Carers Allowance swapping claimants etc

A question about : Carers Allowance swapping claimants etc

Let me start by saying I am planning on calling the DWP to ask this on Monday but, given how flustered and intimidated I end up speaking with them, I wanted to try and get my facts straight first. In a similar vein, I know how topics on here can veer off so please, if you want to make sarcastic remarks, say how disabled/unemployed like sponging off the tax-payer etc etc, or have squabbles between yourselves, please start a different thread....deep breath and I'll try and explain though I do find virtual conversations are far more complicated than good old-fashioned chats that people once had!!!

My mother and I both get DLA HRC &HRM. My father received CA for my mother; no-one receives it for me. My mother applied but was told it clashed with her other benefits (she was on IB at the time, now ESA). I live with them so cannot claim the SDP. However, would it be doable to change my mother's CA claim to me, and my father could then claim CA for me; so each DLA recipient in the household has a paid out CA claim? Is that making any sense? TIA, (please be nice, its Christmas x)

Best answers:

• are you providing a minimum of 35 hours a week care for your mother?
  does the care sje requires contradict your reasons for claiming DLA yourself??
  for example ... your mother needs help washing and dressing.
  if you also need help to wash and dress, you arent in a position to offer that help to another person
  
• The reason your mum was told not to apply for CA was because she was on IB which is an overlapping benefit with CA (both cannot be paid at the same time)
  https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Overlapping-benefits
  However, now your mum is on ESA then she should be able to claim for you (if she meets the caring criteria). This may be more straightforward than what you are suggesting.
  BUT this will depend on what benefits you are receiving and whether they are overlapping benefits.
  AND you can still claim CA if you are on an overlapping benefit. You won't get the CA but could be awarded the premium (extra money) in your assessment for an income based benefit if you were on a contribution based one.
  Sorry, very complicated.
  So, either get a 'better off' calculation done at CAB or tell us all the benefits you and your family are getting, (or any income if your dad works) including whether they are income or contribution based and someone may be able to help further.
  But the general answer is - you can claim CA if you are receiving DLA/PIP/AA yourself.
• Thank you, I was worried this was going to descend into a personal interrogation and I didn't feel comfortable with that; we have no-one else outside we just all care for each other, and that's all I'm going to say.
  But here's what we get:
  Me - DLA HRC, HRM. ESA (support group)
  Mother - As above
  Father - 15hs pw @ min wage, CA.
• no one is interrogating you.
  but in order to legitimately claim carers allowance, there are certain criteria that you need to meet. if you arent willing to tell us whether you meet that criteria or not then no one can advise you.
  if your benefits are income related ( as opposed to contributions based) the extra CA will only gain you around Ј35 a week.
  you already receive a sufficient amount as a family.... do you really want to go through claiming, and the possibility of your DLA claim being reviewed because you are now a 'carer' for the sake of Ј35?
  
• I think sometimes it is hard to justify 35 hours of care if you exclude everyday stuff people do normally anyway like tidying up, cooking a meal, shoppingstuff like that. And when two disabled people claim for each other just seems unbelievable. Also carers allowance for looking after your own child? It is another one of those benefits that needs looking at very closely.
• How can someone claim CA for themselves when they look after someone else? surely if you're well enough to care for someone else, you wouldn't need carers allowance for yourself, or am i missing something?
• Obviously it depends on what conditions/disabilities everyone has. I can understand someone not wanting to list those publicly - it is enough that the DWP & medical professions know, which is why there is such a thing as patient confidentiality.
  Missing something? Of course anyone who isn't a carer or isn't disabled in a particular way, will be missing out on vital knowledge. Carers are also more likely to suffer health crises themselves. However by looking after one another & considering the hourly carers' "wage" (!), and that they definitely don't get to go home at the end of the day, or the 7-day week, carers are saving the country a magnificent amount of money, sadly at their own expense.
  I sincerely hope that things do get sorted out for this family, without making anyone any more ill. I hope there is a support organisation out there to help with the minefield of battling to survive that's placed on the disabled & their carers.