Well, this pissed me off somewhat this week...
As I cannot work at the moment due to a lifelong heart condition that has in the last few months worsened and am awaiting a valve operation, I have just this week been changed from 'Income Support' to 'Incapacity Benefit'. I was initially pleased as I feel it has less stigma to it. But, on Monday I eagerly go to collect my post only to find my Housing benefit cheque hasn't arrived. I pop into their offices to ask if it's been caught up in the post only to find that their system registers me as no longer being on Income Support and as a consequence simply stopped paying me Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. No mention on thier machine of my benefit being changed from Income Support to Incapacity Benefit, no telling me it had been cancelled, aside from a letter four days later! One stops, so they automatically stop everything else without checking WHY the Income Support ended and IF perchance, it had been replaced by anything else. No, their little machine just cancels it all! So I have a go at them, all to no avail, and am given all the registration forms again. Not only that, but have to show proof of bank statements etc, all of which I showed them last year when I first left work!
Also, interesting to note you get free prescriptions on Income Support and not on Incapacity Benefit. That's well thought out isn't it? So, if you recieve a benefit where the state percieves you as out of work but well, you get medicines free, but if you are on a benefit where the state views you as ill and unable to work due to this, you have to pay out for them?! Doesn't seem fair! I'm on 8 different tablets a day! Time to shell out £92 for a pre-paid certificate methinks.
Incidently, have a guess how much more a week Incapacity Benefit is compared to Income Support? From my records it's £1.50! Well, I can afford a tube of Pringles to celebrate that fact with that amount.
< /RANT >
