[Ned Senior]

I had abreakdown some years back (schizophrenia)
Doctors say that If I get a job the stresses will probably set me right back and I will be VERY ill again something which I would like to avoid as I have done for years now
I receive disability living allowance and income support benefits and wondered....

SO MY QUESTION IS....???
If I were to naff off from the uk to say france belgium or spain to live would I still be able to recieve a reasonable income via benefits???


I am not lazy and if you were aware of the state of a "schizo" and what troubles there mind gives them when ill you would see that not working really is the best option
I really hate being more or less "trapped" up here in Liverpool where it is usually cool and damp and not good for depression

I hope someone out there has some knowledge on this thanks

[Toddyhead]

I thought that state benefits were equal across the EU now? However, perhaps it's best to chat to someone impartial like the Citizens Advice Bureau and see what they say?

[dazza74]

Quite interested myself in this thread, had a quick google and this might be worth a read :

http://www.dls.org.uk/advice/factshe...its_abroad.pdf

[Ned Senior]

Originally Posted by dazza74

Quite interested myself in this thread, had a quick google and this might be worth a read :

http://www.dls.org.uk/advice/factshe...its_abroad.pdf

going by what I read on your link the payments are only for a limited period mate

[Iccz]

I thought the best benefits were in the UK, that's why everyone comes here to sponge off us

[johntheexpat]

From this

Disability Living Allowance and Attendance
Allowance
If you are going abroad permanently, you cannot usually get
Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance. However, if
you started to get Disability Living Allowance or Attendance
Allowance before 1 June 1992, you may be able to carry on
getting it if you live in the EEA or Switzerland.
If your stay abroad is temporary, you can usually continue
getting Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance for
26 weeks. You may be able to continue getting Disability Living
Allowance or Attendance Allowance for longer if you are going
abroad only for medical treatment for your illness or disability.
Your stay, however, must still be temporary.

So, the UK will support you for 26 weeks, in which time you either have to get yourself into the French system (or whichever country) or return home.

However 6 months should be enough to see if living abroad is viable.

Ahh, the French Mediterranean coast between November and April. Balmy warm(ish) days, very few tourists, cheap accommodation, excellent seafood, lots of easy work to be picked up amongst the UK expats, even (if you are lucky), house-sitting.

Sitting outside a cafe drinking coffee in one of those small French southern towns, Sete, Fitou, or further along Aigues Mortes (not a pleasant name!) or saintes Marie de la Mer, watching life gently pass you by on a warm winter afternoon...................

[Ned Senior]

Originally Posted by johntheexpat

From this



So, the UK will support you for 26 weeks, in which time you either have to get yourself into the French system (or whichever country) or return home.

However 6 months should be enough to see if living abroad is viable.

Ahh, the French Mediterranean coast between November and April. Balmy warm(ish) days, very few tourists, cheap accommodation, excellent seafood, lots of easy work to be picked up amongst the UK expats, even (if you are lucky), house-sitting.

Sitting outside a cafe drinking coffee in one of those small French southern towns, Sete, Fitou, or further along Aigues Mortes (not a pleasant name!) or saintes Marie de la Mer, watching life gently pass you by on a warm winter afternoon...................

ooooh warmth

[dazza74]

Originally Posted by Iccz

I thought the best benefits were in the UK, that's why everyone comes here to sponge off us

The OP's asking whether he can get the same level of benefits paid to him in another country. It would make sense I feel for our government to allow migration on those grounds and still pay benefits, would free up housing for starters in this country. I guess the problem lies as with any EU matter that you would have to be able to offer the same conditions here to other EU countries, wouldn't be a one way street.

[Jenn]

This may be of interest:

Qualifying for French Disability Benefits - AngloINFO Poitou-Charentes (France)

[dazza74]

Originally Posted by protector

ooooh warmth

Maybe the only practical option would be to try if possible to save a small amount of your benefits money each week to go towards a week away somewhere abroad during the winter month's.

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by dazza74

The OP's asking whether he can get the same level of benefits paid to him in another country. It would make sense I feel for our government to allow migration on those grounds and still pay benefits, would free up housing for starters in this country. I guess the problem lies as with any EU matter that you would have to be able to offer the same conditions here to other EU countries, wouldn't be a one way street.

My point was more so that we are probably a soft touch on benefits compared to the rest of Europe.

[bosque]

Ireland could be a spot to look at because from what I've heard the benefits over there are much better than those offered by the UK. Can't see many (or any) European nations making it tempting to go and live over there - there must be a financial reason why people are prepared to risk their lives getting out of France and into the UK.

[dazza74]

Strikes me the OP is not looking for somewhere in Europe that dishes out better benefits, he's looking for somewhere that doesn't suffer with practically constant rubbish weather and poor summers (3 years in succession I make it currently) like here. Anyone who's suffers with depression can completely relate to this.

Something people don't consider as well is that it's not particularly cheap if your on low income / benefits keeping warm during the winter. The real irony is that it would be cheaper on the state moving people out to warmer climes like even Australia for instance, idealistic I know but a valid point.

[Dony]

Originally Posted by Iccz

My point was more so that we are probably a soft touch on benefits compared to the rest of Europe.

The UK still lags along way behind Ireland in terms of the value of unemployment benefits (though I'm not sure if there is an equivalent to the DLA in Ireland).

I think the UK is more of a soft touch when it comes to border control.

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by Dony

The UK still lags along way behind Ireland in terms of the value of unemployment benefits (though I'm not sure if there is an equivalent to the DLA in Ireland).

I think the UK is more of a soft touch when it comes to border control.

And who it gives benefits to

[rickinyorkshire]

I wasn't going to post in this thread but i though what the hell.

You say you had a breakdown some years ago, are you planning on receiving benefits for the rest of your life?

Not all jobs have to be stressful, working in a library would seem to be quite stress free. I think we would all like to live in another country in the warmth but sadly life is tough and someone asking whether they can move to a warm country because the cold depresses them and STILL receive benefits from the UK is quite shocking.

[dazza74]

Originally Posted by rickinyorkshire

Not all jobs have to be stressful, working in a library would seem to be quite stress free.

Some of the stresses can be getting beyond your front door in the first place, social phobia, dealing with members of the public etc. All tasks that would be required to work in a Library for instance.

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by dazza74

Some of the stresses can be getting beyond your front door in the first place, social phobia, dealing with members of the public etc. All tasks that would be required to work in a Library for instance.

If getting beyond the front door or social phobias are at question then I don't think moving them abroad is an option

Medication and Therapy can often help get people with social phobias and/or depression back into the workplace, it takes a lot of time and work but even if it's a part time job that's quiet easy going on days/hours you do it's a start.

[Dony]

Going off topic for a moment....but how do you qualify for DLA?

I was diagnosed as having an arthritic condition (anklosing spondylitis) in my late teens.

This is a debilitating condition, with no cure. A few years ago, I was advised to apply for DLA, but I was turned down on the basis that my condition wasn't bad enough, despite evidence from my consultant that my condition had deteriorated and my medication had to be changed.

Anyone understand how it works?

[rd9124]

Hi protector

If your doctor says going back into employment would cause you to relapse, perhaps moving abroad is not a great idea. Surely that's gonna be stressful not to mention looking for health care abroad etc...

It sounds to me like you need a change so why not tell your doctors this and see if you can do some non demanding volunteer work or something else to occupy your time. By the sound of it you are ready to do something new.

Ryan

[dazza74]

"Dony" I think the most common one for claiming is incapacity benefit (about £90 a week) about £25 more than JSA. If you see the debtbusters program on C4 they are even starting to move people who can't bend properly of that and onto the equivalent of job seekers instead.

[Iccz]

Originally Posted by Dony

Going off topic for a moment....but how do you qualify for DLA?

I was diagnosed as having an arthritic condition (anklosing spondylitis) in my late teens.

This is a debilitating condition, with no cure. A few years ago, I was advised to apply for DLA, but I was turned down on the basis that my condition wasn't bad enough, despite evidence from my consultant that my condition had deteriorated and my medication had to be changed.

Anyone understand how it works?

Oddly enough my neighbour gets disability for some kind of arthritic condition in his knee.
I've also seen people get disability for depression / social anxiety issues.
Edit: perhaps the latter was incapacity - I'm not 100% sure.

[rd9124]

Originally Posted by Dony

Going off topic for a moment....but how do you qualify for DLA?

It's been a while but I'm sure this information is still up to date. There are two components to DLA. Mobility and Care allowance. To qualify you need to meet certain criteria i.e help with either or both. So for example mobility - you would need help to go out, or care - you would need someone to help you do everyday things like get dressed or cook or something like that. When you fill out the forms they tally up everything you need help with and if you meet the minimum, you would get the minimum allowance or if you were really bad you would get the maximum. It's slightly different for mental health.

[dazza74]

Incapacity benefit is claimed by about 2.5 million people in the country, it's the one Cameron if / when he gets in want's to take a load of people off so they can save £25 a week. There is a small matter of getting 2.5 mllion people reassesed by Doctor's, good luck getting an appointment with you GP when that comes in.

[Dony]

Originally Posted by rd9124

It's been a while but I'm sure this information is still up to date. There are two components to DLA. Mobility and Care allowance. To qualify you need to meet certain criteria i.e help with either or both. So for example mobility - you would need help to go out, or care - you would need someone to help you do everyday things like get dressed or cook or something like that. When you fill out the forms they tally up everything you need help with and if you meet the minimum, you would get the minimum allowance or if you were really bad you would get the maximum. It's slightly different for mental health.

So even though I have reduced mobility compared to "normal" people, because I refuse help and try to be independent I lose out.

I really must get my wife to help me with my shoes and socks more often.

[rd9124]

Originally Posted by Dony

So even though I have reduced mobility compared to "normal" people, because I refuse help and try to be independent I lose out.

I really must get my wife to help me with my shoes and socks more often.

I believe the forms ask about the help you would need regardless of whether you actually get that help. It all depends what you put on the forms so even if you prefer to be independent you still need to put down that you need help with your shoes and socks and whatever else.

[johntheexpat]

I know I post this most time a moving abroad thread comes up, but here it goes again.......


JFDI



.....or a least start planning to do it. Once we had made the decision to move, even though D-day was two years down the line, everything seemed more cheerful. Going on courses, learning French and other skills, getting the house ready to sell, even going to work was better, because there was an aim to it all.
Start planning a move or a change for the better and suddenly it all looks rosier.
It's a dead simple way to cheer up a wet, dark, recession ridden winter.

[Ned Senior]

You know if I could find a job where I didn't have to meet up with many folk say like just the post man or something delivering stock to sell online which I could walk the 200 yards to the sorting office to post off or even have collected I would jump at the chance

Saying you are shocked that someone is prepared to rely on benefits for life is a tad shortsighted maybe not so for physical disablement say but very much so when the issue is chronic psychiatric ill health I wont even begin to go into detail of how it presents itself apart from saying that people scare the **** out of me out there in the street especially follwing a string of violent assaults and years of mental abuse by folk who were assumed friends even

[Grrrrrowler]

I sympathise as it does sound like you have had a tough time.

However many of us would like to move to a warmer place and not have to work, but life's a bitch so you get on with it.

Why should we all pay for you to go and live in Spain or wherever and not give anything back?

What makes you so different?

Sorry if it sounds harsh, but that's how I feel...yes of course you deserve support if you have serious problems, but for god's sake don't take the proverbial and rub our noses in it by turning it into a sunshine holiday...

[Ned Senior]

Originally Posted by Grrrrrowler

I sympathise as it does sound like you have had a tough time.

However many of us would like to move to a warmer place and not have to work, but life's a bitch so you get on with it.

Why should we all pay for you to go and live in Spain or wherever and not give anything back?

What makes you so different?

Sorry if it sounds harsh, but that's how I feel...yes of course you deserve support if you have serious problems, but for god's sake don't take the proverbial and rub our noses in it by turning it into a sunshine holiday...

didnt think of it that way tbh