Debt with Disability

[pompeyfaith]

Greetings All,

Not long after me joining this fantastic forum and realizing its potential I come to the conclusion it was a great site to deal with something that can happen to us all.

So I asked Niddy if we could have such a section on the forum, to which he was in favor off.

That was Disability and Debt both Physical and Mental Disabilities it is something that directly related to myself having suffered an SAH Stroke in April of 1990.

Some of us may of had the disability before the debt and indeed some of us may have had the debt first and that lead to a mental disability either way they are both equal in that they can have an adverse effect in getting well.

Disability and debt is also a subject that is not talked about much maybe because citizens feel there disability is a private matter.

There is a wealth of information on this subject on the internet and indeed I have found quiet a few resources and links,however it it spread about and often hidden in web pages and is thus hard to find.

My aim is to bring all this information together in one place in the hope it will be easier for those needing it to find so they do not feel lost like I did.

Now I will start adding to this section of the forum tomorrow but please be aware I may need to edit the post above and/or add further posts.

Regards

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt and Disability

This is an excellent resourse from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealt...talhealth.aspx

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt and Disability

This link has important mental health and debt documents. Many of you with a mental disability may be under a health care team and these documents will be useful to them to fill in on your behalf and forward to your creditors. ---> http://www.malg.org.uk/dmhdocslist.html

The content within this link is shown below;

Debt & Mental Health Good Practice Awareness Guidelines
These voluntary Guidelines (Edition 1 November 2007 and Edition 2 November 2009) indicate good practice in the treatment of individuals with debt and mental health problems and deal with best practice in the management of debt when a consumer is already in financial difficulty.

Debt & Mental Health Good Practice Awareness Guidelines - A MALG News Bulletin
This document was produced to both advertise and explain the purpose behind the publication of the 2nd edition of the Debt & Mental Health Good Practice Awareness Guidelines in November 2009.

Debt & Mental Health Evidence Form for advisers (DMHEF)
A significant number of the Debt & Mental Health Good Practice Awareness Guidelines deal with collecting evidence to help demonstrate the impact of consumers’ mental health problems on their capacity to deal with debt issues.

This Form, along with the DMHEF Consent Form, is a tool that will enable money advisers and creditors to request clear, relevant and comprehensive information in a standard format from health and social care professionals, as appropriate to each given situation.

DMHEF- Consent Form for advisers
This is the form that a patient will be asked to sign in order to provide consent for their health or social care professional to complete the Debt & Mental Health Evidence Form on their behalf and for the information to be passed to their adviser and subsequently to their various creditors.

Guidance for advisers and creditors to support the use of the DMHEF
This document provides guidance for advisers and creditors on the use of the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form (DMHEF) in the format of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and there is also a flowchart for advisers to assist them in the use of the form.

DMHEF Patient Instruction Slip for advisers.
The purpose of this is fully explained in the Adviser Flowchart. The Instruction Slip tells the client how to complete and return an optional personal statement (see Step 10 of Flowchart).

Debt & Mental Health Evidence Form - A MALG News Bulletin
This document was produced to both advertise and explain the purpose behind the publication of the redesigned Debt & Mental Health Evidence Form and Consent Form in July 2009.

DMHEF Advisers Flowchart
This flowchart, although also included in the Guidance for advisers and creditors to support the use of the DMHEF, is designed to assist advisers in understanding the process they should adopt when dealing with the DMHEF and Consent Form on behalf of their client.

“Final Demand” Leaflet
A pocket guide for health and social care professionals on working with people who are experiencing debt and mental health problems.

Glossary
This explanation of relevant mental health terms was produced by the North East London Mental Health Trust and the East London and The City Mental Health Trust.

Mental Health Websites
This document provides a list of websites that offer information regarding a range of mental health organisations and other resources.

Primary Care Guidance on debt & mental health
This document is aimed at providers of NHS Primary Care. It provides useful information regarding the relationship between debt and mental health problems and makes suggestions about how to put patients in touch with relevant sources of assistance.

More to follow work in progress

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Debt and Disability

More to follow work in progress

Excellent - thanks Pompey

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt and Disability

Niddy,

Your Welcome

Regards

[charitynjw]

Re: Debt and Disability

Thanks Pompey

[IF]

Re: Debt and Disability

Thanks from me too Pompey xxx

[philnicandamy]

Re: Debt and Disability

SUPERB work pompey

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Debt and Disability

Very well done Pompey. Great idea.


Shepherdess x

[philnicandamy]

Re: Debt and Disability

I'm gonna link to this from the bankruptcy forum if thats ok....come across a lot of people with mental health issues both on the forums and in my CAB role so think it'll be a very useful read

[5corpio]

Re: Debt and Disability

Brilliant Pompey

A good insigt with Links and all

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt and Disability

This is old dating April 1995 however it does show that the issue was being addressed way back then and shows that disability and debt was not born out of the latest recession of 2007.

Debt and disability

Disabled people with problem debts regard the experience of living with
debt as the most significant aspect of their lives according to a new study.
Debt was usually the result of a combination of circumstances, often directly
associated with disability but in the context of low income. The research, by
Linda Grant for the Sheffield Citizens Advice Bureaux Debt Support Unit,
involved detailed interviews with disabled people who were having debt
problems. She found that:

Most interviewees were dependent on benefits. Even those in receipt of
Disability Living Allowance did not necessarily gain the additional mobility
and care which DLA is intended to provide. Often the entire benefit was used
to repay debts and meet general household bills.

The onset of disability could lead to debt problems for disabled people and
their carers, due to a sudden drop in income for some, and also because
financial concerns tended to be neglected at a time of personal crisis.

Many interviewees reported deteriorating mental and physical health due to
the process of dealing with debt. This, in turn, made the prospect of
resolving debt problems more difficult.

Many interviewees had to cut back on expenditure related to their disability,
such as respite care, the use of accessible transport or food for special diets, as
debt repayments reduced their disposable income. Carers also cut back on
their own quality of life in order to help meet the needs of the disabled
person.

Interviewees who had received independent money advice invariably
described this help as creating a turning point in their lives, reversing a
downward spiral of despair and anxiety.

However, even debt advice services aimed specifically at helping disabled
people did not always take account of the differing needs of people with
different impairments.

Whilst some creditors responded constructively to the debt problems of
disabled people and their carers, many interviewees were critical of creditors’
policy and practice.
Living

More at:

http://forums.all-about-debt.co.uk/s...ead.php?t=2177

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt and Disability

philnicandamy,

Thank you

That is great as the more we can reach the better.

Regards

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Debt and Disability

Can I Further add and make this very clear.

For anyone with a Disability and/or long term illness and has money worries one of your first points of contact is a health care professional now this could be a hospital consultant if you are under hospital treatment or your General Practitioner.

They in most cases will write to your creditors and fill in the MALG forms above and send to your creditors once those creditors have those forms they must follow the MALG GUIDELINES as quoted above.

Regards