FACTSHEET No. 13 Access to work This factsheet explains the basic rules for the access to work scheme. If, after reading it, you want to find out more or need help with making a claim see the Where can I get more help or information? section below. What is access to work?If you want to work but have a disability that makes working a problem you may be able to get help from the access to work scheme. This provides practical advice to help you overcome these problems. It can also give you grants towards extra employment costs. Who can get help?You can get help if you are employed or self-employed, and you are disabled. This employment can be full time, part time or temporary. Access to Work is not available to enable you to undertake voluntary work. You can also get help to support you to take part in a Jobcentre Plus Work Trial. Disabled has the same meaning as in the Equality Act 2010 which defines disability as 'a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on [your] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities' Disabled can also include disabilities that are only apparent in the workplace. An example of this might be where you started work and found that your eyesight was affected by computer screens but had not noticed this problem before you started work. What help is available?Whatever the employment status of the applicant, Access to Work will pay up to 100 per cent of the approved costs of:
Access to work also offers other help, which includes special aids or equipment for employment and adaptations to premises and existing equipment. Access to work will not however fund items which are regarded as standard equipment, standard business costs or standard health and safety requirements. This means that any item which would normally be needed to do the job, whether a person is disabled or not, will not be paid for. The Job Centre Plus has issued new guidance listing examples of items that should be considered as standard equipment and so cannot be funded by access to work. The guidance does however make it clear that this is not an exhaustive list. You can download the guidance, DEP 2010-2088, at http://deposits.parliament.uk/. Items listed as standard in the new, updated guidance include:
In addition, the new guidance confirms that adaptations to new premises can no longer be funded through access to work. If you are starting a new job and make a claim for Access to Work during the first six weeks of commencing this employment, Access to Work will pay 100% of all approved costs. It is therefore very important that if you need help in work, you contact Access to Work as soon as you can so your employer does not have to share any costs. Put simply, you will get up to 100% of all approved costs if you are:
Otherwise, if you have been in your job for 6 weeks or more when you first apply for help, access to work will pay a proportion of the costs of support as follows:
How do I claim it?Contact the access to work centre directly where you will be offered advice and guidance from an access to work advisor. You should contact the centres below by telephone, textphone, fax, email or by post. Please note that there are no walk-in facilities, these are postal addresses only: London Contact this centre if you work in:
Jobcentre Plus Telephone: 020 8426 3110 Cardiff Contact this centre if you work in:
Jobcentre Plus Telephone: 02920 423 291 Glasgow Contact this centre if you work in:
Jobcentre Plus Telephone: 0141 950 5327 Northern Ireland Disablement Advisory Service Telephone: 02890 252317 You could also contact your local Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus office and ask to talk to an access to work adviser or a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) for advice and an application form. How long is Access to Work funding available for?Access to Work funding is available for up to three years. At the end of this period your need’s will reviewed to assess if continued or further funding is required. As long as you need the funding, you should continue to get it. Where can I find out more? You can get more information on Access to Work on the Directgov website at www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/index.htm. For information about the scheme in Northern Ireland on the NI direct website at www.nidirect.gov.uk. You can also get more information about the benefits mentioned on our website at www.cara-online.org. Much of this information is contained in factsheets available at www.cara-online.org. You can also obtain copies of these factsheets/publications by contacting CARA, 18 - 22 Ashwin Street, Dalston, Hackney, London E8 3DL United Kingdom - Tel: +44 (0) 844 478 0015 -Mob: +44 (0) 795 695 2645 -Fax: +44 (0) 872 115 8436 -Email: info@cara-online.org Updated 8 April 2011 |