Welfare Benefits You may find that you experience financial difficulty as a result of caring. CARA Society Advice Service can provide you with a full benefits check and help you claim any money you are entitled to. This is normally done by appointment with an Adviser. It is useful if you have details of your household income and savings as well as information about the income of the person you care for. To follow is a very brief outline of some of the benefits you or the person you care for may be able to claim. As benefits interact in complicated ways, we always advise you to have your benefits checked before applying for any change. You could find that your benefits or the benefits of the person you care for are reduced as a result of any change. We can help you complete benefits forms, including Disability Living Allowance forms for the person you care for if they are unable to do so themselves. Please bear in mind that this service is always oversubscribed so you may have to wait for an appointment. Carers Allowance (for people aged over 16) Carers Allowance is a benefit specifically for people who are looking after someone for more than 35 hours per week. The person you look after must receive either Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance at the middle or higher rate of the care component. Claiming Carers Allowance can affect the income of the person you care for, especially if they are an adult living alone or with another person who also gets Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance. Always check with an adviser before claiming. Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance DLA is a tax free non-means tested benefit for children and adults up to 65 who need help with looking after themselves and / or with getting around. It comes in two parts: care component and mobility component. Care needs include getting in and out of bed, washing and dressing, going to the toilet, cooking, eating and drinking. It is paid at three rates, depending on how much care a person needs or reasonably requires. The mobility component is paid at two rates; people aged between 3 and 65 can claim the higher rate of the mobility component. This is for people who are unable to walk or are ‘virtually unable to walk’, are deaf and blind, or have learning difficulties with severe challenging and disruptive behaviour which may cause a danger to themselves. People aged between 5 and 65 can claim the lower rate of the mobility component. This is for those who can walk but will need guidance / supervision for most of the time they are outdoors. This benefit is for people over 65 years old who need help with personal care and / or supervision. There is no mobility component attached to Attendance Allowance. Attendance Allowance is paid at a high rate or low rate. Carers who claim Carers Allowance do not have to be available for work and can claim Income Support, if they are entitled to it. The government calculates the minimum amount you need to live on depending on the circumstances of you and your family. If your income (including Carers Allowance) falls below this amount and you have savings of less than £6,000 and no more than £16,000, you may be able to claim. Pension Credit (for people over 60) Pension Credit replaces Income Support for people over 60 and tops up your money to the minimum the government say you should have to live on. There are 2 parts to it, the Guarantee Credit and the Savings Credit. There is no savings limit for Pension Credit but savings over a certain amount may affect your entitlement. Incapacity Benefit Incapacity Benefit is paid to people aged between 16-65 who are incapable of work and who have paid or been credited with National Insurance contributions. Young people under 20 are able to claim Incapacity Benefit in Youth without having to make the National Insurance contributions. If you receive Incapacity Benefit you can only claim Carers Allowance if you are caring for a close relative. In addition to the benefits described above you may be entitled to claim other benefits including: For further information on welfare rights please see the Citizen’s Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk. It is important that you seek the right advice about entitlements as soon as possible. 7 in 10 carers have become worse off as a result of caring, and the financial burden can be reduced by gaining the right amounts of benefit at the right time. You can contact CARA SocietyCentre for a full benefits check and for help with completing forms. Direct Gov provides information about public services, benefits, tax credits and other information. Department of Work and Pensions DWP provides information and claim forms online for the benefits, allowances, pensions and other payments. Help and advice on job hunting and making a claim for benefit. HMRC is responsible for collecting the bulk of tax revenue, as well as paying Tax Credits and Child Benefits. Child Benefit Tel: 0845 302 1444 Tax Credits Tel: 0845 300 3900 April 2008 |