Disability and Illness related benefits
If you have a long term illness or disability, or one which currently prevents you from working
<< back to Welfare Benefits page
There are different benefits available to you if you have any long term illnesses, disabilities, or ones that are currently preventing you from working.
You may also wish to see our other pages entitled
‘Working Age’,
‘Pension Age,
‘Housing’,
‘Responsible for Children’, and
‘Social Fund Grants/Loans’.
Disability Living Allowance
This is paid to people who have a physical or mental disability (or both) which is severe enough for you to need help with their personal care and/or mobility needs. You do not need to be unemployed or unable to work to claim this allowance. You must be under the age of 65 when you claim, and have had these needs for at least three months and expect them to continue for a further six months. You may get this allowance even if no-one actually cares for you. There are two components of Disability Living Allowance: the Care Component, and the Mobility Component. You may be entitled to one, or both of these components depending on your needs.
If you are aged 65 or over you cannot claim Disability Living Allowance, instead you can claim Attendance Allowance.
Attendance Allowance
This is paid to people who have a physical or mental disability (or both) who need help with personal care, or someone to supervise them for their own or someone else’s safety. You can only claim this if you are aged 65 or over and have had these needs for six months. You may get this allowance even if no-one actually cares for you. There are two rates of Attendance Allowance: the Lower rate, and the Higher rate.
If you are aged under 65 you cannot claim Attendance Allowance, instead you can claim Disability Living Allowance.
Employment Support Allowance
This is for people who have an illness or disability and your doctor has given you a medical certificate regarding this. You will be given the appropriate support you need to enable you to engage in appropriate work, if you are able to.
Employment and Support Allowance was introduced on 27 October 2008 and replaced new claims to Incapacity Benefit.
Incapacity Benefit
New claims to Incapacity (IB) ceased in October 2008 and were replaced with Employment Support Allowance (ESA). Persons who were unfit for work could only make a new claim to Employment Support Allowance from October 2008. Persons who were already in receipt of IB continued to be entitled to this benefit. However, between October 2010 and 2014 IB claimants* will be re-assessed and considered for ESA. IB and some other benefits* will cease to exist.
During the re-assessment you will be required to complete a medical questionnaire, and most will also be required to attend a medical assessment/interview. If you do not complete these on time you will be at risk of losing your benefit.
Once you have been re-assessed The DWP will phone you to advise you if you are entitled to ESA. They will also write to you. If they have decided that you are not entitled to ESA you will have the option of claiming Jobseekers Allowance during the same phone call. This will mean your Housing Benefit will have a smooth transition and not have any gaps in that claim. If you disagree with their decision you may choose to appeal. If so you may be paid ESA at a reduced rate, or may choose to claim Jobseekers Allowance while you await the outcome of your appeal (whichever you choose the amount you receive should be the same). Your HB may then be suspended until you provide them with evidence of your income during your ESA appeal.
If you are entitled to ESA after this assessment then you will be entered into that claim in what is called the ‘main phase’ and placed into one of the following categories:
- Work Related Activity Group – this means you will get support to help you prepare for suitable work. Your benefit (including any Housing Benefit) may be affected if you do not take part in the work-related support.
- Support Group – if you are severely disabled or have the most severe health conditions you will be placed in this group. You will not be expected to look or prepare for work.
Your ESA will be the same as or higher than your IB payments.
You will not be affected by these changes if you are due to reach State Pension age by 6th April 2014.
*Those benefits affected by this include: Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Income Support paid due to illness or disability.
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
This is paid to people who are disabled because of an accident at work or due to certain diseases caused by their job. The amount of benefit received is dependent upon how serious the disability is.
Carers Allowance
You must be aged 16 or over and caring for someone for 35 hours or more per week, and that person gets Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance, or Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care. You cannot get this if you are in full-time education, or earn more than £95 per week net. Other benefits you are getting can affect the amount of Carers Allowance you receive. If you cannot receive Carers Allowance because of other benefits or income, you may have ‘Underlying Entitlement to Carers Allowance’.
Help with Health Costs
The type of help for health costs includes:
- free NHS prescriptions
- free NHS dental treatment
- free NHS sight tests
- vouchers towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses
- free NHS wigs and fabric supports
- help with the costs of travel for NHS treatment (on referral by a doctor or dentist)
To be eligible for any of the above you either need to have certain medical conditions, be in receipt of War Disablement Pension or have a War Pension Exemption Certificate, or yourself and/or your partner need to be in receipt of one of the following:
- Income Support
- Jobseekers Allowance (income based)
- Employment Support Allowance (income related)
- Pension Credit (guarantee credit)
- Working Tax Credit with Child Tax Credit and your income is £15,050 per year or less
- Working Tax Credit with a disability element and your income is £15,050 per year or less
- Child Tax Credit and you are not eligible for Working Tax Credit, and your income is £15,050 per year or less
- Or be on a low income (you will need to make a claim under the NHS Low Income Scheme)
Blue Badge
You can use a Blue Badge to park on single or double yellow lines for up to three hours in England and Wales, except where there is a ban on loading or unloading. There is no time limit for parking on yellow lines in Scotland. This applies to on-street parking only, Badge holders may park for free and for as long as they need to at on-street parking meters and pay-and-display machines, unless there is a traffic sign specifying a time limit for holders of Blue Badges. Where a time limit is in force, you must display both the Blue Badge and the special blue parking disc showing time of arrival.
You are eligible for a Blue Badge if you are over two years old and either:
- receive the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance
- are registered blind or
- receive a War Pensioner's Mobility Supplement.
You may also be eligible for a badge if you are over two years old and either:
- have a permanent and substantial disability which means you cannot walk, or which makes walking very difficult
- drive a motor vehicle regularly, have a severe disability in both arms, and are unable or would find it very difficult to operate all or some types of parking meter
If you are a parent of a child who is less than two years old, you may apply for a badge for your child if they have a specific medical condition which means that they either: must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which cannot be carried around without great difficulty; or need to be kept near a vehicle at all times, so that they can, if necessary, be treated in the vehicle, or quickly driven to a place where they can be treated, such as a hospital.
Would you like to see if you could be entitled to any of these benefits? Our Welfare Benefits Advisor, Millie can give you advice on what benefits you may be able to claim, and help you to claim them if you would like her to. Millie may also be able to calculate how much you could receive with these benefits. You can contact her either via our Customer Services Team on 0300 123 1222 or via info@muir.org.uk
Remember, it is your responsibility to notify the relevant benefit department of any changes in your circumstance to ensure you are still receiving the correct amount of benefit, to prevent any overpayments, or underpayments from occurring.
