Help!really worried!letter from customer compliance officer

[micca]

I received a letter this mornin saying that the jcp customer compliance people need to see me in order to discuss a query that has arisen on my claim .I am very ill with depression/anxiety and this is worrying the hell out of me !I dont know what I have done wrong !I receive middle rate care component DLA until 2013.I have just claimed for ESA five weeks ago as I am ill and out of work due to Depression/Anxiety.
My ex-partner still stays with me due to finance problems/joint mortage/current climate etc. He is also my carer .The relationship broke down due to my illness causing too much stress.However it was an amicable seperation.
What could this interview be for ?they wont tell me over the phone and I have to worry/not sleep/eat with anxiety until next week!HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS LETTER ?PLEASE HELP WITH ADVICE !THANKS FROM A VERY WORRIED PERSON !!

[Lighttouch]

Not sure but check this out ... pre-warning may help reduce yor anxiety.

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/...10/rrep719.pdf

I'd take a friend with you to the meeting too. I'm sure it'll be fine.

[Carneucopia]

Hi micca - it does sound as if they want to check your living arrangements with your ex. Can't be 100% sure of course, but given your circumstances it seems the most likely reason for the visit - and isn't at all uncommon in case like yours.
What the officer will be looking for is seperate bedrooms, cooking, food and laundry arrangements, and whether you have seperate financial arrangements, (ie no joint accounts etc) and how you share the bills.
As your carer, is your ex claiming Carers Allowance? This would help to show that he needs to be there. Was he there before you went off sick from work, and if so was he claiming benefits in his own right then? That could be part of the checks. Or - if he is still working and you are claiming ESA that will also be one of the concerns.
I really don't know how your ongoing joint mortgage will be viewed but - if he is also out of work now - have you tried to claim for help with the mortgage? (called SMI - Support for Mortgage Interest.)
It isn't much consolation but these days a lot of separated couples find themselves in the same situation. I would help I think if you can show that some efforts have been made to solve the joint mortgage issue - either by one of you trying to buy the other out - or by trying to sell the property. Apart from that take reasonable steps to show that you have completely seperate sleeping space. Be prepared to explain how the bills are dealt with. And if possible show that you have seperate sitting room areas - maybe one of you has a kind of bed-sitting room for example. Sharing the kitchen and bathroom is acceptable.

[noeleen]

I have received a letter like that my self today ive got 3 kids 1 nearly 17yrs 1 is 13yrs an the other is 12yrs my 13 yr old was left profoundly deaf due too meningitis an has an a brain injury which effects his learning im his mother an im his carer my husband an i are seperated he sutained a brain injury 7 yrs ago made life harder for me an my kids they had no life with him unfortunately i am now seeing some 1 which is good can release some off my frustrations of on too him i dont go out im always with my kids they go were i go but going back to the letter ive never received anything like this b4 they r coming to my house on fri the 8th btween 9.30 an 4.30 they cant give a time wot do these people do
really really worried

[treborc]

same answer as above, these visit are to ensure your claiming the correct benefits.

[micca]

The meeting with the customer compliance officer went well I think.I highlighted that my ex-partner and myself are living seperate lives ..cooking/shopping/washing clothes etc .We do have a joint account for just the mortgage but unfortunately thats not being.nither are half the bills due to lack of money.hopefully if my ex's financial circumstances change in the future he can buy me out but at the moment its a no go!This is now week eight .I called the benefits delivery centre for the 500th time today(so so hard because im so depressed!prozac not working !feeling lower by the min!) and I was told by a very blazay woman that the decision maker still hadnt got round to my claim and they should get round to it by the end of this week!!!!HOW BLOODY LONG DO THEY NEED!!!Ive already been waiting eight bloody weeks !Im living in poverty !!l have no food left !!my mobile has been cut off so im cut of from the world and thats not a good thing when you are suicidal!I told this woman that I have no money for food and she couldnt care less!she just kept repeating herself saying that they should make a decision this week !!ive been turned down for a crisis loan so I dont know what to do for food !!!Its inhumane to leave someone for eight weeks with no money !!Can I call back and ask to speak to her superior to get my claim taken on as a priority!!!as in TODAY!!Can the benefits agency do this to people ??let them live in poverty ?where do I stand legally ?surely I have rights !!!!Please reply!im very desperate!!!

[micca]

Thankyou to you all who posted back when I was under alot of stress about that meeting!!very kind of you all!Good to know some people in the world care enough to post back support!feeling very low today!!!the stress from this claim and having no money to buy foods is pushing me further and further over the edge !!I dont know what to do!!!

[micca]

they will probably want to check that you and your husband are not together anymore the same as me and my ex!!I hope it all goes well for you on friday!!stay strong !thats all we can do !!take care!

[Carneucopia]

Sorry to hear about that delay Micca - it's unacceptable. But can't your ex claim Income Support himself? If he only gets Carers Allowance he might qualify for IS anyway regardless of what happens with your ESA claim.
And either you or him should also be looking at claiming the Support for Mortgage Interest payments -(SMI) as I said earlier. You don't have to be getting Income Support to claim that.

[treborc]

Micca go and have a chat with your MP he must have a surgery around you, when people call in at the charity we always phone the MP one phone call from them can help wonders.