Incapacity Benefit and my local helpful job center
1 minute read time.
FormerMember
I was on SSP from my employer for 28 weeks then applied for Incapacity Benefit, I have been on it six weeks and have been called to attend a work based interview in 2 weeks, they said that they left me until I had finished all my treatment ( had my last radiotherapy 6 days ago) how kind of them! I guess they assume that now treatment is finished I am 100% fit and healthy and ready to get a job!!! the thing is I have a job that is being held open for me by a fantastic employer and more so its a job that I love. When I feel fit and healthy ( which is not at the moment, all I want to do is sleep) and my GP says I am well enough to return to work then I will.
I thought that the government was sympathetic and understanding to people with cancer, when I asked them this I was told they were and that there were allowances but not for my type of cancer!!!!
I have worked since my daughter was 8 months old she is now 20. my husband works full time and we never asked for anything until now, but as I seem to have the "wrong" type of cancer it feels like I am going to be bullied back to work.
I now feel even worse, am feeling stressed and am finding it hard to manage the pain........... so thank you to my local job center for helping me recover from my breast cancer!!!
I have a letter to fax to Mr Gordon Brown tomorrow and have contacted my local MP. I just wonder how many other people are going through the stress of cancer and are being treated the same when we all know at least one person who has fiddled the system for years!!!
FormerMember
thank you for your advice and support, martins money site is fantastic isnt it?!?I was honored I didnt get a computer generated letter, I had a personal call from the job center asking me to attend an interview and they were so kind as to to let me know that they waited till now as they knew my treatment would be finished. lol they kindly gave me 6 days to recover before contacting me!!!
Hi Angie - what a dirty shower of ...........pen pushers!! What kind of bloody nonsense are they talking about, you don't have the "right" type of cancer?!! I am delighted to hear you have a letter which you are going to fax to Gordon Brown, and that you intend lobbying your local MP. Let's hope someone in this hopeless establishment listens to you and finally finds a store of what they could all do with having - compassion. Don't let them bully you Angie, you are entitled to recover from cancer in whatever way and how ever long it may take. Wishing you lots of luck, with love kate xxxxxxxxxxxx
Glad the Martin's Money link was of use - I've used this myself. I don't think those who work behind desks have very much of an idea of what it's like to be a cancer patient, so there's plenty of scope here for confusion and misunderstanding. I think you just have to be firm in explaining your current difficulties and the medium term side effects of the therapy. Generally, they should be understanding.
