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Welfare benefitsMany older people could improve their standard of living by claiming money they are entitled to. Age Concern campaigns for better pensions and benefits working to improve the financial position of older people. We hope that this information will encourage you to claim some of the benefits you may have been missing out on, or telephone Age Concern Waltham Forest's Information and Advice Service on 020 8558 5512 and ask for a benefits check. Table of Contents
Attendance AllowanceAttendance allowance is a tax-free benefit for people aged 65 and over who are physically or mentally disabled and need help with personal care or need supervision to remain safe. You do not actually have to be getting any help. It is the help you need that is relevant, not what you get. You can get Attendance Allowance even if you live alone; you do not need to have a carer. You can get more information from Department for Work and Pensions website: www.dwp.gov.uk or contact Wembley Disability Benefits Centre. Disability Benefit Centre Bereavement BenefitsBereavement benefits are available to both men and women. They replace the old system of widows' benefit that only women could claim. Women whose husbands died before 09/04/01 continue to claim widow's benefit. There are three different bereavement benefits: Bereavement payment- a one off payment of £2,000; For further information go to www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk Funeral Grant Job Centre Plus (formerly the Benefit Agency or Social Security) may be able to hep with immediate funeral costs if you are in receipt of certain benefits. You must get estimates before going ahead. Contact your local Job Centre Plus Office: Walthamstow Jobcentre
Leytonstone Jobcentre Plus Carers AllowanceCarers allowance is a benefit for people who regularly spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a severely disabled person. You don't have to be related to, or live with, the disabled person. You can get Carers Allowance even if you have never worked. You can get Carers Allowance if you also get attendance allowance or disability living allowance, but you must be caring for another person who gets Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance care component at the middle or highest rate. Further information and Form DS700 can be obtained from local Department of Work and Pension offices:
The Pension Service Carers Allowance Unit Council Tax Benefit / Housing BenefitCouncil Tax Benefit is a government scheme to help people on low income or/and state benefits, who are responsible for paying Council Tax. Waltham Forest Council (who also set the level of Council Tax, and administers council Tax Benefit.) The amount of benefit you can get also depends on how much money you have coming in, the amount of council tax you have to pay, the amount of money you need to live on and whether other adults share your home. You cannot normally get main Council Tax Benefit if you have savings of £16,000 or more. For more information please contact: Housing BenefitThe purpose of Housing Benefit is to help people on low income to pay their rent. Housing Benefit is a mean tested benefit, which means that the amount of benefit you get depends on your income. You can claim Housing Benefit if you are working or unemployed but it is usually only given to people on low income or who are in receipt of some form of state benefit. What you get depends on your income. You will only be entitled to Housing Benefit provided you do not have capital or savings over £16,000. If you have any savings between £3,000 and £16,000 it will be taken into account in calculating your income and may reduce the amount of Housing Benefit you get. To apply for benefit you must fill in a Housing Benefit / Council Tax Benefit claim form available from Revenues and Benefit Service: Revenue and Benefit Services, Disability Living AllowanceDisability Living Allowance is a benefit for adults and children with disabilities. It is for people who need help looking after themselves and those who find it difficult to walk or get around. You don't need to have someone looking after you to qualify. Disability Living Allowance is a tax free, not mean tested and you don't need to have paid any National Insurance contributions. It is paid on top of any earnings or other income you may have. Disability Living Allowance is divided into two parts:
You can be paid either the care component or the mobility component on its own or both components at the same time. You can only get DLA if you claim before your 65th birthday. Otherwise you claim attendance allowance. You can get more information from Department for Work and Pensions website: www.dwp.gov.uk or contact Wembley Disability Benefits Centre. Disability Benefit Centre Heating and Electricity BillsFuel bills-If you are having difficulties paying fuel bills then tell the electricity or gas company at once. They will suggest ways in which they can help. There is a code of practice stating that gas or electricity supplies to pensioners cannot be disconnected between 1st October and 31st March. Monthly Direct Debit scheme Pay as You Go Key Meters Meter Line Incapacity BenefitIncapacity Benefit is for people unable to work because of illness or disability. Usually you must have paid enough National Insurance contribution to qualify, but not if you are incapable of work before age 20, or 25 in some cases, and you claim in time. Incapacity Benefit is not affected by savings, or most kinds of income, other than occupational and personal pensions. For more information contact your local jobcentre or jobcentre plus office.
Walthamstow Jobcentre Income SupportIncome support is a means-tested or income-related benefit that does not depend on National Insurance contributions. It is intended to provide for basic living expenses for you and your family. It can be paid on its own if you have no other income, or it can top up other benefits or earnings from a part time work up to the basic amount that law says you need to live on. Income Support is for people who are not required to sign on for work-eg those who are incapable of work through ill health or disability, or those who are carers and lone parents. Further information available from your local Jobcentreplus.
Walthamstow Jobcentreplus
Leytonstone Jobcentre Plus Industrial Injuries Disablement BenefitIndustrial injuries disablement benefit is paid to compensate those who have suffered disablement from a loss of physical or mental faculty caused by an industrial accident or prescribed disease. A loss of faculty may include disfigurement even if it does not trouble you. Your employer does not have to be at fault in any way for you to get benefit. You can claim whether or not you are incapable of work or have had any drop in earning. Benefit is payable from 15 weeks after the date of the accident or onset of the disease if your disablement is assessed at 14% or more. For some prescribed chest diseases you can get benefit if the assessment is from 1% to 13%. For occupational deafness you can only get benefit if your disablement is 20% or more. Further information available from your local Department of Work and Pension.
The Pension Service Jobseeker's AllowanceJobseeker's allowance is for people who are unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week, and who are available, and actively looking for work. There are two form of Job Seeker's Allowance. Contribution-based Job Seeker's Allowance: this is a personal flat-rate Insurance contribution record; it is payable for up to 6 months and is taxable. Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance: this is a mean tested and taxable, payable if you have no income or a low income, no more than £8,000 savings (£12,000 if you or your are aged 60 or over) and your partner (if you have one) is not working or is working less than 24 hours a week. It can top up contribution-based Job Seeker's Allowance.
Further information available from your local Jobcentre or Jobcentreplus. Pension CreditPension Credit (PC) is the commonly used name for state pension credit, a means tested benefit for people aged 60 and over. Pension Credit has two elements: the guarantee credit which replaces income support (IS) for people aged 60 and over; and the savings credit for people aged 65 and over which can provide additional money to those who have modest savings. There is no upper capital limit, but savings over £6000 (or £10,000 if you live in a care home) will be taken into account. If your income is not more than £105.45 a week for a single person or £160.95 for a couple, you may be entitled to Pension Credit (guarantee credit).
You can apply on the Internet at www.pensions.gov.uk/pensioncredit Social FundSocial Fund is a government fund that makes payments to people in need. It is divided into two parts: Regulated Social Fund-This provides, funeral payments, cold weather payments and winter fuel payments. You are legally entitled to a payment if you satisfy the regulations. You can appeal against the decision. Discretionary social fund-This provides grants and interest-free loans for needs that are difficult to meet from weekly benefits. There are three types of discretionary payments. Community care grants are intended to promote community care by assisting people on income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance or pension credit to live independently in the community. Budgeting loans are interest free, repayable loans to help people who have been on Income Support, income based Job Seeker's Allowance or Pension Credit for at least 26 weeks meet intermittent expenses for specified items for which it may be difficult to budget, enabling the cost to spread over time. Crisis loans are interest-free repayable loans for people (whether on benefit or not). unable to meet their immediate short-term needs in crisis. However unlike the regulated social fund there is no legal entitlement to a payment. Payments are discretionary and budget limited and decisions subject to review rather than appeal. You should apply for a community care grant on form SF300, a budgeting loan on form SF500 and a crisis loan on form SF401, all available from your local social security or Jobcentre Plus offices.
Walthamstow Jobcentre State PensionYou can get a state pension if you have reached state pension age (currently 60 for women, 65 for men), you meet the contribution condition and you have made a claim. You can claim at any time from 4 months before state pension age. The two main categories of state pension are contributory and are known as Category A and B pensions. Category A pensions are normally based on your own National Insurance Contribution record. Category B pensions are payable only to married women, widows and some widowers and are based on their spouse's contribution record. Category D pensions are non-contributory and only payable to people aged 80 or over. All categories of state pension are taxable.
For further information Website: www.thepensionservice.gov.uk Winter Fuel PaymentA Winter Fuel Payment is a one-off payment to help older people with their winter heating bills. The amount of money you get depends on your age and circumstances on 26 September 2004. Remember, if you get a Winter Fuel Payment last year and your circumstances have not changed, you do not need to claim.
Further Information: The One off 70+ Payments The one-off 70+ payments will be paid in 2004. This is a one-off payment, which will be made to each eligible household with someone aged 70 or over. To be eligible for this tax free payment, you have to be normally living in Great Britain or Northern Ireland on any day of the week of 20 to 26 September 2004. This money will be paid automatically with the Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2004/2005. If you are not sure about any of the information call the Winter Fuel Payment Help-Line on 08459 15 15 15 (0845 601 5613 for text phone users). You can get a claim form from website: www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/winterfuel Health Benefits Help with the cost of NHS dental treatment and glasses may be available to those receiving benefits or on low income. Ask your Dentist, Optician or GP for details. You can claim on Form HC1, available from Jobcentre Plus or from the health literature line (0800 555 777), NHS hospitals, doctors ,dentists, opticians may also have them.
Walthamstow Jobcentre Independent Information and Advice from Age Concern Waltham ForestAge Concern Waltham Forest provides information and advice on all issues affecting older people and their carers including Welfare Benefits, Money Matters, Health, Community Care, Family and Personal Matters, Your Rights and Local services.
This service is open to older adults living in Waltham Forest area and their carers. We offer home visits for housebound older adults. For further information contact: This service has a Quality Mark in general help with casework from Community Legal Service. Information and Advice can be provided in most of the Asian languages spoken in Waltham Forest. Information Helpline: 0208 558 5512. |
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