My whole world has changed and I don’t know what to do financially

Do you qualify for universal credit? I’m sure if you then receive that you’ll get help with nursery fees too! Worth a shot, I think there is a calculator you can use on line that can help you work out what you’re entitled to x

I’m so sorry you are going through this! Have you or do you currently receive UC? If your partner is unable to work due to his bipolar you may be able to claim under disability allowance. UC may also be able to help with childcare costs and if your caring for your partner, carers allowance etc. I would also contact your local council to find out what discounts they can grant on council tax, such as SMI relief. Or at least council tax support. There are some really good online calculators online such as entitledto and turn2us where you can enter your details to see if you are entitled to any additional support x

Your partner will be able to claim PIP or whatever the equivalent is if he has a diagnosis of bipolar or atleast an increased rate of benefits frim somewhere. Especially as it won't be recommend to go back to work straight away hell need recovery time and to come to terms with it all himself. x

@Ellie not always sadly, pip does not go by diagnosis- it goes by care needs, this would also have to be in place for several months before a claim is put forward. Because its a very recent manic episode, pip can refuse that he hasn't suffered "long enough" to claim. Which in my eyes is wrong.

As well as UC your partner will also be able to claim PIP and ask the job centre for a UC50 form they are two seperate payments as well as universal credit that your partner can claim. I think there is a wait for both forms to be processed but they can be backdated to the diagnosis date. I hope everything works out for you both x

Do you have any insurance for your mortgage?

Do you have income protection insurance you can claim on to pay the mortgage & bills? x

@Haisey🧿 I am explaining how the pip process works, not the diagnosis itself sadly. I think he would gain the support that's needed once evidence is built. But this early? Unlikely. X

@Kirsty thank you, I have made a claim for universal credit however because I work and earn a full time wage we are not entitled to anything. But all my money just covers the bills, obviously because before we had my partners money to then live off and get by the month where now we don’t have that 😩❤️

@Katy thank you for your help I will have a look x

@BikerGirlR6 the Drs told him to make a pup claim so we called up the other day and now just waiting for the paper work to go through. Do you think they will not award him because it’s only just happened?

@Sarah yes he has income protection insurance, I made the claim in April but still waiting for everything to go through. They said it could take several months 😭 I am worried that they are going to not allow the claim because since he had the manic episode he started smoking (previously non smoker so not on the insurance) do u think they can decline because of this ?

Can you look into a mortgage holiday with the bank they are still a thing. There definitely has to be more help out there for you I know people on PIP with barley anything wrong with them

Doctors will always make a recommendation for pip on mental health diagnosis but they are not trained in the process of the paperwork and what is actually required. Pip goes by care needs, not a diagnosis, based on long term and needing to have help in place for a certain criteria of time. Best of luck to you. As for your mortgage, I'm afraid there's no help with this. Universal credit will not pay you a rent element or towards your mortgage. They may help with interest payments on the mortgage but this again goes by a certain criteria as well as you will have to pay it back.

Please on universal credit and understandably you'll be under a joint claim, your partner needs to apply for LCWRA, this could also take a while and may not solve your financial situation. You can gain help for childcare up to 85% in nursery fees.

@Haisey🧿 I'm sorry! Pregnant brain fog here. X

@BikerGirlR6 you’re incorrect! He will qualify for PIP if he has needs the meet the criteria no matter how recent the diagnosis is. You also don’t need a diagnosis to qualify, you simply need to have difficulties that are most likely to last 12 months or longer and medical proof to back it up. Some people can get it regardless of how long the condition will last if they have a short time left to live.

Glad you contacted PIP! Contact citizens advice from now ahead of receiving the application to get an appointment to assist with filling out the form. They are very good at wording the answers for the form correctly and also know how to read/ understand the points criteria for each category. The table scoring system pip use is also available on their website if you google it or they will give you a copy also at your appointment. A few friends of mine have used them and have successfully been awarded pip for mental health conditions. Wishing you all the best with it

@Andriana I literally said, pip does NOT go by diagnosis- it isn't a guarantee. It goes by CARE needs and usually care needs has to be backed up by evidence to have a successful claim.

@BikerGirlR6 I was referring to the part where you mentioned the care needs needing to be in place for several months before a claim is put forward.. hence why I said it wouldn’t matter how recent the diagnosis is/ care needs became apparent. I am able to read and comprehend in lower case so there’s no need to emphasise on certain words. We are all trying to help the lady here, I was simply correcting part of what you had said, as it was a little misleading. Not here to argue with anyone, I’m sure you have your experience with dealing with PIP from what I’ve seen you mention here.

@Andriana it is advised, as this provides evidence that the condition requires care for a day to day basis, considering pip goes by this 😊. If she applies just on the basis he has had a diagnosis then this can prove difficult for a successful claim. I have a lot of experience with DLA AND PIP. As well as their MR/tribunal processes, their point scoring system, their assessors and qualifications to carry out their assessments. I'm also aware of their horrific side of lieing assessors and how pip is also very difficult to gain if not done correctly.

Thanks for your help ladies, he has all the evidence from being sectioned and his care plan. Hopefully that will be evidence we can use for his claim ? This has really changed his whole life over night so hopefully he will be entitled to something. He doesn’t even want to go out at the moment because he has been left with sever anxiety since he has come down from the manic episode. Thank you for your help x

@BikerGirlR6 Oh I know this and I clearly mentioned this in my comment also, if you read it throughly. I also have extensive knowledge, as a friend of mine is an assessor and I took an interest to the entire process/ how it works🙂. No need to explain yourself to me, like I said I can tell you’ve had or come experiences with PIP from previous comments and some very bad ones at that. I wasn’t disputing everything you said just the part I mentioned before. Agreed, there are many assessors that paint an entire different story to what is discussed, as funny enough a friend of mine has just experienced this part, hence why I also advised seeking support from citizens advice. It can also be an overwhelming process especially if you don’t have experience with it.

He has a care plan? This is perfect for PIP and actually outweighs basic written letters from consultants etc. Care plans are usually very detailed and in some instances depending on the type of care plan the individual has/ how detailed it is, DWP do not send the applicants that hold care plans for assessment, they’re able to make decisions solely based on the information they receive/ supporting documents like care plans. The idea behind the assessments, is to gather further in-depth information on how the condition affects the applicant if they feel they don’t have enough from the information provided, but if they have very clear and detailed information in this from a care plan for example, they can make decisions based on this. It is rare but it does happen, also anxiety is a known mental health condition so I would add that to the application as well as the bipolar, and any other conditions he may have and gather as much information as you can.

A supporting letter from his consultants would be good as well regardless of the care plan and the weight it holds, the more, the merrier 🙂.