Hathor

I am a new member to this forum - so apologies if the answers can be found elsewhere - I have looked but been unable to find .....
I am on incapacity benefit and am going to live in France in 3 months time. According to the rules I can claim incapacity benefit abroad if I tell my local jobcentre before I go, but how do I go about claiming it whilst I am abroad? Do I get sick notes from the French doctors? Do I have to pay to have them translated? do I have to come back to the Uk to have the DSS medical? Anybody any ideas?? Thanks for any help...

Celtic Princess

I'm not entirely sure with this one, but I was under the impression that you could get it abroad if you were visiting but not if you actually move and live permanently abroad.

Leave it with me, I know a few peeps in the benefits agency and the CAB. I'll talk to them and then get back to you.

Hathor

Thats brilliant - thank you

Celtic Princess

Well it's seems that I was wrong. Sometimes some types of disability benefits can be paid out if you are abroad. But there are all sorts of variables, it's not just a case of telling them. They have a special department, called the Exportability Team, who assess whether you qualify and for how long.

You'll find all the information you need and contact details here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Disabled...port/DG_073387

Hope it works out.

jdr

As Celtic Princess says it`s a nightmare to work out, they have been taken to court by Europe and are doing all they can to delay payments.
Ask at the DWP what you need to do.
Also have a read here.....

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/atoz.asp

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showp...3&postcount=30

http://www.disabilityalliance.org/euro.htm

Celtic Princess

I forgot to link this one:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/international/...enefits_05.asp

This section of the benefits agency website deals specifically with incapacity benefits abroad.

Contact the Citizen's Advice Bureau, they are fantastic at finding out exactly what you are entitled to, if any, and how to go about getting it. Contact details for them are here:

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm

Ka Ora!

You can have Long Term Incapacity Benefit in France and also Tax Credits and Child Benefit if you are in receipt of those as well, Contact the DWP Overseas team on 0191 2187648.

graham barnett

Yes you can receive incapacity benefit while abroad, if you inform job centre plus when and where you are moving to they will send your details to internationals up at tyne view Newcastle. Your money will have to be paid into a French bank account so you will have to open one if you have not already got one. If you are on the upper level of incapacity ie long term you do not have to supply sick notes,although they will from time to time send you for a medical near to where you reside.
I had one medical in 5yrs. buuuuuuut. Remember, the pound at the moment is rubbish and is forcing a lot of Expats home due to this, and France is not one of the cheapest places to live. Good Luck

trytofindaname

Hi,
Yes, incapacity is payable in the EU.
I've found the people dealing with payments abroad to be excellent.
Medical reports can be written in the language of the country you are in.
As they lost all record of the diagnosis of my illness I had to have a medical here - wow it was quite a lot better then the last one I had in the UK where a doctor sat in an office in the jobcentre, the computer was broken, he had no previous knowledge of me or my illness and asked a couple of questions. Here I had a thorough physical, xrays you name it - then a psychological report - it would have cost a fortune for such a good check over in the UK!
But Disability payments are not payable abroad.

Le Chant

Yes, they are. But you have to have been in receipt of them before 1992.

graham barnett

Dont think so le chat

Le Chant

Graham. It's Le Chant.

Why don't you think so? Do you know for sure? I do. I speak from personal experience. Do you?

graham barnett

Well i first claimed incapacity in 1997 and have lived in Spain for the last 6yrs and have had no problem with claiming out here, thats why i speak from experience!

Le Chant

Re-read my post then. I wasn't talking of incapacity. I responded in bold to the question of disability benefits. These are mainly only transferable if you were a claimant before 1992.

graham barnett

The higher component of Incapacity has a built in disability payment anyway!, but be aware a lot of new rules for benefits have now come into affect ie: you can no longer claim tax credits abroad as of the 7th November 2008, but am i correct in thinking that this is the child component of Incapacity because the Incapacity payment does not include children?