Benefits always start with form filling . This would not be so bad if it was a form but its a book of some 20 pages with loads of questions on each page.For those like myself who dont get paid when on the sick it starts with houseing and pole tax .This is a means tested benefit and we all know how that works.They want to see every thing last five weeks pay slips , bank staements ,and any money you have coming in ,if this is in order you get the benefit. there is a catch in this though,the goverment set a rate for each type of property and if you pay more rent than the rate for your home then you have to find the difference.Then when you think things are fine, you get hit again when your sick pay runs out .You are then put on another benefit sickness and unemployment its called trouble is it is 20 pound less than what you were getting .After eight weeks on this you are summond to a goverment health centre for a medical to see if you are fit foer work.If like me you are in remission you have no choice if you do not attend then they stop your benefits.You will have an interview with what they call a health professional , you are not told what qualifications these folk have for the job or if they have any at all.You are how ever cmpletlly in thier hands . This person then makes an assessment on your fitness to work. Now i thuoght that it was the cancer team and the consultants who would let me know when they thought i could go back to work apparently not.In my case they said i would be fit for work in six months dependant on my mental state.Thouhgt i was safe from all the beurocrosy then not so.There is one more place to go to its called Shaw Trust another goverment centre here you have to see an interviewer whos only job is to get you of benefits . My interviewre was an ex car salesman,he gets 20,000 a year for this and 300 a month if he manages to get 15 people a month of benefits . I went once they kept calling me unemployed even thouhg i had a job to go back to i lost my temper,sick of jumping through hoops ,went back to work a week later.its hard but what the hell. You may ask whats the point in this blog , well i think there must be a simpler way , :ie: one set of forms for all cancer and chronicaly ill patients and the only ones who can decide if you are fit to return to work are the doctors andyour team they are the only ones who really know the state of your health .benefits system its a joke .
