‘What should we spend it on?’, my wife asked uncertainly.
It was June 2023 and her inheritance from her late father’s estate had just landed in her bank account.
She now had an extra £20,000 to do what she wanted with but, after months of waiting and a rollercoaster of emotions, she had no idea where to start.
‘Well… we could go on some nice holidays or you can spend it on treating yourself,’ I suggested.
After all, with everything she has done and continues to do for me, it seemed only fair to let her splash the cash.
But as much as I was excited for her to spoil herself, I was worried too.
Since January 2021 I had been claiming Universal Credit (UC) due to two medical conditions that left me unable to work.
I knew that there were some rules when it came to inheritance and UC, but as I was unsure if they applied to me or not, I feared there was a chance I could be prosecuted if I didn’t declare it.
So, I did the responsible thing and let them know. But now I wish I hadn’t bothered.
Because my benefits stopped almost immediately and we’ve been struggling to get by ever since.
From the moment I left school, I worked in construction and did everything I could to build a brilliant life for myself, my wife and our family.
Of course, I was used to the bumps and bruises that came with lugging heavy objects around – it really was part of the gig – yet by the time I was in my early forties, I was struggling with pain in my knees.
I went to numerous GPs and hospitals who all waved it off as normal wear and tear with age. But then I started getting psoriasis flare ups – a skin condition that causes flaky patches of skin, which form scales – on my knee caps and ankles.
The scaly patches were tight and painful and so it wasn’t long before I was finding it a challenge to walk.
At this point I was finally referred to a rheumatologist who diagnosed me with psoriatic arthritis – a long-term condition that causes joint pain, swelling and stiffness. Sadly, there is no way to cure it, and I was told I’d spend the rest of my life managing the symptoms.
But the impact this condition began having on my life was immediate. I would take on new jobs but the flare ups of inflammation in my knees (and slowly other joints) became more debilitating to the point I could barely stand.
Not one to quit easily though, I took up part time work in a lorry park. Sitting in a booth, waving lorries in and out helped a bit, but it was incredibly tedious – especially as someone who’d always been so active.
Ironically, the more I sat in that booth the worse my inflammation became. And by 2019 it had begun to affect my neck, shoulders and back – which is also known as ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
All this then began to take its toll on my mental health as I found that, each day as I set off to work, I was riddled with anxiety about the pain I’d feel by the time I got home.
My panic attacks were happening almost daily and the pain was excruciating
Not to mention that I also felt totally worthless because, where I had always helped my children out with everything from decorating jobs to fixing things, now I couldn’t seem to help with anything.
When the pandemic hit in 2020 I was in a really dark place. My panic attacks were happening almost daily and the pain was excruciating. And though I’d always prided myself on my work ethic, when I was furloughed, I felt a huge sense of relief.
While my health didn’t necessarily improve in that year, it certainly didn’t get worse.
However, when I was told I had to return to work in January 2021, my panic attacks once again came back with a vengeance. Most days I didn’t want to leave the house at all.
So, I had a frank conversation with my boss, who agreed to make me redundant and apologised that he couldn’t do more to help.
But I felt confident in the decision and took comfort in knowing that there was an alternative solution out there for me – Universal Credit.
I won’t lie, it was a long process to get approved (I think in total it took five weeks) as I had to prove that I had a limited capacity for work and work related activity, but for a while we found a new routine around my payments.
Each month I started to receive just under £900 of Universal Credit and £380 of Personal Independence Payment. While my wife also received £76 per week of caring allowance for me.
Sure, it wasn’t much, but it was enough to make sure our bills were paid, that we could keep a roof over our heads, that I could afford a car to get around when I was able to, and to generally live.
And for a while my quality of life did improve as a result. My health was a lot better. My skin condition wasn’t so red and angry and my inflammation was reduced too.
That’s why, when my wife’s father passed away in January 2023 and we knew she would be getting some inheritance from the sale of his house, I wanted to ensure the figure wouldn’t interrupt my monthly benefits payment.
A quick search had informed that you become ineligible for Universal Credit if you inherit more than £16,000. But as the inheritance wasn’t technically mine, I wasn’t sure where that left me.
Still thinking it was better to be safe than sorry though, I called up to explain the situation. And a few days later I was asked to come into a meeting to show them my bank statements and to discuss what happened next.
Only, there was no discussion.
I’d been in the room less than five minutes when my work coach said: ‘As of this moment, your account is closed. You will no longer be receiving Universal Credit.’
My jaw dropped and my stomach knotted. Without that monthly income there was no way we could afford our home, my prescriptions and bills as they were. How would we get by?
Well, as it seemed to me, they didn’t care about that. All I got in the way of ‘advice’ was that I could reclaim once the money had been spent.
My work coach said: ‘As of this moment, your account is closed. You will no longer be receiving Universal Credit’
‘What if I used it to pay off my car then?’ I pleaded, trying to find a solution.
They shook their heads. ‘That would be classed as a luxury. If it looks like you’ve spent the money deliberately or too quickly that can count against you.’
I realised then that we were completely and utterly stuck.
Since then, my wife and I have been struggling every day to get by. We’ve had to cut costs on the food shop where we can and have battled through the winter without putting the heating on when possible.
This year, I have had to stop certain prescriptions as they’re too expensive for me and I’m also having to forgo dental treatment for a crown because it will cost £500 that I simply do not have to spare.
And most heartbreakingly for me, my wife has had to take up a part time job cleaning to help us get by. Even then she isn’t allowed to earn more than £136 per week otherwise her carer’s allowance will be taken off her.
It’s a constant balancing act and one I feel we shouldn’t have to do. I worked my whole life to support myself and my family. I never claimed in my life until I needed to and now I’ve just been left destitute.
What message does that send to hard working people? What incentive does that give you to work hard when, when you need help the most, no one is willing to support you?
I tried to do the right thing by declaring the money, but now I wish I’d never said a word about my wife’s inheritance – all it’s done is make things worse.
As told to Emma Rossiter
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