Been sent new ESA50

robo1071 wrote:

Sorry to be a pain Pete how much is Invalidity allowance? and comforts allowance? Thanks.(Have been to Combat Stress recently and been persuaded to reapply for PTSD,hearing and knee injury so lets hope eh? and pray that The Lord is on my side) God Bless. P.S. Pete could I ask you a few things about the hearing tests with The Veterans agency? Thanks again.

Hi,

Just on brief;y as not too good, but Lower comforts allowance is currently £12.95 per week.

Invalidity Allowance is quite a bit more complex and it depends on factors such as your age when unemployability started. It can range from £6.30 per week upwards.

I forgot to mention earlier, if you are awarded Unsupp you will lose any Allowance for Lowered Standard of Occupation (ALSO) awarded.

Re deafness, that is a tricky one nowadays as the criteria for Noise Induced Hearing Loss make it much more difficult to claim than it was not too many years ago. More is explained in this pdf:

www.veterans-uk.info/pdfs/publications/v...ets/leaflet%2010.pdf

Regards

Pete

What is the upper limit for invalidity allowance Pete? And upper Comforts? I now walk very little with a stick too so am alamost immobile. How do I apply for these? I also receive HRC + LRM. I'm at 30% (War Pen) so far and am appealing it and pursuing hearing,knee and PTSD (again- had to re-apply as I was detained by HMP and they wouldnt let me attend appeal) As for the deafness it was 1992 and is in my discharge docs (significant hearing loss left and right 30%/40% respectively) and I have discussed this with SSAFFA and Local RBL and Combat Stress (a few people I know there) and the conclusion is that a doctor sat in your house conducting a hearing test from a box does not constitute a fair test and I should approach NHS and get teste done and then give evidence to Veterans Agency and take it from there. Thanks again,hope your a little better my friend, God Bless.

robo1071 wrote:

What is the upper limit for invalidity allowance Pete? And upper Comforts? I now walk very little with a stick too so am alamost immobile. How do I apply for these? I also receive HRC + LRM. I'm at 30% (War Pen) so far and am appealing it and pursuing hearing,knee and PTSD (again- had to re-apply as I was detained by HMP and they wouldnt let me attend appeal) As for the deafness it was 1992 and is in my discharge docs (significant hearing loss left and right 30%/40% respectively) and I have discussed this with SSAFFA and Local RBL and Combat Stress (a few people I know there) and the conclusion is that a doctor sat in your house conducting a hearing test from a box does not constitute a fair test and I should approach NHS and get teste done and then give evidence to Veterans Agency and take it from there. Thanks again,hope your a little better my friend, God Bless.

Hi,

The maximum Invalidity Allowance is currently £19.55 per week, with higher rate comforts allowance set at £25.90 per week. If claiming Unsupp normally only lower rate Comforts Allowance is payable though.

Currently if you are on a 30% War Pension, you cannot apply for either as even lower Invalidity Allowance requires an award of Unsupp (payable at a minimum of 60% disability). The Higher Comforts Allowance being paid with Constant Attendance Allowance for which a minimum of 80% disability is required nowadays.

Likewise Invalidity Allowance is payable with Unsupp thus requiring a minimum of 60% disability award.

What we generally advise is to concentrate on getting ones percentage disability award comparable to the actual disability of the claimant before looking into Supplementary Allowances, as other than clothing allowance, one needs at least a 40% War Pension to claim any Supplementary Allowances at all. Often 60% or 80% are needed to claim certain Supplementary allowances as outlined above for example.

Also some allowances are much harder to claim than the equivalent 'civilian' benefit, such as in the case of War Pensioners Mobility Supplement (WPMS). The SPVA take a very narrow and much stricter definition for award, whereas High Rate Mobility DLA is generally much easier (sic) to claim as the DWP take a much broader view. This is borne out for example where in some cases DLA mobility can be paid for severe Mental illness and/or learning difficulties which is not permitted under WPMS regulations as there is no lower rate WPMS unlike with DLA Mobility.

How far are you down the line of 'appealing' your 30% award?. Also what date did you leave the forces? I ask as this is important if you are introducing a 'new' or late onset illness or injury to your claim.

To be honest I really feel you could do with some face to face help from an ex service organisation such as The Royal British Legion, RAFA, Gulf Veterans Assn, etc whichever is most relevant to your service or illness. That way your case papers can be gone through together with your medical papers and assess the realistic chances of success for your request for an increased War Pension. Not forgetting of course that it is possible to ask for a review and/or go to a tribunal only for your award to be decreased, as some awards issued in the past are considered very generous by standards nowadays so there is a risk. This risk can be minimised by an adviser going through your entire claim.

I am still not over well at the moment though so trying to take things a bit easier at the mo - probably won't last long though, but thanks for asking.


Regards

Pete