Beneficiaries, or Not
By complete chance I discovered that I was entitled to claim
a state benefit – widowed parent’s allowance – from reading a newspaper article
about how the Government are planning on substantially cutting it. The first
revelation was intriguing, the second was quite the opposite. It hadn’t
occurred to me that the death of a spouse (in limited circumstances) would lead
to a benefits claim. I wasn’t informed of it when I registered Frank’s death.
Again, unsurprising. Fortunately Frank held on until I reached forty-five since
this is the minimum age for a claimant. Because losing the principal household
income when you’re forty-four and three quarters isn’t financially devastating.
I submitted the claim after walking around the house
muttering, “If I were a birth/marriage/death certificate where would I be?”
Yesterday I received a letter from Job Centre Plus who are considering my
claim. They requested confirmation of certain of matters before my claim could
be assessed.
- When did you discover that your late spouse had
died?
- Were you divorced from your late spouse? If yes, confirm date of Decree Absolute
- Provide the names, dates of birth and
relationship to you of anyone living in your household.
Today I replied as follows:
- 1. I discovered that my late spouse had died when a
paramedic shook his head at me after applying a stethoscope to his heart
region. That’s my late spouse’s heart region, not the paramedics. If the shaking of the head by a stethoscope carrying
paramedic alongside an inert body does not count as being informed, the Police
Officer telling me later that evening that he was satisfied that there were no
suspicious circumstances gave me further indication that my late spouse was, in
fact late. He was late a lot, but never late
before. If you’re talking about formal diagnosis of lateness, the Coroner
confirmed the cause of death two days later.
- 2.He wouldn’t be my late spouse if we were
divorced. He would be my late ex-spouse.
- 3. I’m not shacked up with anyone other than my
children on whose behalf I am making this claim, as stated in the application
form.
I had been pleasantly surprised that the application form
was relatively simple, a bit like the people employed by the Jobcentre to
assess them, and that it didn’t appear to be a means tested benefit. With this
particular state hand out it would appear that the application form lulls one
into a false sense of (social) security, before the tortuous process of
correspondence begins.
I’m not yet sure how I feel about this benefit. The notion
of benefitting in any way from Frank’s death troubles me. I’m by no means too
proud to claim it. I’ve paid more than enough tax and national insurance from
working almost continuously since adulthood to claim a little back during what
are hard times. Not to mention the national insurance Frank won’t get an iota
of benefit from. It may be that, after the Q & A with Job Centre Plus has
concluded I will be deemed not to be entitled to any payment, and if this is
the case I have no sense of entitlement – there are many single parents in far
greater need than me. With the daily debates over the Governments attack on
welfare benefits I have had the greatest sympathy with people who find
themselves jobless through no fault of their own. In the so called social media
it seems that either you are opposed to the cuts, or you’re opposed to the
workshy. There are no, up to a point points being made. I have the fence shoved
well and truly up my backside on this issue. There has to be a mechanism to
make people work if they can, and to provide a real safety net for those that
can’t.
I do have complete unadulterated sympathy for everyone - the
young, the old, the washed and unwashed alike, the able bodied and the
wheelchair bound - for having to endure any dealings whatsoever with the
benefits claims process.
