Welfare benefits. Each of the benefits listed below have different qualifying rules and conditions and can be divided into two main groups:

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1 Welfare benefits This information is a basic guide to benefits for people living with a lung condition in England, Scotland and Wales. It was updated in February Welfare benefits for people living with a lung condition The Welfare Reform Act 2012 changed many benefits from April This guide contains an outline of the benefits that you may be entitled to if you: have care and/or mobility needs because of your lung condition; cannot work due to your lung condition; are thinking of giving up work because of your lung condition; or are caring for someone with a lung condition. Each of the benefits listed below have different qualifying rules and conditions and can be divided into two main groups: 1. Means-tested or non-means-tested if a benefit is means-tested it will take into account any other benefits or income you have. 2. Contributory or non-contributory to qualify for some benefits you need to have paid a certain amount of National Insurance contributions. Benefits for care and mobility need help with care and mobility. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) PIP replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults aged 16 to 64 who have difficulties or needs with aspects of their daily life. It is non-means-tested and noncontributory, and can be paid whether you are working or not. Like DLA, PIP has two components which are now called Daily Living Activities and Mobility Activities. If you are eligible you can be paid for either components or just one. There are two rates, standard and enhanced, and you will be assessed on a points system to decide which rate you qualify for. To qualify for the standard rate you need eight points, and for the enhanced rate you need 12 points.

2 To qualify for PIP you must have had the difficulties or needs for three months before you can claim and must be likely to continue to have them for the next nine months. The process for reassessing current DLA claimants will begin in October 2013 and should be completed by If you reached the age of 65 by 8 April 2013 your DLA claim can continue and you should not be reassessed for PIP. Disability Living Allowance This is only available if you are claiming for a child under the age of 16 and satisfy the care and/or mobility criteria. You will need to show that your child has significantly more care needs than a child of the same age without any health problems. DLA has two components: a care element and a mobility element. To qualify for the mobility component your child must be at least three years of age. Attendance Allowance Attendance Allowance (AA) is a non-means-tested and non-contributory benefit paid to people aged 65 years and over who have personal care needs because of their lung condition. AA is paid at one of two rates, higher or lower depending on the level of problems you have. You must have had care needs for at least six months. There is no mobility payment with AA and any difficulties with mobility outside the home will not be taken into account. Benefits for people unable to work This information is about the benefits you might be entitled to if you are unable to work in the UK due to a lung condition. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) SSP is paid to employees who are unable to work because of sickness. SSP is paid by your employer for up to a maximum of 28 weeks and can be claimed back from the government by your employer. To be eligible for SSP you must meet certain conditions:

3 you must be working for your employer under a contract of service; you must be earning above the earnings threshold, before tax and National Insurance; and you must be sick for at least four days in a row. Once SSP has ended, if you are still too sick to return to work, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) may be payable (see below) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) can be paid if you are too ill to work. You must go to a Work Capability Assessment while your ESA is being assessed. ESA s financial support has two elements: Contributory ESA, which will depend on National Insurance contributions (this may not be necessary in certain circumstances). Income-related ESA; which is the means-tested element. It does not depend on National Insurance contributions, but it can depend on how much household income you have. It is intended that this part of ESA will be replaced by Universal Credit. Within the first 13 weeks of your claim for ESA, your work capability should be assessed and you should undergo a work capability assessment. Usually you will have to travel to a centre to be assessed. After this assessment the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can place you in one of the following groups: 1. the work-related activity group, where you will be expected to try to find employment and have regular interviews with an adviser 2. the support group, where you will not be expected to look for employment as your illness or disability has a severe effect on your ability to work. If the DWP decides you are fit to work straightaway they can advise you to apply for Job Seekers Allowance (JSA). By doing this you have to declare yourself fit for work. It is worth asking to speak to a Disability Employment Adviser at your local Jobcentre for specific guidance on applying for JSA.

4 JSA is broken down into contribution-based and income-based allowance, and like income-based ESA, it is intended that income-based JSA will be replaced by Universal Credit. Universal Credit Universal Credit is being introduced in stages. Whether you can claim depends on where you live and your personal circumstances. If it applies to you, you can claim Universal Credit instead of: Income Support Income-based Jobseeker s Allowance (JSA) Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Housing Benefit Child Tax Credit Elements of the Social Fund Working Tax Credit You cannot claim Tax Credits at the same time as Universal Credit. Universal Credit is paid monthly, not weekly, and is a means-tested benefit. It can be paid if you are working or not working. Benefits Cap The benefits cap limits the amount of benefits a person or family can get if they are aged between 16 and 64. There are exceptions to the cap, for example if a person is receiving certain benefits such as DLA or Working Tax Credit. Work-related compensation have a lung condition caused by your work. Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) IIDB is a benefit that can be paid if you are ill or disabled as a result of a disease caused by the work you have done. You may be entitled to this benefit if you are affected by: A disease caused by working with asbestos Asthma Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Pneumoconiosis (including silicosis)

5 Primary lung cancer where there is evidence of silicosis or asbestosis Mesothelioma Diseases caused by exposure to certain toxic chemicals Diseases caused by exposure to non-toxic biological agents such as animals, plants and other organisms for example, extrinsic allergic alveolitis. You must have done certain types of work to be eligible. The amount you can get depends on how serious your disability is. It cannot be paid if you were selfemployed at the time of your exposure to the substance that caused the illness. IIDB is non-means-tested and non-contributory. Claim forms are available from Gov.uk or by calling the Barrow Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit centre on Benefits for carers care for someone with a lung condition. Carer s Allowance Carer s Allowance is a weekly benefit for someone over the age of 16 caring for a person for more than 35 hours a week. You do not have to live with or be related to the person you care for. The person cared for must be getting the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) care component (at the highest or middle rate), any rate of Attendance Allowance or any rate of the Daily Living Activities for Personal Independence payment (PIP). If the carer receives a state retirement pension then they should seek specialist advice before applying for Carer s Allowance, as it cannot be paid at the same time as a retirement pension. Carer s Allowance is non-contributory and non-means-tested.

6 Carer s Credit You could get Carer s Credit if you are caring for someone for at least 20 hours a week. Carer s Credit is a National Insurance contribution. This means that if you have to stop working due to your caring responsibilities, contributions will still be paid so you will still be eligible for benefits such as the state pension. You cannot claim this if you are already claiming Carer s Allowance. Top-up benefits you receive a low income, you have or care for children, or you are aged over 60. Income Support This is a means-tested benefit which helps to top up your income if it falls below a certain level. It is paid to people who are all of the following: between 16 and state pension age carers, pregnant, or lone parents with a child under five, unable to work due to illness before 27 October 2010 have no income or a low income working less than 16 hours a week live in England, Scotland or Wales Income support is due to be replaced by Universal Credit. Tax Credits There are two types of Tax Credits, both of which are means tested: Child Tax Credit, which is payable to anyone who has any children, depending on their household income; and Working Tax Credit, which is payable to anyone in low-paid work (this will be replaced by Universal Credit).

7 Pension Credit Pension Credit is a means tested benefit for people aged 60 and over based on income. It has two parts: Guarantee Credit, which tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed level. Savings Credit, for people who are over 65 and have saved some money towards their retirement. You may be entitled to the Guarantee Credit or the Savings Credit, or both. The qualifying age for Pension Credit is gradually increasing to 66; this is in line with the increase of state pension age. You can claim Pension Credit whether or not you are still working. You do not need to have paid any National Insurance contributions. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit This is a means tested benefit which helps you to pay your rent. Anyone can claim this benefit if their income falls below a certain level. Following the Welfare Reform Act, there is now a specific restriction on how much housing benefit can be paid, which is informally referred to as the bedroom tax. Anyone who receives housing benefit but has more bedrooms than the number of people living there will have to contribute to their rent. For example, if you have a three-bedroom house and have one spare bedroom you will lose 14 per cent of your housing benefit. If you have two spare bedrooms you could lose 25 per cent. Council Tax Reduction Council Tax Reduction replaced Council Tax Benefit in April This is a meanstested benefit which helps you to pay your Council Tax. Anyone can claim this benefit if their income falls below a certain level. You can apply for it whether you own your home, rent, are unemployed, working or a student. Local councils now hold responsibility for setting council tax rates and run their own schemes for Council Tax Reduction. You may get this benefit if:

8 you pay Council Tax; and You re on a low income or claiming benefits. Support for people of working age may be reduced under new local schemes. Pensioners who receive Council Tax Benefit as part of their pension credit will not be affected by these reductions. Social Fund Payments These payments have now been stopped. Anyone in immediate financial hardship should contact their local council. Help with heating costs need help to pay for heating costs. Winter fuel payments A Winter Fuel payment is a tax-free payment for people aged 60 and over, although the qualifying age is gradually increasing in line with the state pension age. It is paid every year during the winter months to help with your fuel costs, usually between November and December. Winter fuel payments do not depend on how cold the weather gets. Cold weather payments This is only paid when the weather falls below a certain temperature for a period of seven days between 1 November and 31 March. These payments are made to people on the following income-related benefits: Income Support or Income-based Jobseeker s Allowance because you are aged 60 or over Income Support or Income-based Employment and Support Allowance and have a child under five or are responsible for a disabled child Income Support if you are long-term sick or disabled Pension Credit Universal Credit

9 Warm Home Discount Scheme The Warm Home Discount Scheme (WHD) is run with electricity providers and gives a one-off discount on your winter electricity bill. You qualify if on 12 July 2014: your supplier is part of the scheme, and your name or your partner s was on the bill, and you were getting the guaranteed credit element of Pension Credit (even if you get Savings Credit as well) You may also be able to claim this rebate under the broader group rules if you are classed as being in a vulnerable group, for example if you have an illness or disability. The electricity providers will have their own criteria for eligibility under the broader group. The participating suppliers in this scheme are: Atlantic, British Gas, Co-operative energy, EDF Energy, E.ON, Equipower, Equigas, First Utility, Manweb, M&S Energy, npower, Sainsbury s Energy, Scottish Gas, Scottish Hydro, ScottishPower, Southern Electric, SSE, SWALEC and Utility Warehouse.