Money and Legal Matters

Money and Legal Matters Claiming benefits Benefits are an income and it is a good idea to check you are receiving all the benefits to which you are entitled. If you are not sure what you are entitled to you can contact the Benefit enquiry line for advice and information. The Benefit Enquiry Line gives general advice on benefits, and is a telephone advice and information service you can call if you are sick or disabled or if you are caring for someone and acting on their behalf, before you have made a claim. The person taking your call will not have your personal papers but will be able to give you general advice. To learn more about these benefits you can also visit online the Directgov page detailed: www.direct.gov.uk/disability-money Benefits Enquiry Line 2nd Floor, Red Rose House, Lancaster Road, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 1HB Tel: Free phone 0800 882 200 Text phone 0800 243 355 Email address BEL-Customer-Services@dwp.gsi.gov.uk Website (opens new window) www.direct.gov.uk/disability-money Opening Hours Monday to Friday 0830 1830, Saturday 0900-1300 Enquiries relating to a specific benefit claim should be directed to the office dealing with your claim. Types of Benefits Disclaimer Please note this is not a comprehensive list for more information contact the Benefit enquiry line above. Information contained on this Fact Sheet is not specific to individual situations; each individual situation will need to be checked fully with the appropriate agency / body / help lines listed. Contact information, entitlement and how to claim should be checked with the appropriate agency / body / help lines listed. Rates and qualifying rules could be subject to change and will need to be checked with the appropriate agency / body / help lines listed. Full details of allowances and benefits can be obtained from the numbers below and / or the Benefits enquiry line, or contact your local Citizen s Advice Bureau. 1

Carers Allowance Is the main state benefit for Carers so it's important to find out if you can receive it. Carers allowance is currently worth 53.90 a week (2010-2011 rates). To qualify you need to meet all the rules. Please check each of the rules carefully as they are quite complicated. You must be 16 years old or over You must look after someone for at least 35 hours a week The person you look after must receive a qualifying disability benefit If you work you must not earn more than 100 (2010-2011 rate) You must not get one of a list of other benefits You must be living in the UK when you claim Carers Allowance You must not be a full-time student Please note that the Carers Allowance is a taxable benefit. If you are awarded Carers Allowance, you can check to see if you qualify for the Carer Premium or its Pension Credit equivalent, as you may get more money. The Carers Allowance Unit provides information regarding Carers Allowance, the main state benefit for Carers, including eligibility and how to make a claim. Carers Allowance Unit Palatine House, Lancaster Road, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 1HB Tel: 0845 608 4321 Text phone 0845 604 5312 Fax: 01772 899 354 Email address cau.customer-services@dwp.gsi.gov.uk Opening Hours Monday to Thursday 0830 1700 and Friday 0830-1630 Disability Living Allowance This is a benefit for disabled people and is paid if you have needed help for three months or more because of a severe physical or mental illness or disability, and likely to need it for at least another six months. You need to be under 65 if you are over 65 claim Attendance Allowance. You need to have lived in Great Britain for at least 26 of the last 52 weeks and have an unrestricted right to live in Great Britain. 2

Attendance Allowance This is paid if: You need help to look after yourself You are aged 65 or over Attendance Allowance is paid at different rates depending on whether you need care during the day, during the night, or both. To claim, you will have needed help for at least the last 6 months unless you have a terminal illness, when the benefit is paid immediately Direct Payments Direct payments are cash payments Oxfordshire County Council may be able to provide instead of giving you a service. Direct payments can be made to: People aged 16 or over who are in need of community care services Carers aged 16 or over in respect of Carers services People with parental responsibility for disabled children Income Support and Pension Credit Income Support is for people under the 'qualifying age' for Pension Credit (see below) with no income or income below a minimum level, called the applicable amount. This is set by the government and the applicable amount varies with your circumstances. Pension Credit is a means tested benefit paid to a person where they or their partner are of the 'qualifying age' Who can claim Pension credit? For details on Pension Credit contact the Pension Service on 0800 99 1234 (or 0800 100 6165 in Northern Ireland) How to claim To start a claim for Income Support, call 0800 055 6688. To apply for Pension Credit contact the Pension Service on 0800 99 1234 (or 0800 100 6165 in Northern Ireland) 3

Employment and Support Allowance Incapacity Benefit is a benefit for those who are unable to work because of illness or disability. Note: Incapacity Benefit has been replaced by a new benefit called Employment and Support Allowance since 27 October 2008. If you have been in receipt of Incapacity Benefit since before 27 October 2008 you will continue to receive it for the time being. If you have previously been in receipt of Incapacity Benefit within the last two years you may be able to reclaim it, depending on your circumstances. To claim Telephone: 0800 055 6688 Text phone: 0800 023 4888 For more information contact Jobcentre plus office, or the Benefits enquiry line or go to http://www.direct.gov.uk Working tax credit This is for people who are in full time work. Working Tax Credit is a meanstested payment, so the amount you get depends on your circumstances and the amount you earn. To claim the tax credits and for more information, contact the Inland Revenue's helpline on: 0845 300 3900 (0845 603 2000 in Northern Ireland). Child Tax Credit This is for people looking after a child under 16 (or under 19 in education). The amount you get depends on your income and personal circumstances. You may get extra credit if you have a disabled child To claim the tax credits and for more information, contact the Inland Revenue's helpline on: 0845 300 3900 (0845 603 2000 in Northern Ireland). Help with Council Tax Contact your local Council to whom you pay your council tax. Housing Benefit Contact your local Council Jobseeker s allowance Contact your local Job centre. Skip the main content if you do not want to read it as the next section. 4

Disability benefits once you have made a claim You can get advice on Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance claims from the Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance Helpline, who should have access to your records. Tel: 08457 123 456 Textphone: 08457 22 44 33 You can also use the RNID Text Relay service. The helpline is open from 0730-1830, Monday to Friday. Email: DCPU.Customer-Services@dwp.gsi.gov.uk Explaining a benefit decision If you would like someone to explain a decision relating to your claim for Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance, you can also contact the helpline. Staff will help you understand the reasons why the decision was made. If you are unhappy with a benefits decision, and want it to be looked at again, the letter informing you of the decision should tell you what to do next. There is usually a time limit given for your reply. If you want to complain about how a benefits claim has been handled, contact the benefits office dealing with the claim. Start by contacting the person you dealt with, or that person s manager. You can ask for the office s complaints leaflet and customer charter. If the problem is not resolved, contact the office manager at the office dealing with your claim. They aim to respond within seven working days and the reply should tell you what you should do if you are still not happy. You should not be treated any differently because you have complained. You can also contact your Member of Parliament who may be able to send your complaint to the Ombudsman. You can also contact your local advice centre for support please see the fact sheet New to Caring - useful telephone and website contacts Useful Contacts Carers UK: The voice of Carers Advice line 0808 808 7777 (Wednesday and Thursday 1000-1200 and 1400 1600) Email: adviceline@carersuk.org 5

Citizens Advice Bureau Witney 01993 705691 Chipping Norton 01608 641367 Bicester 08445 730608 Oxford 0870 220 0608 Didcot & District 01235 813632 Benson 01491 826539 Abingdon& District 01235 521894 Henley & District 01491 572129 Wallingford 01491 833118 Thame 01844 214827 Princess Risborough 0844 4994683 Oxon Carers http://www.oxoncarers.org.uk Please note: The organisations listed on this page are not endorsed or recommended by Oxfordshire County Council and the contact details are provided for information only. Please feel free to contact any of the organisations on this fact sheet yourself. If required, Carers Oxfordshire can also help you further. You can contact them on 0845 050 7666, Monday to Thursday 0830-1700, Friday 0830-1600 6