{"id":23102,"date":"2025-03-03T01:47:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T02:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23102"},"modified":"2025-03-03T03:24:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T03:24:05","slug":"cancer-family-financially-broken-by-benefits-wait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23102","title":{"rendered":"Cancer family &#8216;financially broken&#8217; by benefits wait"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-component=\"byline-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-0 haItSe\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-1 cjDa-dM\">36 minutes ago<\/p>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"byline-new-contributors\" class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-12 fcCDwR\">\n<div class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-5 evAEAB\">\n<div><span class=\"sc-b42e7a8f-7 kItaYD\">Aurelia Foster<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$!--><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Share\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 oYtVL dRvUPz dXDmtS\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Share<\/span><\/button><button disabled type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Save\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-2 sc-48d6da7e-5 sc-48d6da7e-6 iQJDhl cCYQUA kItbpD\"><span data-testid=\"button-icon-wrapper\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-0 dMpdqo\"><\/span><span data-testid=\"button-text\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"sc-48d6da7e-1 eihkAj\">Save<\/span><\/button><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 ejjhCR\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/04638850-f5f1-11ef-bd6e-cd71c2e1454a.jpg.webp\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"Kerry Bolton Oliver sitting on a hospital bed holding a sick bowl\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Kerry Bolton<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Families of children and young people with cancer are struggling financially for several months waiting for benefits to help cover extra costs caused by the illness, according to a charity.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Young Lives vs Cancer says families need &#8220;immediate&#8221; help with additional living costs, which amount to \u00a3700 a month on average &#8211; and is calling for quicker access to the funds.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">One family has said they were left &#8220;financially broken&#8221; by the extra living costs after their 16-year-old son Oliver&#8217;s leg had to be amputated because he had a rare type of cancer.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The government says it is committed to giving people access to benefits in a &#8220;timely manner&#8221;, but acknowledges that &#8220;waits are too high&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">&#8216;If I don&#8217;t have electricity, he can&#8217;t walk&#8217;<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Kerry Bolton, from Solihull, said she had to wait five months before a decision was made on her benefits application after her son Oliver was diagnosed with cancer, aged 16.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;The hospital is an hour away from us and I don&#8217;t drive. It was costing us \u00a348 a day for us to travel in taxis there and back.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Oliver later underwent a leg amputation, meaning his family had to buy new clothes to fit him.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">They also faced higher electricity bills to charge his prosthetic leg, Ms Bolton said.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Ollie&#8217;s leg needs electricity&#8230;if I don&#8217;t have electricity, he can&#8217;t walk.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Bolton said she also had to use more energy to heat her home to keep Oliver warm, because of his immunosuppression treatment.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/39d806f0-f5fb-11ef-a576-211c964a64b2.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kerry Bolton Oliver showing his prosthetic leg\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Kerry Bolton<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">During a child&#8217;s cancer treatment, families may need to travel to distant appointments, buy special food, use more electricity and heating, pay for childcare for siblings, and stay in hotels.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Under UK law, cancer patients may be entitled to benefits to help with costs.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">However, patients are not eligible for financial support until they have been ill for three months.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">They then face a further wait of four months on average for their application to be assessed, according to Young Lives vs Cancer, which has interviewed hundreds of patients and put out a new report.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The charity is calling for families to qualify for benefits immediately following a diagnosis.<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 jFCfG\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"sc-a34861b-1 jxzoZC\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/grey-placeholder.png\" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 cOpVbP hide-when-no-script\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a7fa0df0-f5f5-11ef-bd6e-cd71c2e1454a.jpg.webp\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Danielle Roberts Jasmine wearing a head cover \" class=\"sc-a34861b-0 efFcac\" \/><span class=\"sc-a34861b-2 hesJxn\">Danielle Roberts<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Danielle Roberts, from North Wales, told the BBC that she experienced financial &#8220;strain&#8221; as soon as her nine-year-old daughter Jasmine was diagnosed with cancer last year, but she did not receive any benefits for eight months.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;We were just thrown into this world where&#8230;our child&#8217;s got cancer and we don&#8217;t know if she&#8217;s going to survive, along with dealing with the financial impact.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;You&#8217;ve still got all these bills to pay on top of going back and forward to hospital, which was an hour and 15 minutes away, extra food, accommodation&#8221;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Roberts said having to take long periods off work added to the financial strain.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;My income was dramatically reduced because it&#8217;s hard to work when your child is in hospital&#8230; and you don&#8217;t want to work, you should be able to spend time with your child when they&#8217;re poorly.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-518485e5-0 DkKTF\">Form filling<!-- --><\/h2>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-18fde0d6-0 dlWCEZ\">\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;What we&#8217;re seeing is heartbreaking,&#8221; Young People vs Cancer&#8217;s chief executive Rachel Kirby-Rider told the BBC.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;People don&#8217;t have that disposable income, they don&#8217;t have that money in savings.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;Having to wait seven months for disability benefits is driving a lot of families into debt and impacting families at a time they just want to concentrate on getting their child well.&#8221; <!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The charity is also concerned about the application process, as the 50-page forms were &#8220;tricky, long and complex&#8221;, asking families for detailed descriptions about their child&#8217;s needs.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">The process should be made &#8220;simple and efficient&#8221;, it says, by using medical evidence alone to make applications.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">Ms Roberts said she struggled to find the &#8220;head space&#8221; to complete the application form when her daughter Jasmine was ill.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;They asked so many questions and you&#8217;ve got to send added proof&#8230; you don&#8217;t want to have to think about that really as well as &#8216;is my child going to be OK?&#8217;.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;It&#8217;s something that shouldn&#8217;t have to be done when you&#8217;re going through that traumatic time.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: &#8220;We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance for children in a timely manner.<!-- --><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-eb7bd5f6-0 fezwLZ\">&#8220;But we recognise waits are too high, and we have increased the number of staff to respond to the increase in claim volumes.&#8221;<!-- --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>36 minutes ago<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23102"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23108,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23102\/revisions\/23108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}