AVSGF-UK: Benefits

Benefits to Replace Basic Earnings

If you are unable to work because of your illness you may be able to claim one of the following:

STATUTORY SICK PAY; or
INCAPACITY BENEFIT; or
CARER’S ALLOWANCE; or
BEREAVEMENT BENEFIT

STATUTORY SICK PAY
This is paid and administered by the employer and the Inland Revenue not the Dept. for Works and Pensions . Your employer is legally required to pay Statutory Sick Pay during the first 28 weeks of sickness unless you are no longer in their employment or your earnings are too low ie. below £87.00 per week. You will need to notify your employer promptly of any sickness.

INCAPACITY BENEFIT
This is paid by the Dept. for Works and Pensions if you have paid enough National Insurance Contributions and you are no longer entitled to Statutory Sick Pay. There are 3 different rates depending on how long you have been incapable of work.

For the first 28 weeks you will be paid the lower rate if the Dept. for Works and Pensions decide that you are unable to work in your current or usual job. This is not taxable.

From week 29 – 52 you will have to pass an extra medical test to show that you are incapable of all types of work and not just work in your usual occupation. This part of Incapacity Benefit is taxable.

From week 52 you will be paid the long term rate which is taxable However it may help you get more Income Support. Contact the Jobcentre Plus and ask about extra Income Support in the form of a Disability Premium.

You must be under pension age to get this Incapacity Benefit. The Dept. for Works and Pensions do not take into account any savings. They will take into account 50% of your Occupational Pension above £85.00 per week and therapeutic earnings above a certain amount. You will be allowed to earn £20.00 net per week and still keep your Incapacity Benefit. You may be able to earn up to £88.50 net per week for a limited period or in certain circumstances telephone the Benefit Enquiry Line 0800 88 22 00 for more details.

CARER’S ALLOWANCE
This benefit is paid to someone who is caring for a person who is ill or disabled. IMPORTANT NOTE It is important to obtain full expert advice before claiming Carer’s Allowance. This is because when the main carer receives this allowance it may cause the disabled person to lose some or all of their Income Support or Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.
Carer’s Allowance is paid if you fulfil the following requirements:
You are spending at least 35 hours per week caring for someone who receives either:

Disability Living Allowance (Care) at the middle or higher rate; or
Attendance Allowance at either rate; or
Constant Attendance Allowance at one of the 3 upper rates paid with a War or Industrial Disablement Benefit, Worker’s Compensation or equivalent Benefit; and
You are aged 16 or over; and
You are not studying for more than 21 hours per week; and
You do not earn more than £95.00 net per week after deductions and other work related expenses.

Savings, earnings and other income You do not need to have paid any National Insurance contributions to claim Carer’s Allowance. It can be paid on top of any amount of savings and most benefits except the following:

Incapacity Benefit
Widow’s and Bereavement Benefits
Retirement Pension

If you are already receiving one of the above because you are incapable of work yourself or widowed or retired you will be paid the higher of the two. However it is still worth claiming Carer’s Allowance because it can give you extra Income Support or Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.

Carer’s Allowance is taxable
Claim on form DS700 from your Jobcentre Plus office.

BEREAVEMENT BENEFITS
If your wife or husband died on or after 9th April 2001 you may be entitled to benefit if you are under age 60 (women) and 65 (men). Benefits are: Bereavement Payment; and Widowed Parent’s Allowance; or Bereavement Allowance

Women whose husband died prior to 9th April 2001 may be entitled to the old Widows Benefit. Unfortunately, men can only claim the new Bereavement Benefits mentioned below.

Bereavement Payment (one-off payment)
This is a single payment of £2000.00 paid to either a woman or a man under pension age, 60 (women) 65 (men). If you are over this age you may still be able to claim if your late partner was not entitled to a Retirement Pension on their own contributions.

Your spouse died on or after the 9th April 2001 and your spouse had paid enough National Insurance Contributions or
Your spouse died as a result of an asbestos related illness caused by their job or working conditions/environment.

The £2000.00 must be claimed within 12 months of death and can be paid in addition to one of the Allowances mentioned below.

Widowed Parent’s Allowance
This is a weekly allowance paid to a man or a woman whose spouse died on or after 9th April 2001 and you are now caring for a child for whom you get Child Benefit and

Your spouse had paid enough National Insurance Contributions or s/he died as a result of an asbestos-related illness caused by their job or working conditions/environment.

Bereavement Allowance
This is a weekly allowance paid for a period of 52 weeks (or up to pension age if this is less) to a man or a woman whose spouse died on or after 9th April 2001. For this allowance you must be age 45 or over at the time of death and

Your spouse had paid enough National Insurance Contributions or s/he died as a result of an asbestos-related illness caused by their job or working conditions/environment.

Savings, earnings and other income.
You can only get one of the above allowances in addition to the Bereavement Payment. There is no limit to the amount that you can earn and they can be paid on top of any amount of savings. However these allowances will reduce any Income Support and Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit that you may receive but always ask the Dept. for Works and Pensions about the Bereavement Premium which is a component of Income Support.

BENEFITS TO ASSIST WITH WALKING

Disability Living Allowance- Mobility Component
You may be able to claim this allowance at the higher rate if you have not yet reached your 65th birthday and you can only walk a short distance before you feel severe discomfort. It is therefore not just for wheelchair users.
You may be able to claim this allowance at the lower rate if you have not yet reached your 65th birthday and you can walk without severe physical discomfort but always need to be accompanied by another person.
The allowance can be paid on top of any income or savings including Pension Credit, Income Support and Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. It may even help to increase your Income Support. It is tax free and you do not have to have paid any National Insurance Contributions.

Exemption From Road Tax
Exemption from road tax is available for those vehicles used exclusively by, or for the purposes of, people receiving the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement. Application forms (V188 Exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty for Disabled People) can be obtained from main post offices.

Blue Badge Scheme
The Blue Badge for parking concessions is automatically available for the use of those receiving higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, and may also be available to those in receipt of the lower rate mobility component, but you should seek advice in this instance. In both instances, the application form is available from the local authority. Ask for the department dealing with the Blue Badge Scheme.

BENEFITS TO ASSIST WITH CARE NEEDS

Disability Living Allowance - Care Component
You may be able to claim this allowance at one of 3 rates if you have not yet reached your 65th birthday and you need care and attention from another person. You do not have to show that you are getting the care. People living alone who are struggling to do things because of pain and/or fatigue may qualify.

Attendance Allowance
You may be able to claim this allowance at one of 2 rates if you are age 65 or over and you need care and attention from another person. You do not need to show that you are getting the care. People living alone who are struggling to do things because of pain and/or fatigue may qualify. The allowance is paid instead of DLA (Care Component) but again is tax free and can be paid on top of any savings or income including Income Support, Pension Credit and Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. It can help you get more of these benefits. It is tax free and you do not have to have paid any National Insurance Contributions.

Constant Attendance Allowance
You should claim this allowance if you think that your care needs are due to the effects of an industrial illness and you have claimed Industrial Disablement Benefit and been awarded 100% assessment.
It will be paid instead of one of the above allowances in this Section but you should get expert advice because it will depend on the nature of your care needs as to which allowance will give you the most money.

BENEFITS TO TOP UP A LOW INCOME

Income Support
You may be able to claim this allowance if your income is below a certain level and you have savings of less than £16,000. If you work it must be for less than 16 hours per week, and/or your partner for less than 24 hours per week.

You do not have to have paid any National Insurance contributions. The amount that you will receive will depend on:

How old you are
Whether you have a partner
How much in savings you have
How much income or benefits you or your partner have

Please remember that certain benefits i.e .Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance can give you extra Income Support.
Always get expert help before claiming Carer’s Allowance since this allowance can give you extra Income Support but can also in certain circumstances reduce it.
You should contact your Jobcentre Plus and ask about Income Support Premiums. If you are disabled or receiving certain other benefits you should ask about the following:

Disability Premium
Severe Disability Premium
Enhanced Disability Premium
Carer’s Premium
Bereavement Premium

Pension Credit
You may be able to claim this allowance if you, or your partner, are aged 60 or over and your income is below a certain level. Pension Credit is more generous than Income Support and there is no cut-off at any specified level of savings.

Certain benefits, i.e. Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance and Carer’s Allowance can give extra Pension Credit. There is no age limit to claiming Carer’s Allowance, but remember to get advice on claiming Carer’s Allowance since payment may adversely affect the Pension Credit or Income Support of the person being cared for.
As with Income Support, you should ask Pensions Credit about additional payments if you are disabled, or are caring for someone who is disabled.

BENEFITS TO ASSIST WITH HOUSING COSTS

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
You may be able to get help with your rent and council tax if you are on low income. You may still qualify if you are working or retired and have savings of less than £16,000.
You need to be in rented accommodation to get Housing Benefit but you can be in rented accommodation or be an owner occupier to get Council Tax Benefit.
People on Income Support generally receive full Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit unless they have non-dependants living with them, or they have savings of over £6,000, in which case they may receive a reduced rate. People on the guarantee credit part of Pension Credit may receive some Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit even if they have over £16,000 in savings, although they may also receive a reduced rate of benefit if they have non-dependants living with them.

Terminal Illness
If you are terminally ill the benefit rules are, in some cases, relaxed. It is recognised that there may not be time to qualify for certain benefits and it can be distressing to make applications under such circumstances.

For Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance you can claim the special rules if you are terminally ill. This means that you do not have to complete all the sections of the form. But you must ask your doctor to complete the form DS1500 which should be sent to the DLA Unit with the application form. Your application form will be fast-tracked if special rules apply. It is acceptable for someone other than the person who is ill to make the application.

If you are already getting Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance you just write to the DWP for your award to be superseded in order to get a higher rate. Under the special rules there is no qualifying period for Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance and you automatically qualify for the higher rates. However, if you are claiming DLA it is the care component only that is paid automatically, you have to meet the normal rules to get the mobility component.

For Incapacity Benefit, you will, under the special rules, be exempt from the personal capability assessment and you will be eligible for the long-term rate after 28 weeks rather than 52 weeks.

Making a Will
It is sensible for everyone to make a will, irrespective of their state of health. Settling financial affairs after death can be very difficult for families if a will has not been made.

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