How To Get A Pension In The Uk

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1 10A Benefits and entitlements and how to fast track claims Information for people with or affected by motor neurone disease If you have been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), or you are a carer for someone with MND, you may be able to claim: benefits offering direct financial support for specific needs entitlements offering other types of support. This information sheet explains the support available and how to apply. You can find the content you need using the following numbered sections: 1. Which benefits and entitlements are right for me? 2. What benefits are available? 3. What entitlements are available? 4. How do I fast track a claim? 5. What do I need to do when making a claim? 6. Can I appeal against a decision? 7. How do I find out more? This symbol is used to highlight our other publications. To find out how to access these, see Further information at the end of this sheet. This symbol is used to highlight quotes from other people with or affected by MND. The MND Association has been certified as a producer of reliable health and social care information. 1

2 What do the words mean? When applying for benefits, you may come across the following terms: Benefit cap: Change in circumstances: Means testing: Taxable benefits: Special rules for terminal illness: the amount of benefit that most people can be awarded has a top limit. This is referred to as the benefit cap. You can work out if you are affected using the benefit cap calculator at: you are legally obliged to inform the Department of Works and Pensions if your financial situation, home circumstances or condition changes. For example, if you need a lengthy stay in hospital, this may affect certain benefits. this is where your income and savings are taken into account to work out the level of award you should receive. It only applies to some claims (this is shown in the list where relevant). some benefit awards may be regarded as taxable, which means you will pay income tax. You can find a list of taxable and nontaxable benefits by searching for income tax at: this is a system where claims for benefits can be fast-tracked if you have a terminal illness. There are some rules about how this is defined; you can find out more in section 4: How do I fast track a claim? 1: Which benefits and entitlements are right for me? The following content list provides a summary of the benefits and entitlements explained in section 2 and 3 of this sheet. This will help you find items easily, by page number. As you explore the options, you can tick which are right for you, as you may need to refer to the details again. We recommend noting the date you start any claim, as some benefits are paid from this date. Support is out there, but you have to know the system. To help you find options you can claim for, we have shown if the benefit or entitlement applies to: people of working age older people families and carers. 2

3 Benefits Attendance Allowance Older people Benefits Page number Right for me? 5 Date of claim Carers Allowance Families and carers Carers Credit Families and carers Carer Premium Families and carers Council Tax Reduction Working age or older Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Working age Disabled Band Reduction Working age or older Employment Support Allowance (ESA) Working age Housing Benefit Working age or older Income Support Working age Pension Credit Older people Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Working age Budgeting and crisis loans Working age or older Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Working age Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) Working age or older

4 Tax Credits All Benefits Page number Right for me? 21 Date of claim Universal Credit Working age 22 Entitlements Access to Work Scheme Working age Blue Badge Scheme Working age or older Charitable funding All Disabled Facilities Grant Working age or older Food banks All Entitlements Page number Right for me? NHS Continuing Healthcare Working age or older Personal budgets and direct payments for health and social care Working age or older Prescription Charge Exemption Working age or older Winter Fuel Payment Older people Cold Weather Payment Working age or older Date of claim For information about benefits relating to bereavement and funerals, see: Information sheet 14B Bereavement support 4

5 2: What benefits are available? A benefit is an amount paid to you by the government or your local authority to meet financial needs resulting from low income or disability. This section explains the benefits you may be able to claim if you are living with or affected by MND, including who qualifies and how to apply. I was in work when diagnosed and found it difficult to know what benefits I was entitled to. Our helpline can answer questions or direct you to someone who can help with claims: MND Connect Telephone: mndconnect@mndassociation.org Where does this information apply? This sheet is updated each year, but benefits are currently under reform. This information applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but there may be differences. Details can be found at: or for Northern Ireland at: If you live in Scotland, contact MND Scotland for advice. See Useful organisations in section 7: How do I find out more? for contact details. Attendance Allowance older people Attendance Allowance provides support for care needs. It is not means tested, not dependent on National Insurance contributions and is tax free. Attendance Allowance does not include a mobility element like Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). However, if you already receive DLA or PIP when you become 65, you can remain on these benefits instead of Attendance Allowance. If these awards included a mobility component, this will continue. If you are admitted to hospital, your Attendance Allowance will stop after four weeks. If you move into a care home, your Attendance Allowance will stop after four weeks unless you are paying for your own care, in which case it will continue. 5

6 There are two rates of Attendance Allowance: the lower rate is paid if you need frequent help with personal care, supervision throughout the day or someone to watch over you at night the higher rate is paid if you need continual help both day and night, or if you are terminally ill and claiming under Special Rules. See Section 4: How do I fast track a claim? Do I qualify? You may qualify if you are over the age of 65 and need care due to physical or mental disability. Hearing, visual or communication difficulties are also considered. How do I apply? You can apply through the Attendance Allowance helpline: Telephone: Northern Ireland Textphone: Northern Ireland attendance.allowanceenquiries@dwp.gsi.gov.uk Or search for Attendance Allowance at: or for Northern Ireland at: to download help notes and the claim form. Carers Allowance families and carers This is an allowance to help people who are providing care for someone with disabilities. It is not means tested, but it is taxable. Do I qualify? You do not have to be related to or live with the person you support, but they do need to agree to your claim. You may get Carers Allowance if: you spend at least 35 hrs per week caring you do not earn more than 110 per week after tax you are 16 or over you are not in full-time education with over 21 hours of supervised study the person you support receives either Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance at the higher or middle rate of the care component the person you support receives the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment, either enhanced or standard. 6

7 If you receive other benefits, you may not be entitled to Carer s Allowance. However, depending on the benefits you receive, you may still qualify for an underlying entitlement, which may result in a top up amount see also Carer Premium. All carers in receipt of Carer s Allowance are exempt from the benefit cap. How do I apply? You can apply online at: or through the Carer s Allowance Unit: Telephone: Northern Ireland Textphone: Northern Ireland Or contact the Pensions Service: Telephone: Northern Ireland Search for Carers Allowance at: or for Northern Ireland at: Carer s Credit families and carers This is a National Insurance (NI) credit to help build your entitlement towards a state pension. It ensures no gaps occur in your NI record if you spend time caring for someone. Do I qualify? You may get Carer s Credit if: you are aged between 16 and the state pension age you are looking after someone for at least 20 hours a week the disabled person you support receives either Attendance Allowance, or Disability Living Allowance at the higher or middle rate of the care component the person you support receives the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment, either enhanced or standard. You may still be able to get Carer s Credit if the disabled person you support does not receive one of these benefits. When you apply, you need to fill in the Care Certificate part of the form and ask a health or social care professional to sign it. 7

8 How do I apply? If you receive Carer s Allowance, or Child Benefit for a child under 12, you will automatically get Carer s Credit. If you are a foster carer, you need to apply for National Insurance Credits instead. You can apply online. Search for Carer s Credit and download the claim form at: or contact the Carers Allowance Unit: Telephone Northern Ireland Textphone Northern Ireland Carer Premium families and carers This premium is an extra amount of money which may be available to carers, who receive any of the following: Income Support or income-related Jobseekers Allowance income related Employment and Support Allowance Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. If it is added to Pension Credit, it is called the Carer Addition. From May 2016 people in some areas of England and Wales making new claims for income-related Employment and Support Allowance and Job Seekers Allowance, Income Support or Housing Benefit will be asked to make a single application to Universal Credit instead. When Universal Credit replaces these benefits, it will include a Carer Element instead of a Carer Premium where applicable (see Universal Credit). Do I qualify? If you qualify for Carers Allowance, but cannot get it because you receive other means tested benefits, you may be able to get a carer premium instead. This is added to your existing benefits. As the Carer Premium is an underlying benefit to Carers Allowance, you still need to make an application for Carers Allowance to receive it. (see Carers Allowance). How do I apply? If you pass the qualifying rules when you apply for the Carers Allowance, a Carer Premium or Carer Element will automatically be added to the amount of benefit you receive. Search for Carers Premium on the NHS Choices website at: or for Northern Ireland at: 8

9 You can also contact Carers Direct: Telephone: Council Tax Reduction working age or older This was previously known as Council Tax Support. This reduction is given if you are on a low income and need financial help to pay your Council Tax bill. It is means tested. Council Tax Reduction is not available in Northern Ireland, but you may be able to get Rate Relief, where you pay less on your rates bill. Do I qualify? Whether you work or not, pay rent, own your home or live rent-free, you qualify if you pay Council Tax and your income and savings are below a certain level. If you have savings of over 16,000 you will not normally get Council Tax Reduction, unless you receive the guarantee credit of Pension Credit (see Pension Credit). Most asylum seekers and people sponsored to be in the UK do not receive Council Tax Reduction. How do I apply? You can claim Council Tax Reduction through your local council or search for Council Tax Reduction at: When applying, it is worth asking if any other discounts apply. For Rate Relief in Northern Ireland, contact your local Rates Collection Agency or search for rate relief at: Disability Living Allowance (DLA) working age DLA is provided to help with extra costs arising from disability or ill-health, eg your care needs or help with getting around (known as the mobility element). It is not means tested, not dependent on National Insurance contributions and is tax free. If you are admitted to hospital, both components of DLA will stop after four weeks. If you move into a care home, the care component of DLA will stop after four weeks unless you are paying for your own care, in which case it will continue. The mobility component will continue to be paid. If you are 65 or over and not receiving DLA, you can apply for Attendance Allowance instead (see Attendance Allowance). 9

10 Do I qualify? You can no longer make a new claim for DLA, as this has been replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for people of working age (see Personal Independence Payment). If you already receive DLA and you were 65 or over before or on 8 April 2013, your DLA will continue. If you were under 65 at this time, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) will contact you when the transfer to PIP needs to happen. All transfers are expected to happen by late If you live in Northern Ireland you will still be able to make a claim for DLA until 20 June After this date, you will be asked to apply for PIP instead. If you apply for PIP, your DLA award will continue until a decision is made. If you are then awarded PIP, there should be no gap in payments, although the level of award could go up or down depending on your circumstances. If your contact details have changed since your DLA award began, let the Department of Work and Pensions know or you could miss out on your letter. You can do this by visiting: or contact by telephone: If you were born on or before 8 April 1948: Telephone: Textphone: If you were born after 8 April 1948: Telephone: Textphone: Disabled Band Reduction Scheme working age or older If you qualify, you will avoid paying more in Council Tax simply because you live in a bigger or adapted property due to disability. This reduction is available in England and Wales only. In Northern Ireland you can apply for a Disabled Persons Allowance Rates instead. This provides a reduction in your rates if you live in an adapted home or where additions have been made to assist you with disability. Do I qualify? Having a disability does not automatically entitle you to a reduction. For example, rearranging rooms to have a bedroom on the ground floor instead of upstairs, is unlikely to qualify. 10

11 However, whether you own or rent your home, are unemployed or working, you are likely to qualify if you are disabled and have any of the following in your property: an additional bathroom or kitchen to meet your disability needs a room that is used predominately by you because of your disability extra space inside the property to allow for indoor wheelchair use. How do I apply? Contact your local authority or council to apply, as the Disabled Band Reduction will not happen automatically, even if you receive support from social services. Search for Disabled Band Reduction at: For Northern Ireland, search for Disabled Persons Allowance Rates at: or contact Land and Property Services: Telephone: Northern Ireland Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) working age Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is paid when an illness or disability prevents someone from working. If you have enough National Insurance (NI) contributions you can claim contributory ESA, which is not means tested. If you do not have enough NI contributions, then you may be entitled to income related ESA, which is means tested, taking into account all household income and savings. If you have a low income and claim contributory ESA, you may be able to claim income related ESA as a top-up payment. New claims for income related ESA will start to be paid as part of Universal Credit from May This will be rolled out across the country over the next few years, and already applies in some areas. See Universal Credit for more information. Do I qualify? If you re employed, self-employed or unemployed (or a student on Disability Living Allowance) and your illness or disability affects your ability to work, you may get Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you are: under state pension age not getting Statutory Sick Pay or Statutory Maternity Pay and you haven t gone back to work not getting Jobseeker s Allowance. 11

12 A work capability assessment will be required, usually within the first 13 weeks. You will be asked to complete a questionnaire about how your illness affects you and this may mean attending a medical assessment. During the period leading up to the assessment you will be paid the basic rate of ESA. If you provide a DS1500 form (see fast tracking later in this information sheet) you should not be asked to attend an assessment interview. After the assessment period you should be put into what is known as the support group, which is for people who are unable to return to work. At this stage, you will not have to attend further interviews or assessments. If you are placed in the work-related activity group instead of the support group, please contact MND Connect as you will be able to challenge this decision. If your claim is refused after these assessments, you have the right to appeal. You will continue to be entitled to basic ESA while your appeal is heard. See section 6: Can I appeal against the decision? How do I apply? The fastest way to apply is by telephone, or search for ESA at: or for Northern Ireland at: to print a claim form. Send the completed form to your local Jobcentre Plus office or in Northern Ireland your Social Security or Jobs and Benefit Office, where they can help you fill out the form: Telephone: New benefit enquiries only Northern Ireland Welsh language Textphone: Northern Ireland Contact the national Jobcentre enquiry line for queries about an existing claim. Telephone: Northern Ireland Welsh language Textphone: Housing Benefit working age or older If you have a low income, you may be able to get Housing Benefit to help pay your rent. This applies whether you are working, unemployed or off work with sickness. 12

13 Housing Benefit counts towards the benefit cap. This limits the amount of benefit a household can receive to 23,000 per year in London and 20,000 outside London. If you receive disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance or the higher rate of Employment and Support Allowance you will be exempt from the cap. New claims will start to be paid as part of Universal Credit from May This already applies in certain areas and will be gradually introduced elsewhere. If you already claim certain benefits, you will be told when Universal Credit affects you (see Universal Credit). Housing Benefit may be reduced if you have a property which is considered too big for your needs in other words, if you have a spare bedroom. This is commonly known as the bedroom tax. However, this won t apply if you require an extra bedroom for a regular overnight carer who does not live with you and you receive any of the following: the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) middle/high rate Disabled Living Allowance (DLA) Attendance Allowance. If your housing benefit has been cut because of bedroom tax, you may be able to claim from the Discretionary Housing Payment Fund to help any shortfall between housing benefit and rent. Each case is different, so contact your local authority to find out whether or not you qualify. If you are of pensionable age, the bedroom tax should not apply to you. This may depend on other factors, such as living with a partner who works. If you are a homeowner and you are struggling with housing costs, see the later heading, Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI). Do I qualify? You are unlikely to get Housing Benefit if you: have savings of over 16,000 (unless you are getting the guarantee credit of Pension Credit see later section) live in the home of a close relative are a full-time student (unless you are disabled or have children) are an asylum seeker or are sponsored to be in the UK. If you live with a partner, or civil partner, only one of you can get Housing Benefit. If you are single and aged under 35 you can only get Housing Benefit for bed-sit accommodation or one room in shared accommodation. If you are a private tenant on a low income or you rent a property or room from a private landlord, you may qualify for Local Housing Allowance instead. 13

14 How do I apply? If you already receive Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker s Allowance, you can claim Housing Benefit through Jobcentre Plus (until your area switches to Universal Credit): Telephone: New benefit enquiries Northern Ireland Textphone: If you are already claiming Pension Credit, contact: Telephone: Textphone: Or the Pensions Service: Telephone: Northern Ireland Textphone: Northern Ireland If you are not already claiming these other benefits, you need to contact your local authority to claim for Housing Benefit. Search for Housing Benefit or Universal Credit at: or for Northern Ireland at: For Local Housing Allowance, contact your local authority. Income Support working age Income Support is extra money to help with low income and is means tested. New claims will be paid as part of Universal Credit from May This already applies in certain areas and will be gradually introduced elsewhere. If you already claim certain benefits, you will be told when Universal Credit affects you (see Universal Credit). Do I qualify? Until Universal Credit affects your area, you may qualify for Income Support if you are on a low income and all the following apply: you are between age 16 and state pension age you work less than 16 hours a week and your partner less than 24 hours you are not in full-time study (but there are some exceptions) you do not get Jobseeker s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance 14

15 you do not have savings above 16,000 you live in England, Scotland or Wales (Northern Ireland has different rules, which can be found through NIDirect see Contacts for making claims towards the end of this sheet) you have not signed on as unemployed. There are a number of premiums available with income support if you or your spouse or partner are disabled and claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Attendance Allowance. There is also a Carer Premium if you or your spouse or partner is a carer, and you may be able to get help with housing costs such as mortgage interest payments too. How do I apply? You can download help notes and print a claim form. Search for either Income Support or Universal Credit at: or for Northern Ireland at: You can apply through Jobcentre Plus: Telephone: Welsh language Textphone: For Northern Ireland contact your local Social Security or Jobs and Benefits Office. Pension Credit older people This is an income related benefit for people of retirement age, made up of two parts: Guarantee Credit: which guarantees a minimum income by topping up any weekly income you have, including state retirement pension Savings Credit: for people who have made some financial provision towards their retirement. Do I qualify? You must live in Great Britain and be of qualifying age, as follows: for Guarantee Credit the qualifying age is in line with the age you qualify for State Pension, depending on when you were born for Savings Credit you must be 65 or over. Ask for guidance about the qualifying age when you claim or use the online calculator for State Pension age at: 15

16 When claiming Pension Credit, if either member of a couple is under the qualifying age, the couple will be treated as working age and expected to claim for Universal Credit instead. Existing claims will continue as long as the other qualifying conditions are met. How do I apply? Contact your local pension centre and an adviser will help you apply or contact the Pension Credit claim helpline: Telephone: Northern Ireland Textphone: Northern Ireland Search for Pension Credit at: For Northern Ireland search for pensions at: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) working age PIP is a benefit to help with some of the extra costs of long-term illness or disability. This is based on how your condition affects you, not what your condition is. It is not means tested or taxable. PIP has replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for new claimants. If you have an existing DLA award, you will be reassessed and transferred at some point before 2018 (see Disability Living Allowance). This applies only to England and Wales at the moment. If you are making a new claim, you will be able to make a PIP claim in Northern Ireland from 20 June Until then you can apply for DLA instead. PIP has a daily living component and a mobility component. If you qualify, you may be awarded money for one or both, at either standard or enhanced rate. If you are awarded the enhanced rate for mobility and your award is for at least 12 months, you may be able to use this for the Motability Scheme. For details about the Motability Scheme, see: Information sheet 12B Choosing the right vehicle If you are admitted to hospital, both components of PIP will stop after four weeks. If you move into a care home, the care component of PIP will stop after four weeks unless you are paying for your own care, in which case it will continue. The mobility component will continue to be paid. 16

17 Do I qualify? Whether working or not, you may get PIP if you: have a physical or mental disability, or both have difficulties with activities related to daily living and/or mobility are aged between 16 and 64 when you claim (after 65, you can apply for Attendence Allowance instead) have been resident in Great Britain for at least two of the last three years. You may qualify for fast tracking where your claim will be processed as quickly as possible (see section 4: How do I fast track a claim?). If not, you must have had difficulties with daily living activities or mobility for at least 3 months. These difficulties must affect you at some point during the day, on the majority of days (more than half). How do I apply? Stage one of the application: is completed by phone: or textphone: You can ask them to call back as this can take up to 45 minutes. Someone else can call on your behalf, but you need to be with them. You can also write to request a form which you complete and return by post (this may delay your claim). You can find details by searching for Personal Independence Payment at: If you have speech and communication difficulties, and you do not have someone to act as your representative, it may be possible to have a home visit arranged. The website allows deaf people who use British Sign Language to use video technology to communicate via a sign language interpreter. You can find details by searching for Personal Independence Payment at: This first stage of the application will determine if you need to be fast tracked because you have a life-shortening disease (see Section 4: How do I fast track a claim?). This is important to determine, as fast tracking will help your claim to be processed as quickly as possible and ensure you automatically get the highest rate. If you qualify for fast tracking, you do not have to complete stage two of the application for the daily living component.there is no automatic entitlement for the mobility component of PIP so you may have to apply for this extra component. However, the fast tracking process will ensure that if you do qualify you will be paid as quickly as possible. If successful, your claim will be backdated to the date you started the claim, but not to the date you were diagnosed or problems started. Stage two of the application: if you are not fast tracked, you will need to go through the second stage of the application. This requires filling in the How your disability affects you form. Provide as much detail as you can about the way MND affects your daily living (for details, see Section 5: What do I need to do when making a claim?). 17

18 During the second stage, the level of award for PIP is sometimes determined by face to face assessment, conducted by a private company. However, providing assessors have enough medical evidence about how your condition affects your daily life, they should be able to assess you on paper and you should not have to attend a face-to-face assessment. If they do ask you to attend a face-to-face assessment and you don t feel able to go to an assessment centre, you can request a home visit. If you have any difficulties with attending an assessment or arranging a home assessment, please contact MND Connect. Search for Personal Independence Payment at: or contact the PIP Helpline: Telephone: Textphone: Budgeting and crisis loans working age or older There are some extra payments that may be available if you already receive certain benefits to help you manage difficult situations. These include: budgeting loans to help with one off expenses, such as paying for essential items (these will be replaced by Budgeting Advances as people move onto Universal Credit) short term benefit advances, if benefit payments are delayed local welfare assistance schemes, run by local authorities. These will vary depending on where you live. In Northern Ireland, crisis loans are still available from NI Direct until October Do I qualify? A short term loan or advance will only be paid if: you are claiming a contributory or means tested benefit you are aged 16 or over you do not have enough money to meet your (or your family s) immediate short term needs in an emergency without the loan there will be serious damage or risk to your (or your family s) health or safety. 18

19 How do I apply? Ask Jobcentre Plus if you need information about a possible short term advance. For Budgeting Loans you complete a claim form through Jobcentre Plus. You can download and print the form by searching for Social Fund at: or contact Jobcentre Plus: Telephone: Welsh language Textphone: For advice about a Budgeting Advance through Universal Credit, contact: Telephone: Welsh language Textphone: For support in Northern Ireland, search for Social Fund at: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) working age If you are employed and become unable to work because you are sick, you can receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). It is payable for up to 28 weeks. It is usually paid through your employer, who may also offer a company sick pay scheme. If you only receive SSP, without additional sick pay from your employer, you may be able to claim a top up benefit, but this is means tested. Do I qualify? You may be entitled to SSP if you have been unable to work for at least 4 days and you: earn at least 111 a week are employed (not self-employed) have paid sufficient National Insurance contributions. If you are working, but also receive a state pension, this may affect whether or not you receive SSP. If SSP has ended or you are self-employed, you may be able to claim Employment Support Allowance (ESA) (see Employment Support Allowance). 19

20 How do I apply? You must tell your employer you are sick before their deadline, or within seven days if they do not have one. You need a Fitness for Work (Fit Note) from your doctor to claim for SSP or ESA. This allows doctors to advise when you might be able to return to work, possibly with help from your employer. If you wish to apply for ESA, ask your employer to provide form SSP1. Search for SSP at: or for Northern Ireland at: Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) working age or older As a homeowner you might be able to get Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI). This helps towards interest payments on mortgages or loans for certain repairs or home improvements. This only applies to interest, not the amount borrowed. There is no guarantee that you will get SMI for a loan. SMI cannot be used for insurance policies or missed mortgage payments. If you already receive Pension Credit, there is no waiting period. Otherwise, SMI is only payable 39 weeks after you claim. You will be told how long the benefit will be paid when you claim. It is normally paid direct to your lender. Changes are being made to how SMI works. From 2017/18, SMI will only be available as a repayable loan. We will update this information sheet as further details are announced. Do I qualify? You must be getting one of the following benefits to qualify for Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI): Universal Credit Income Support income-based Jobseeker s Allowance income-related Employment and Support Allowance Pension Credit. 20

21 How do I apply? Contact Jobcentre Plus to claim or ask questions: Telephone: Welsh language Textphone: Or for Northern Ireland contact your local Social Security or Jobs and Benefits Office. You can also contact the Pensions Service: Telephone: Northern Ireland Search for SMI at: or for Northern Ireland at: Tax Credits All Tax credits are means tested payments from the government to provide support if you have children or a low income. New claims started to be paid as part of Universal Credit from April This already applies in certain areas and will be gradually introduced elsewhere. If you already claim certain benefits, you will be told when Universal Credit affects you (see Universal Credit). Do I qualify? If you are responsible for at least one child or young person, you may qualify for Child Tax Credit. If you work, but are on a low income, you may qualify for Working Tax Credit. How do I apply? To claim tax credits you have to fill in a claim form which you can request from the Tax Credit Helpline: Telephone: Textphone: You cannot download a claim form, or make your claim online, unless you are claiming as part of a Universal Credit application. Search for Tax Credits or Universal Credit at: or for Northern Ireland at: 21

22 Universal Credit working age Universal Credit helps support you if you are out of work or on a low income. If you are unable to work because of a disability or illness, you receive Universal Credit at a higher rate. Universal Credit will start to be rolled out for new claims across England and Wales from May 2016, and will affect different areas at different times. It is expected to be introduced across Northern Ireland in It replaces means tested benefits such as: Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance (Income Related) Employment Support Allowance (Income Related) Housing Benefit Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. Anyone currently claiming any of these benefits will eventually be moved across to Universal Credit. However, for now, all existing claims will continue under the benefits above. Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Contributory Jobseekers Allowance are not affected, so you will be able to continue to apply for and claim these benefits and will not be asked to move onto Universal Credit. Do I qualify? To claim Universal Credit you must: be over 18 (from 16 in certain circumstances) be under state pension age live in Great Britian not be in full-time education. If you are unable to work through a disability or illness, a work capability assessment will be required to determine if you are entitled to Universal Credit. You will be asked to complete a questionnaire about how your illness affects your everyday life and you may have to attend a medical assessment. How do I apply? Claims should be made online. You will be expected to make a claimant commitment to complete certain tasks when you claim. 22

23 What you agree to do as part of this commitment depends on your health, responsibilities at home and how much help you need to get work or increase your income. If you do not have internet access or need support to claim, face-to-face help or telephone assistance is available. Search for Universal Credit at: or contact the helpline: Telephone: Welsh language new claims Welsh language report changes Textphone: : What entitlements are available? In addition to benefits, you may qualify for the following support to help you with funding or disabled access. These are often referred to as entitlements. Access to Work scheme Working age Access to Work can help if your health or disability affects the way you do your job. It gives you and your employer advice and support with extra costs towards equipment, travel or your personal care at work, which may arise because of your needs. For more about the Access to Work scheme and regional contact details, see: Information sheet 10E Work and MND You can also search for Access to Work at or for Northern Ireland at: Blue Badge Scheme Working age or older Blue Badge will help you park on the street, close to your destination, either as a passenger or driver. Off-street car parks, such as those provided in local authority, hospital or supermarket car parks are governed by separate rules, but they may offer priority parking if you have a Blue Badge. Contact your local authority about the scheme. For more details about the Blue Badge Scheme, see: Information Sheet 12A Driving You can also search for Blue Badge at: or for Northern Ireland at: 23

24 Charitable funding All A variety of charities provide help in specific circumstances. Please contact our helpline MND Connect, for information about current schemes: Telephone: mndconnect@mndassociation.org We provide MND Support Grants where a need has been assessed by a health or social care professional or where support would improve quality of life. Contact our Support Services team for details: Telephone: support.services@mndassociation.org You can also view information about our services at: Disabled Facilities Grant working age or older A Disabled Facilities Grant helps towards the cost of adapting your home, to enable you to continue to live there. The grant is provided by your local authority, but the application can be complicated and time consuming. For details about these grants, see Information sheet 10C Disabled Facilities Grants Search for Disabled Facilities Grants at or for Northern Ireland at: Food banks All Community services now provide essential food supplies via food banks for those in need. The food is donated and issued by volunteers. If you feel you this would be helpful, ask a health and social care professional about this service (eg your GP or a social worker). If you qualify, you will be given vouchers to use at your local food bank. NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Working age or older NHS Continuing Healthcare (often called continuing care) is a package of funding and care for complex medical needs, provided by the NHS. If you wish, you can manage the services you receive yourself, by accepting this care through a personal healthcare budget in direct payments see Personal budgets and direct payments below. For details about continuing care, see: Information sheet 10D NHS Continuing Healthcare 24

25 Ask your GP or health and social care team for advice about how to be assessed for NHS Continuing Healthcare. Personal budgets and direct payments for social care or healthcare working age or older For full details about personal budgets and direct payments, see: Information sheet 10B Direct Payments and Personalisation Personal budget for social care needs: This is a statement from adult social care services that sets out the amount they believe it will cost to meet your needs, and how much they will pay towards it. You will receive a care assessment to work out what you need and a financial assessment to work out how much you may need to contribute. You can have services arranged for you or you can manage this yourself by receiving your personal budget in direct payments. Personal budgets for social care are only available in England, but you can still get direct payments in Wales and Northern Ireland to meet your social care needs. Personal health budget for healthcare needs: This is a regular amount paid to you by the NHS to enable you to select and manage your own healthcare services if you have a long term condition. This does not include primary healthcare, such as GP services, which will still be provided. Personal health budgets are only available in England. If you qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare, you can arrange to manage this yourself through a personal health budget and direct payments. This may cover all your social care and healthcare needs in a combined budget. Prescription charge exemption and help with sight tests and dental charges Working age and older This exemption means you will not have to pay charges on NHS prescriptions in England. You may also be entitled to a free sight test and a voucher towards the cost of glasses, and/or help with the cost of dental charges if you receive certain benefits. All prescriptions are free of charge in Wales and Northern Ireland. Do I qualify? You can claim if you have a continuing physical disability, which means you cannot go out without the help of another person. 25

26 You are also entitled to free prescription charges if you are: aged 60 or over an NHS in-patient receiving key benefits (means tested) on a low income. If you are not entitled to this exemption you can purchase a Prescription Pre-payment Certificate (PPC), which costs less over a 3 or 12 month period. The certificate covers you for all NHS prescriptions, including dental, no matter how many you need. If you purchase the 12 month certificate you can make 10 monthly installments by direct debit. How do I apply? To get free prescriptions you need to apply for a Medical Exemption Certificate. Ask your GP or Consultant to fill out the claim form for you. This will be sent off and you will receive a certificate, valid for five years. People on a low income can also apply using form HC1: Claim for Help with Health Costs, available from your GP surgery, pharmacy or Jobcentre Plus. If you need a Prescription Pre-payment Certificate (PPC) instead, you can purchase this at: or through the helpline: Telephone: For more information, search for prescription costs on the NHS Choices website at: For information about sight tests and dental charges, search for health costs at or search for Help with Health Costs or free NHS eye test at: Winter Fuel Payment and Cold Weather Payment older people working age or older Winter Fuel payment is a yearly amount to help people over pension age pay for their heating in winter. It is tax free, and is not means tested. The Cold Weather Payment is separate to the Winter Fuel Payment and you can be working age or older. If you receive certain benefits, you may be able to get this when very cold weather is likely to cause additional heating costs. If you qualify, a payment will be made for each seven day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March. It is means tested. 26

27 Do I qualify? You get Winter Fuel Payment at qualifying pensionable age, if you normally live in the UK and are resident on any day during the week of September. Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for Cold Weather Payment if you receive: Pension Credit Universal Credit Income Support income-based Jobseeker s Allowance income related Employment & Support Allowance (ESA). How do I apply? If you receive State Pension or certain other benefits you will be paid the Winter Fuel Payment automatically. If not, and you think you are eligible, you can claim online or print out the form and return by post. Search for Winter Fuel Payment at: You can also contact the Winter Fuel Payment Helpline for the form: Telephone: Textphone: If you qualify, you will also receive the Cold Weather Payment automatically. Search for Cold Weather Payment at: For Northern Ireland, search for Winter Fuel Payment or Cold Weather Payment at: or contact the Northern Ireland Winter fuel Payment Centre: Telephone: Textphone: : How do I fast track a claim? People with a terminal illness can use Special Rules to fast track claims for disability benefits (see Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance for more detail). If you meet the criteria, your claim will be dealt with quickly and you will receive the highest rates available of the relevant benefits. When you are fast tracked for a benefit, you do not have to: complete the longer claim forms or attend face-to-face assessments wait the usual qualifying period before payments start. This means your claim will be processed as quickly as possible and you will receive the 27

28 award much faster. Without fast tracking, claims can take many weeks to complete. If you are not passed for fast tracking, you will be redirected to a normal application, so you have nothing to lose. Special Rules state that the person s death should be reasonably expected within 6 months, but this is a guideline only and all awards under Special Rules are given for a 3 year period. With MND, you may be guided into fast tracking when you first start the claim process. This is usually by telephone, so ask about fast tracking if it is not explained. If you are not fast tracked at first contact, you will find notes about Special Rules in the claim pack, which will be sent to you. In this case: complete the Special Rules section of the claim form (whether on the form or by telephone) request form DS1500 from your doctor, nurse or social worker, who will complete it for you. They must sign the form, then you can send it to the Department of Work and Pensions to support your claim. The start date of your claim is important, as any award will be dated from this point. Do not delay starting the claim if you are still awaiting the DS1500, as you can send this in later. The DWP will let you know their decision. If successful, you will receive a three year award. After three years it will be reviewed. If you or your doctor are in any doubt about whether a diagnosis of MND qualifies for Special Rules, you may find it helpful to contact our helpline, MND Connect: Telephone: mndconnect@mndassociation.org 5: What do I need to do when making a claim? Ensure you have personal information available before making any enquiries. As well as your address and personal details, you will be asked for: your National Insurance number your bank account details (you should only be asked for these as part of an official assessment or application) details about your rent or mortgage details of your past or present employer details of other income and savings. If you have any special requirements when making a claim, ask the provider if the forms 28

29 are available in alternative formats, for example large print. You may have to wait before receiving payment, as the application process can take some time. Will I need to provide any other supporting evidence? With disability benefits, you may need to explain how your condition affects your daily living. Give as much detail as you can on the claim form and: try not to make light of your difficulties emphasise that your symptoms will get worse over time, so that your future needs are considered send in supporting evidence or a letter from your health and social care team, as this can be helpful provide the best possible contact for further evidence that may be needed, such as your MND Care Centre coordinator if you attend a care centre or your consultant or specialist nurse from your neurological clinic keep a file of all communications during your claim, including a copy of the claim form if you can (this may help if there are any problems or you need to appeal). Can I get help to make a claim? If you need support to make a claim, contact the helpline relevant to the chosen benefit. If you need help filling out application forms then the DWP s home visiting service may be able to assist you. In England and Wales, the Pension Service also operates the Local Service scheme to assist people of pensionable age and vulnerable people under pensionable age. They review which benefits are relevant and can help complete forms. Northern Ireland no longer has pension advisers, but the Pension Service may contact the Improving Benefit Uptakes Outreach team. Advisers from these teams can provide home visits if necessary. Contact the Pension Service: Telephone: (Northern Ireland) Textphone: If you have to wait for an appointment, a local independent advice centre may be able to help (where a benefit service is offered), such as your local authority, local carer s organisation or a Citizens Advice Bureau. In Northern Ireland you can also contact the Make the Call benefits advice line if you 29