am i entitled to any benefits

[stevenM20]

hy guys ,i was off work for 18mths due to illhealth ,i recently returned to work but my bosses werent understanding and after 3 months i couldnt take any more and resigned .i was with my company for 24years .i have never claimed any benefits before and my question is that my wife doesnt live with me but she pays the mortgage and stays over some nights .what am i entitled to as i have one wage left then thats it .

[voltr4m4x]

For qualified advice on this matter visit your local Citizens' Advice Bureau, or Law Centre, (their advice is free). At that point you should expect to receive all the genuine advice you need. You will obviously need to take all the necessary paperwork currently in your possession, so be prepared to act only on that qualified advice, otherwise you could lose out.

[redcrx]

Resigning from a job and deliberately making yourself unemployed lowers your chance of getting benefits.

"Your Jobcentre Plus can delay your Jobseeker's Allowance for up to 26 weeks if you've voluntarily quit without good reason. If you're claiming constructive dismissal, make sure they know. If you can't claim Jobseeker's Allowance, you may still be able to claim a hardship payment, which is a reduced amount of Jobseeker's Allowance."

you may also be able to claim constructive dismissal if you feel you were forced to resign.

http://www.directgov.gov.uk/en/Employment/Empl oyees/RedundancyAndLeavingYourJob/DG_10026688

[stevenM20]

thanks guys ,will do

[bednobs]

if you are still unwell, what about disability benefits such as dla or incapacity benefit?

[sara3]

you and your wife will be treated as a couple for benefit purposes if you are separated solely by circumstance (ie; she works away some nights). if you've paid enough contributions to be entitled in your own right, all well and good. if you need to claim Income Based benefits you need to declare your living arrangements for a correct decision to be made.

[karmabum]

Hi Steven - I did a similar thing to you. The first thing you must do now is apply for JobSeekers Allowance (JSA) through your local JobCentrePlus. It's a palaver, but if you are honest about why you resigned ie pressure from employer after your ill-health, and the effect that their lack of understanding had on your mental well-being (this is always assuming that you are capable of work) you should get JSA. If you feel unable to continue working for anybody, you should apply for Incapacity Benefit, but you will probably need some support from your GP for this as they want to know the ins and outs of a nag's ar*e, and they will want some medical proof. I don't know what your illness was, but you might also qualify for Disability Living Allowance if you have trouble walking or looking after yourself. Have you thought of taking your employer to a tribunal? It sounds like you have a case for Constructive Dismissal against them if they failed to make any adjustments to your work conditions after such a long time off sick.

[stevenM20]

cheers guys .great site and advice

[THECORBYLOON]

"you will probably need some support from your GP for this as they want to know the ins and outs of a nag's ar*e"

karmabum It's not a case of asking for the sake of asking. Think about it, if we didn't ask for a medical certificate, would you expect us to pay just on a claimant's say-so?

If you're not fit for work, you should claim Incapacity Benefit and Income Support. As already suggested you may be entitled to claim DLA.

If you are fit for some work, claim JSA but you will be written to because you left the job voluntarily. You'll be asked why you left, why you couldn't wait until you'd found alternative employment prior to leaving and if a doctor advised you to leave, that sort of thing.