It's getting to be time to dig deep. I've written recently about our financial circumstances openly and honestly so that the complex problems that arise around mental ill health are plain for others to see. I'm surprised that there isn't more reading and support out there for people with depression. The big push at the moment seems to be to raise awareness and get people talking. Charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness collaborate to run 'Time to Change" campaign aimed at ending mental health discrimination. After all, coping with a mental health condition is enough to deal with on its own.
In October 2011 the campaign received its first government funding of up to 16m over four years. Ironically though, this is the same government that is attacking the benefits system and our weakest members of society to fund the mistakes of our financial institutions.
Say benefits, step back and then watch the fireworks. Only the other day the news stories about UK benefit caps brought to light opinions held by people I know that I can only, politely, describe as deeply ignorant.
In the UK the welfare benefits system is complex and the regulations change frequently. I would go further and say it is obstructive. Often claimants require expert support to overcome the application processes; it is the primary reason why my local Citizens Advice Bureau and the Advice and Representation Centre are overwhelmed with clients in desperate need of their support. These are both volunteer based charities, funded in the main but not exclusively by local government grants. With debt and unemployment on the rise it is again ironic that these charitable organisations, providing the last post for help, have had their funding slashed. It must be difficult for the most vulnerable members of our society to not feel victimised by the policy moves of this government.
I've mentioned already that Alicia and I tried once before, unsuccessfully, to make a claim for Employment Support Allowance. Well, I have been in employment all my life, working not in the city but instead educating your children for a wage that Alicia once calculated, hour for hour, was equivalent to working a till in a supermarket. I have always paid my taxes, even in self employment. My National Insurance contributions are up to date. In the UK National Insurance contributions build up one's entitlement to ESA and other state benefits.
This morning I made a claim over the telephone. I was more determined than before, driven a little by anger I think. The claim form, which is best completed over the telephone, is 56 pages long. I provided detailed information relating to both Alicia and I about our employment, our house, our mortgage, our incomes, our education over the last 5 years, pensions, insurances, savings, health and health care, our bank accounts and the movement of any funds in and out of the accounts over the last month, my business profits, assets, and accounts. The calls require around 30 minutes to connect with an advisor and the claim form takes anything upwards of an hour to complete. I knew what to expect and so had a folder, around 3 inches thick, stuffed with the information I would need to have this telephone conversation. Like before, I expect the form will arrive, several times over the next few days, and I shall need to complete it again. And I will. I will provide whatever evidence they ask for and see how it goes. I've been told that each time I am ill I will again have to go through this application process from the start, and given the pattern of things that is quite likely.
So today, despite the van having a flat battery, another day unwell and my mood crashing in the early afternoon, I held a telephone conversation with a stranger. That is an accomplishment. And I am seeking the financial support I'm entitled to for our family. That too is an accomplishment. Round one to us, though it doesn't feel much like winning, but I'll keep you posted.
In October 2011 the campaign received its first government funding of up to 16m over four years. Ironically though, this is the same government that is attacking the benefits system and our weakest members of society to fund the mistakes of our financial institutions.
Say benefits, step back and then watch the fireworks. Only the other day the news stories about UK benefit caps brought to light opinions held by people I know that I can only, politely, describe as deeply ignorant.
In the UK the welfare benefits system is complex and the regulations change frequently. I would go further and say it is obstructive. Often claimants require expert support to overcome the application processes; it is the primary reason why my local Citizens Advice Bureau and the Advice and Representation Centre are overwhelmed with clients in desperate need of their support. These are both volunteer based charities, funded in the main but not exclusively by local government grants. With debt and unemployment on the rise it is again ironic that these charitable organisations, providing the last post for help, have had their funding slashed. It must be difficult for the most vulnerable members of our society to not feel victimised by the policy moves of this government.
I've mentioned already that Alicia and I tried once before, unsuccessfully, to make a claim for Employment Support Allowance. Well, I have been in employment all my life, working not in the city but instead educating your children for a wage that Alicia once calculated, hour for hour, was equivalent to working a till in a supermarket. I have always paid my taxes, even in self employment. My National Insurance contributions are up to date. In the UK National Insurance contributions build up one's entitlement to ESA and other state benefits.
This morning I made a claim over the telephone. I was more determined than before, driven a little by anger I think. The claim form, which is best completed over the telephone, is 56 pages long. I provided detailed information relating to both Alicia and I about our employment, our house, our mortgage, our incomes, our education over the last 5 years, pensions, insurances, savings, health and health care, our bank accounts and the movement of any funds in and out of the accounts over the last month, my business profits, assets, and accounts. The calls require around 30 minutes to connect with an advisor and the claim form takes anything upwards of an hour to complete. I knew what to expect and so had a folder, around 3 inches thick, stuffed with the information I would need to have this telephone conversation. Like before, I expect the form will arrive, several times over the next few days, and I shall need to complete it again. And I will. I will provide whatever evidence they ask for and see how it goes. I've been told that each time I am ill I will again have to go through this application process from the start, and given the pattern of things that is quite likely.
So today, despite the van having a flat battery, another day unwell and my mood crashing in the early afternoon, I held a telephone conversation with a stranger. That is an accomplishment. And I am seeking the financial support I'm entitled to for our family. That too is an accomplishment. Round one to us, though it doesn't feel much like winning, but I'll keep you posted.
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