Benefits
The welfare benefits system is complicated and the regulations change frequently, so most families need expert help and advice if they are to receive their full entitlements.
As well as mental health organisations, Citizens Advice should be able to help. Some of the application forms are very long and it takes time & patience to fill them in. Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) staff who check these forms often have little experience of mental health problems so it is important for each answer to be given carefully and with sufficient detail.
There are several benefits available for people who are unable to work some or all of the time. Incapacity Benefit (IB) is paid to people who are unable to work because of an illness or disability. In order to qualify, a person needs to have paid, or been credited with, sufficient National Insurance (NI) contributions. IB is paid at different rates depending on how long the claimant has been receiving it.
People who become incapable of work before age 20 (or 25 if they have been in education or training) and have therefore not paid sufficient NI contributions can receive non-contributory Incapacity Benefit. Some people who were receiving Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA) before it was abolished on 6th April 2001 are still able to receive it. SDA is similar to non-contributory IB and is a benefit for people who became ill at a young age without a NI contribution record.
Both SDA and IB are paid regardless of capital, and people receiving them may be allowed to do some work and receive some earnings in addition to their benefits.
See Work and benefits section for more information.
People who are accepted as unfit for work but do not receive IB usually qualify for Income Support (IS). No NI contribution record is necessary but benefit is reduced if the claimant has more than £6000 in capital and stops altogether at £16000. It is sometimes possible for some IS to be paid in addition to SDA or IB. People on IB, SDA or IS sometimes have their incapacity for work checked by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) This will involve some form-filling and perhaps an appointment to see a DWP doctor.
Extra Income Support is paid to some people. Additional IS may be paid to people who are receiving:
- Incapacity Benefit (contributory or non-contributory) at the long-term rate;
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
- Working Tax Credit
- Or those who have been receiving Income Support on grounds of incapacity for more than 52 weeks.
Many people with mental illness receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) which is paid in addition to other benefits regardless of capital. It is paid to people who have difficulty in going out alone - the mobility component; and/or who need help with personal care - the care component.
The application form is very long and your relative would probably benefit from getting help with its completion. You, as carer, might also qualify for Carers Allowance, or perhaps an extra amount of Income Support called a “carer's premium”. The rules are complex and expert advice is usually needed.
Someone whose benefit claim is turned down has the right to ask for the decision to be reviewed or to appeal against it. Rethink National Advice Service can often help in these circumstances.
If you or your relative is on a low income, there is help available to help pay rent (Housing Benefit) or Council tax (Council Tax Benefit). These benefits are available from the local authority rather than the Department of Work and Pensions. They are reduced if the claimant has more than a certain amount of savings and stop if the savings exceed a certain amount.
Help with the cost of prescriptions may also be available. These are free for people receiving Income Support and are at a reduced rate to people on a low income.
Any periods spent in hospital need to be reported promptly to the department of Work and Pensions (DWP) so that benefit can be adjusted when appropriate.
In recent years there have been major changes in the organisations dealing with benefits. The Department of Work and Pensions was set up in 2001 when the Department of Social Security merged with the Employment Service as part of the government’s “welfare to work” policy. From April 2002, three new organisations began to administer the welfare benefits system:
- Jobcentre Plus
- Disability & Carers service
- Pensions service.
National Advice Service Factsheets
