Moral guidance please, should we claim benefits just because we can?

Hi Janet, I would claim the allowance now, as you know life can change in the blink of an eye. I too have incurable cancer and I claim PIP as I was medically retired at 60. It is just a case of putting the money to good use, I now have a gardener, have subscribed to Netflix (mainly due to shielding), buy foods that I fancy instead of the staples (you know what chemo is like! love melon today, dislike it tomorrow). I did attend counselling, privately, after major life events got a bit much.
So yes Janet, claim this allowance. Sorry didn’t mean to make it all about me. Just trying to show that these payments are there to enhance you quality of life.
I wish that you and your husband continue to do well living with cancer, you are both wonderful.

You have your answer from all the above.
Use the money to help, your husband with a cleaner? Give to a charity? It's your entitlement you are a thoughtful brave lady.
Wishing you very best wishes.

You must claim the benefits, if you really don’t need the cash give it to a good cause, food bank or the local hospice. Dont forget you are being taxed on any benefit you receive along with your pension.

I am given to understand that it also gives you easier access to more practical help/advice services, which may be worth having

JanetG

I am in my early 70s and have incurable ovarian cancer. My husband and I live comfortably and he is managing the extra household bits and pieces quite well at the moment. I am still well enough to enjoy life most of the time and am having chemotherapy with the hope of giving me extra symptom controlled time in this world.
My dilemma is that apparently we are entitled to claim attendance allowance as I am terminally ill, but we do not actually need extra help and the only extra costs at the moment are regular trips to hospital. It would feel wrong to take money that we don’t absolutely need, but I’ve been told, “but you’re entitled to it”.
I thought we paid into the system to help those in real need not to grab it back for ourselves just because we can.
Any thoughts please.

If you think you need it you should not feel any shame to do so.
But I think you are asking the right question. If you are confortable then don't claim. But given your situation maybe a little more help would good for you both?
And you would be giving some work to a person who may well need the job.
When money is spend by governments like this it is never wasted. Your helper will be able to feed her self and her family and s/he is likely to spend the money locally, which enriches the lives of others.
I think it would not be right to claim the money and keep it.

You must claim it,you're entitled to it.When my late husband's health wasn't good,we received attendance allowance.At one point,with the benefits we received,we were better off than when we were both working.I would rather have had him healthy again than the extra money.But the money paid for him to have the powered wheelchair he needed,and to pay for wheelchair adapted taxis so we could go out.I wish you well JanetG,and please claim the money.

Definitely claim. Your needs will change as you get further down the line and if you need care or your husband needs respite from caring, it will be expensive. When people don't claim it means that less will be allocated in the Budget each time so that when people really need it, it will be harder to get.
If you feel that your need is less, leave the balance to one of the cancer care charities or a hospice. They will definitely need it as their budgets are tight.
I hope you stay as well as you can and your treatment is not too uncomfortable.

Claim it Janet - you can always donate, or help someone else, or have some little treats. You have paid in for this all your life, and it is an entitlement. I am not confusing that statement with the ghastly 'sense of entitlement' that some have, the 'world owes me a living' type - this benefit is to smooth the path of those who are suffering, and as others have said if it is not sufficiently taken up it might be reduced for all. I wish you well.xx

Hi Janet, I can't add much that others haven't already said but I would lean towards claiming if you are entitled to it. With your diagnosis it is likely you will need more help and care as the cancer progresses and it might be good for you and your husband to have this is place and not have to worry about filling in all those forms when you could be concentrating on spending that time together. It is there when you need it - maybe help with cleaning, or shopping. You have paid into a system and on days when you feel rough it may free your husband up to focus care on you, spend time with you etc. I admire your attitude and can understand your reluctance. There maybe tough times ahead so I'd claim while you can think clearly and maybe put the money to one side, or donate a little to cancer support groups or any cause close to your heart. Or keep it for when you need it more, require more hospital trips (or maybe do one or two things from a 'bucket list' to make more good memories) As in these Coronavirus days it is not advisable to say you could use it to see family and friends, maybe technology that could help with photos, video calls, online support groups/forums etc. I wish you well

I dont think it’s a case of grabbing it because you can. I agree with other posters here in that if you have worked and paid tax and NI this is a benefit that you should feel OK about claiming. it’s there to make sure you have everything you need to make your life comfortable.

If you don't already get PIP, then apply ASAP!

The D'S 1500 From your GP will enable you to make your claimed the phone, answering a few questions instead of ploughing through the form.

You can even phone before the form has reached the DWP, as long as you tell them it's been issued and is on its way. Any payments will be backdated to the day you phone, so get on it!

Once you have PIP, getting a Blue Badge is much simpler, and also Carers Credit, NOT the same as Carers Allowance.

The number to call is 0800 917 2222

Hi Janet, My heart goes out to you and your husband. As for claiming attendance allowance, speaking from personal experience, claiming any benefit is not as easy as you might think, in fact it can be a nightmare. I ended up in tears as it was so difficult and especially at the moment because of covid in most cases you have to apply online. You may be lucky and it will be straightforward for you but please look into it more before you apply, you dont want more stress at the moment.

Sorry - pressed send too soon. If you claim the benefit now, it means it will be readily available if and when things get more difficult. Incidentally, if you do claim DLA, your hubby may also be able to claim carers allowance for you as well. These are benefits designed for those people like you who have a genuine qualifying health condition and will undoubtedly incur extra costs as a result - unfortunately these benefits have been the subject of controversy in recent years because they have been open to abuse but please don’t let that put you off claiming as it will make your life more comfortable. You could maybe think about using the money to buy in help with things like your care, housework and travel to hospital appointments. It will take some of the strain off you and hopefully also bring you some of life’s little treats which may have otherwise been out of your reach. You shouldn’t feel guilty - these benefits were intended specifically for people in your situation. I wish you well.

Well done for being so thoughtful but what you describe is your current situation. It may take some time to set this in place by which time your situation may well have worsened.

Yes my dear you are entitled to claim please do so !

@phoenix. The OP won’t be able to claim PIP as the cut off age for this benefit is 65. The benefit she will be entitled to is disability living allowance (DLA). The distinction was made because PIP has a mobility component, whereas DLA for over 65s does not. Carers allowance or credit is also payable providing the person claiming is not in receipt of any income replacement benefit like employment and support allowance, etc. Not sure if state pension is treated as income replacement benefit for the purposes of carers benefits, but I would imagine it would be.

Sorry - should qualify the above by saying that if you are already in receipt of PIP when you reach age 65 you will continue to get PIP for as long as your condition qualifies you, but if you are claiming for the first time after age 65 then it’s DLA. Hope that’s clear.

Do claim AA , I claimed for my mother and it enabled her to have a carer to come and help her bath and dress every day . She could have afforded to pay for it as well but would have been reluctant to spend her savings! I also claimed for my DH when he had terminal cancer . When you have the special form signed by your GP or Macmillan Nurse it is fast tracked . Although DH died before it came through it would have helped me to pay for additional care for DH when the time came.

So sorry to read you are in this situation. My opinion is the sooner you are in the system the better.
Please claim now, it is not means tested and should be straight forward. If you do not need help at night you will get the lower rate for now. when things deteriorate you can bring inform them and the AA will get increased to the higher level as and when you require it. I wish you and your husband a peaceful time going through all this, hopefully making wonderful memories together ?

Hi Janet g I am also terminally ill with stomach and lung cancer, but coming up to 2 years in February since my diagnosis been having chemo and radiation therapy, but also didn't claim AA, I do now and it gets back dated to the date when you apply, a social worker at hospital or McMillan will help you with form as they know what treatment etc you have been getting so you apply for it all the best to you

So sorry to hear of your diagnosis. It's great you're managing at the moment. As others have said, I would claim it to allow you to get some help to make things easier for your DH and allow him to spend more time with you rather than doing household/garden tasks.
probably also easier to do the paperwork while you're managing quite well rather than put it off and find you can't face the thought of it if you're not feeling so well at a later date.
Employing a cleaner/gardener/handyman or whatever will also be helping others in your area in these difficult times.
If you feel, after a while, that you could have managed these extra things anyway financially, you can always make a donation to charity.

Claim it - it’s not automatically awarded and will depend on how you word the claim. Complete it on the basis of the worst possible day you and your husband might have to deal with

The attendance allowance isn't purely for going to hospital appointments. It can be used for paying people to come in and help you, eg for cleaning as someone else has mentioned. Or for having someone sit with you if your mobility is not good, so that your husband can have a break.

Claim it

Janet ,so sorry to hear of your diagnosis and I wish you well
Personally I think you should claim the benefit,We did when my husband was terminally ill it helped with the parking costs at the hospital which sometimes are ridiculous
Something you may or may not know but when one has a terminal diagnosis the McMillan nurses can fast track this benefit, is is something they do every day
Also they have a fast track to claiming a blue badge which helped us tremendously when my husband became weaker because of his diagnosis
I am sending my thoughts and good wishes to both yourself and your husband