My mum (85, blind, limited mobility) has just been awarded the lower rate attendance allowance. A very nice lady from the DWP helped her to complete the forms and said that if/when mum was awarded AA she could also apply for a further £30pw as no one is claiming carers allowance on her behalf. Unfortunately I didn’t make a note of what this benefit is called or how to claim it, and I haven’t found anything searching online. Can anyone advise me please? Thank you!
Hi Justine … took me 12 seconds.
From the Government site … Attendance Allowance :
__
You could get extra > Pension Credit> , Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction if you get Attendance Allowance - check with the helpline or office dealing with your benefit.
Next step … confirm with the use of that trusty old online benefits calculator :
That should reveal the same in addition to the sums involved.
For details on any benefit , just type that benefit … say PENSION CREDIT … into an Internet search engine.
Several can be applied for online.
All other benefits / allowances out there being claimed ?
A second function of that benefits calculator.
Handy little cyber rodent ?
Council Tax … discount on the cards ?
Have a ponder , crunch some numbers , and then return to us here on the forum for any further answers to questions , or
other related matters ( eg. Power of Attorneys / wills / housing / future potential health issues / safeguarding … you name it ,
we’ll tackle it ! ).
Ps … DWP … additional £ 30 per week if nobody is caring for you ( Mother ) ?
I don’t see the connection … lower rate of AA does NOT disqualify anyone from claiming Carers Allowance … PROVIDED THAT
they meet all eligibilty criteria … the book says AA … does not then to go on to say HIGHER rate only.
Pension Credit … my assumption … yet another online benefit calculator :
Pension Credit calculator - GOV.UK
Adding 2 + 2 and hoping to come up with 4 … is the figure so revealed around that £ 30 per week ?
If so , DWP … travelling from A to B … via C / D / E ?
Thank you very much, Chris. I have discovered that it’s called SDP (severe disability premium) and would be added to mum’s Pension Credit benefit. I hadn’t realised that it was part of pension credit and I think I was also wrong about it being £30pw (the website says £64.30 for a single person).
Thank you so much for your help! It’s all so confusing and I’m terrifically grateful for all the help on this forum.
Thank YOU , Justine … a new one for me as well.
SDP … curious little critter in it’s own right.
Normally associated with DLA , slight change under PIP , then magically disappears under UC !
Disability premiums: What you'll get - GOV.UK
Severe disability premium
You’ll get:
£64.30 a week for a single person
£128.60 a week for a couple if you’re both eligible
Some couples will be eligible for the lower amount of £64.30 a week instead.
Now … for the real sting in the tail :
If your mother receives SDP , anyone claiming Carers Allowance for her … that SDP WILL BE LOST :
You cannot get the severe disability premium if someone is getting Carer’s Allowance or the carers element of Universal Credit for looking after you.
Right … I got there in the end … the SDP being the joker in the pack this time around.
While I’m still in the chair … another round … anything else remotely connected to life / survival in either CarerLand or
CareeLand of concern ?
No ?
Not even one for the road ?
Cheers Chris!
PS I did know the SDP was dependent on no one claiming carers allowance for mum; the nice DWP lady explained that was why mum could claim it. I can see this would come as a nasty shock if you are not expecting it though!
Yep … a very related thread I’m just about to update with the additional problem of SDP.
Save reading said thread before I update it , that thread can be located here … follow my logic if you are in
a deerstalking mood :
Justine,
Can I ask why you are not going to claim Carers Allowance though?
Good question.
If Justine does , kiss goodbye to the SDP.
( A bit weird … not an overlapping benefit as such but … pay X to the carer , and X is lost to the caree. )
Robbing mother to pay Justin.
Justine, if you are claiming Carers Allowance, you receive credits towards your National Insurance and pension later. If you are not working, you might be entitled to extra benefits yourself, depending on your situation.
Do you live with mum? Are you working?
That’s a good question. I can see the benefits of CA. But I don’t feel that I can legitimately claim to care for mum 35 hours a week every week. I have done at times but in general I think it is less. I do her shopping, paperwork, medical appointments and social visits, but mum doesn’t live with me and I’m not a full-time carer.
You don’t have to be providing hands on care all the time to qualify, anything you do for mum counts. Phone calls, paperwork, washing, organising things, all count. Even being “on call” in case of emergency counts.
The DWP don’t really explain these things properly. Initially, they told me I didn’t qualify as my son with learning difficulties wasn’t living with me, he was at college at the time, coming home at weekends.
However, the Carers UK advice service sent me details of what was covered, established by a judge or similar (it ws 20 years ago). Getting his room ready before he came home, preparing meals in advance for his visit, the time spent driving to collect him (round trip 120 miles) and take him back, tidying up after his visit, doing his washing, etc. etc. all counted towards the 35 hours.
Armed with this information, I was awarded Carers Allowance.
For the next week, keep a note of how long you spend doing things for mum, you might be surprised!
Thank you so much Bowlingbun, I had no idea! I will start keeping a record.
A classic individual v. partnership scenario brewing ?
Lone carer / caree … different levels of income … under one roof … only way to cover all expenditure is by combining income
to pay for the outgoings.
( Sums up my ten year stretch as a carer to a tee ! )
If looking at this on an individual basis , one will be subsidising the other … income level are different … in some cases , by a factor of 2 / 3.
SDP … if paid to the caree , will be lost if the carer claims Carers Allowance.
From the PARTNERSHIP perspective , no change in income available … just change of beneficiary.
" Ladies and gentlemen of the jury , I rest my case ! "
" One final comment … the whole system is geared to individuals … either a carer or the caree … and NOT to the more obvious partnership arrangement … no caree ? … no carer ! "