If it hadnt been told to me by an immigrant I wouldnt have known

[MelodeonMan]

I have been attending a Hospital 12 miles away 3 times a week for 2 years, no one ever told me that I could get exspences paid back to me for the travelling I had to do to get treatment, but an Immigrant I met one day in a cafe told me we were talking about their coming to this country, and he told me all the things that can be claimed for that most who stay in this country dont know about because the government doesnt wish to encourage you to claim,when I approached the hospital a month ago they started to pay me for my exspences 12p a mile is the allowance payable to people seeking treatment,so it took a foriegner to tell me,
I was looking through the Internet and came upon the info on the DWP which is now the name for the DHSS, I didnt know that either did you, anyway the site is to help immigrants understand our countrys system,
do you know that if you are on Incapacity benefit and you moved to europe or USA you can still claim your Incapacity benefits for 26weeks,when I phoned local SS offices for info was told they didnt know anything about that, so i gave them the code number to look for it arrive 4 weeks later,all about it,there is many many things we can claim but it takes an immigrant from a foriegn country to tell us about them, WHY IS THAT, a chap I spoke to from europe told me that in his country at the intermission between movies is documentarys that show how immigrants to UK can benefit from all the things they can claim for when arriving here,
he also informed me that his sister in law although had never been away from there family business in Delhi she and her husband had been parted many years and yet she recied a widows pension for her husband who had been working and also on benefits in England,and she still gets her widows pension,are we dafty in this country we are giving cash away and they tell us what we should be claiming ,, something wrong here is there not, Who tells you what your allowed.
Coalminer
friend of MelodeonMan

[HollyElise]

I hope some other people can use this, thanks!

[Celyn]

You could try your local Citizens' Advice Bureau, which you can find either in the telephone directory, or by asking the local library, or possibly on this site: http://www.cas.org.uk/

[Patrica]

[quote]Originally posted by MelodeonMan
I have been attending a Hospital 12 miles away 3 times a week for 2 years, no one ever told me that I could get exspences paid back to me for the travelling I had to do to get treatment, but an Immigrant I met one day in a cafe told me we were talking about their coming to this country, and he told me all the things that can be claimed for that most who stay in this country dont know about because the government doesnt wish to encourage you to claim,when I approached the hospital a month ago they started to pay me for my exspences 12p a mile is the allowance payable to people seeking treatment,so it took a foriegner to tell me,

Melodeonman you seen to be having a lot of problems for a long time between one thing and another.....if you are attending the hospital so often a sitting ambulance or other transport should be arranged for you that will call for you, wait, and bring you back home (these are volunteers usually retired people or people who have a bit of time on there hands) then when you need to go to the hospital you ring the surgery tell them and they arrange it. Its free...This only needs to be arranged once!
and even more to the piont ...I see you have difficulty walking!...a district nurse should be calling with you.
There are lots of benifits you can receive you need to talk to your doctor or a social worker....If you don't ask you don't get they are not automatic ...there is a lot of forms to fill in but it may be worth it...