit Claimants trials started last month in Burnley (England) and Aberdeen (Scotland).


*not "assistance" as I assumed in an earlier post

There is something about it today in the Daily Mail concerning someone's tragic story about his benefits being cut.
I wouldn't worry about benefits because you can't collect until you have been in the UK for a while. I think it's 2 years.

Thanks I'll have to check that site and read about that.
And I don't plan to get any benefits, I just wanted to let my husband read about it since he already collects benefits.