A Veteran’s Story: Caring for a loved one
At Woody’s Lodge, we’re not only here to support veterans and emergency service leavers, we are also here to support their partners and families too. Anthony and his wife, Tina, approached us here at Woody’s Lodge after being referred to us by SSAFA; find out more about how we were able to help them with their benefit entitlements.
Our Veterans: Anthony
Anthony and his wife, Tina, visited us here at Woody’s Lodge after being referred to us by SSAFA.
Anthony served in the Welsh Guards for 22 years. Sadly, his wife has suffered three strokes in the past two years and Anthony is now entirely responsible for her full-time care.
When they first approached us, they were desperate as they were living on Anthony’s War Pension and their savings when an unfortunately timed Community Tax Bill came through. They had applied for benefits, but their claim was rejected so they were very worried about their finances.
We submitted a mandatory review to the Department of Work and Pensions requesting that the case was looked at again. At the same time, in a discussion with Tina, she revealed to us that Anthony suffers with PTSD, anxiety and depression which he takes medication for. We therefore also advised that Anthony submitted a claim for Personal Independence Payment in his own right.
We’re delighted to say that an appeal was lodged, which led to a tribunal hearing. We attended the tribunal with Anthony and Tina and supported them in the lead-up and on the day, which resulted in Tina being awarded a higher rate of living allowance and standard rate mobility allowance for her PIP claim. As well as Tina’s PIP claim, Anthony also receives a higher rate of living allowance and mobility! Plus, in February 2019, we also helped Anthony to submit a claim for Universal Credit which was awarded successfully after 8 weeks. Finally, he is currently in the process of putting in a claim for Carers Allowance.
These successful claims and the money that Anthony and Tina now have coming in, has made such a difference to them both and we’re delighted to have been able to support them.
Our team is able to offer a wealth of support and signposting, from benefits and housing to NHS Referrals. So, if you, or someone you know, is a veteran, an emergency services leaver or their families, why not see how we can help?
Not only do we have Veteran Drop-in Centres across Wales, we also host regular events such as our very popular Partners and Children Lunches at our Barry site. Take a look at What’s On at Woody’s to stay up-to-date with everything we have going on here at Woody’s Lodge.