Don
Recently, I lost my job due to redundency. Then followed a minor breakdown brought on by my medical condition (MS) and the stress of it. Concequently, I've been signed off work by my doctor for quite a long time pending some MRI scans and psychotherapy.
So, no income.
But, we have this marvellous benefits system, in to which I have paid 100s of thousands of pounds over the last 15 years of my life.
So, on my doctor's advice, I apply for Employment and Support allowence while my wife starts looking for a job (she was a housewife previously).
After a mountain of forms and hours on the phone over the last few weeks, I finally got to the point where I thought everything was done and the money would start to come in (pittance though it will be). More fool me for thinking things would be so simple.
As many of you know, my wife is Finnish and moved to the UK in 2007 to live and be supported by me. Somewhere along the raod, the DWP have got it on a database somewhere that it is in fact ME who is Finnish and not my partner. This caused me much headache during the applications process for E&SA but I thought it was sorted. Again, more fool me.
Fast forward to today when I call the DWP for a status update on my claim....
"Your claim for E&SA has been rejected due to you being a Finnish national and the time you spent living in Finland".
FFS, now waiting for a call back.
You couldn't make it up.
I don't want to be on benefits. I don't want the state to pay me. I want to work but my medical situation precludes this currently. How do people who don't want to work and never have worked get benefits when someone like myself who has paid in to the system for 15 frikkin years out of the vast amount of tax and NI that my salary demands I should pay, finds it so damn difficult?
So, no income.
But, we have this marvellous benefits system, in to which I have paid 100s of thousands of pounds over the last 15 years of my life.
So, on my doctor's advice, I apply for Employment and Support allowence while my wife starts looking for a job (she was a housewife previously).
After a mountain of forms and hours on the phone over the last few weeks, I finally got to the point where I thought everything was done and the money would start to come in (pittance though it will be). More fool me for thinking things would be so simple.
As many of you know, my wife is Finnish and moved to the UK in 2007 to live and be supported by me. Somewhere along the raod, the DWP have got it on a database somewhere that it is in fact ME who is Finnish and not my partner. This caused me much headache during the applications process for E&SA but I thought it was sorted. Again, more fool me.
Fast forward to today when I call the DWP for a status update on my claim....
"Your claim for E&SA has been rejected due to you being a Finnish national and the time you spent living in Finland".
FFS, now waiting for a call back.
You couldn't make it up.
I don't want to be on benefits. I don't want the state to pay me. I want to work but my medical situation precludes this currently. How do people who don't want to work and never have worked get benefits when someone like myself who has paid in to the system for 15 frikkin years out of the vast amount of tax and NI that my salary demands I should pay, finds it so damn difficult?
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