Sick with worry over money fears

I work full-time and I am currently off sick. I had Covid-19 in March and I was in hospital and now I am suffering from Long Covid. I have been getting contractual sick pay and then statutory sick pay and this is due to stop very soon. There is a work insurance policy which could pay 60 per cent of my salary but my employer and the insurer are in dispute about the payment and the matter has been escalated.

I also have workplace shares which I have the option to cash in but I need to access the information at work. I am not a union member. I am wondering about any entitlement to benefits as I cannot pay my bills.

A. There are a few benefits that may be available to you, however a full benefit check will be required to be calculated in order to give you an accurate overview of the benefits system your local bureau can do this for you.

Personal Independence Payment is a benefit given to people who suffer from health conditions or disabilities; it is not means tested which means any other income is not affected by the payment and vice versa. The claim for personal independence payment can take upwards of four months to be awarded.

You would need to attend a medical assessment which could be in person or by phone. Another health condition and disability benefit is new style Employment and Support Allowance and it is based on your National Insurance contributions, again you may be required to attend an assessment either by phone or in person, this benefit can either be claimed via telephone or online.

Universal Credit would depend on your household situation as it would be a joint claim. With Universal Credit there is a five-week wait for the first payment and you can apply for an advance payment which is repayable from your Universal Credit payment.

There is an overlapping benefit rule which means you would not be paid twice (Universal Credit and employment and support allowance). You would need a sick line from your GP and it would credit you for your state retirement pension.

The Scottish Welfare Fund is a benefit which is applied for via your local authority website as it is an online application.

The Scottish Welfare Fund administer two grants – a community care grant and a crisis grant – and it is discretionary, based on priority need and on household income to cover essential items such as food, gas and electricity and replacement of white goods. If your Universal Credit claim is successful then it could passport you to help from Social Security Scotland and the Scottish Child Payment of £10 per week for children under the age of 6 years old. The bureau can offer a food bank voucher. Q. My enquiry is regarding my eight- yearQ. old’s school attendance due to sickness and I have now been told I may have to attend a Children’s Panel meeting.

I have received a call from the head teacher of my child’s school advising me that my child’s attendance is at 56 per cent and the next step would be a Children’s Panel meeting. I immediately went into defence mode and was worried by this. My child has been off previously with a number of serious illnesses and is now awaiting a PCR test result. I do not know what to do.

A. The school your child is at will have a duty of care to address the school absences to ensure both you and your child are well and do not need some additional support.

This, is in no way about you as a parent – it is just regarding their attendance. The head teacher will be wanting to speak to you to ensure everything is well. However, you may want to contact your doctor and get medical records to show your child has being receiving medical treatment – this is not needed but may make you feel more confident in addressing the school.

You may also want to write down a brief timeline so that you have all your dates and instances of absences in order.

The Children’s Panel is a few steps away from where you are at now and the head teacher is making you aware that a meeting could eventually be scheduled with them.

Q. I had a quote for a new roof in October 2020 and work started in April 2021. There is now water dripping down due to faulty guttering. I contacted the builder two weeks ago and was promised someone would be out to look at it last week. They failed to appear.

The work cost £10,000 in total and had been sub-contracted. The final payments have been made. There was a quote for the job I phoned up about but I refused to pay any further money. Do I have any options?

A. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the work should be done with reasonable skill and care.

In the first instance you would be advised to make a formal complaint and follow the company complaints procedure if they have one.

Under this law you can request the work is finished at no further cost or inconvenience to yourself in a reasonable time period. A reasonable time period would be 14 days to a month. You can also request a partial refund or goodwill gesture but it can be refused.

You can check to see if the builder is a member of a trade association as members need to follow guidelines for membership and the trade association can act on your behalf. You can check the company details on Companies House.

You can contact Trading Standards if the builder has misled you or misrepresented their credentials, but they will not compensate you financially.

If you exhaust these options you can use the alternative dispute resolution procedure but both parties will need to agree to this and it can be costly.

If you want the work completed by another builder and bill the original builder this is an option, but you will need to be aware that they may not pay the bill and this is a big risk to take.

Finally you may be able to get some help if you paid by credit and debit card – this is called a section 75 or chargeback scheme.

Court action is the final option but it can be costly if the decision goes against you.

Q. The bureau helped me with a Disability Living Allowance form for my child. I have not been awarded the Disability Living Allowance and the reason stated is because my child is under the age of three. I would like to appeal this and I am wondering if the bureau would be able to assist me.

A. We would be able help you complete a mandatory reconsideration. This will need to be completed within one calendar month of you receiving your decision letter unless you have a valid reason for a late submission.

Because your child is under the age of three years old it would be the care component that we would be appealing as the mobility component is only available to children over the age of three years old.

We will arrange a telephone appointment to go over your reasons for appealing the award and then submit this to the Department of Work and Pensions to review.

■ PLEASE NOTE: Rutherglen & Cambuslang Citizens Advice Bureau is open for telephone / e-mail advice on Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3pm.