Carer's assessment...Annual Review...

[gigi]

Hello Jimbo...

As I understand it if you are claiming Retirement Pension..which you are..you are NOT eligible for Carer's Allowance.

However....there may be other benenfits you are entitled to..as in Pension Credit.

The problem being that the Benefits system is so complex...

If you have a Social Worker you can ask them to arrange a Welfare Officer to visit..just to check that you receive all the benefits you are entitled to...

Or you can phone the Benefits Agency Helpline...and ask for advice.

I don't have the number to hand..but can find it for you if you like...I'll also find the link for the Website and post it on here for you.

Love gigi xx

Jimbo...phone number 0906 120 9810...I tried to post the Website link but it doesn't want to work on here...If you type in benefits agency helpline you'll find the information..it's cheaper than using the phone!!

 

[susiesue]

Hello Jimbo

As you are no longer working and receiving State Pension I would have thought you would have been entitled to Attendance Allowance, like my husband who is now retired and on a pension. AA is not means tested and we got my husband's, after first being declined, when our GP told us to appeal, which we did and now receive the higher amount.

Don't give up - ask for an application form and don't be put off if you are declined in the first instance.

Love

 

[jenniferpa]

Don't forget though - Attendance Allowance is applied for by, or on behalf of, the person with the illness, so the person you are caring for would have to fit the requirements.

 

[Margarita]

The problem being that the Benefits system is so complex

Your right there Gigi it sure is

You can claim Carer's Allowance if you are over 65. If your State Retirement Pension is worth more than Carer's Allowance you cannot get Carer's Allowance. However, you may still be able to get the carer addition with Pension Credit.http://www.carersuk.org/Information/Financialhelp/CarersAllowance/Rules

I am 80 years old and my state pension is about £102 per week

Also if your getting a privet pension on top of state pension you can still get lower rate of pension credit .

If your not getting any other privet pension on top of state pension , your get the higher rate of pension credit which is around £60 a week .

pension credit do not take into count AA , when calculating your weekly income .

PS

This site tell you about pension credit

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pensioncredit/

This is a even better site .

Click on carers over 60 , near the bottom of the age , it open drop down box http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/moneyandlegal/carersbenefits/Pages/Overview.aspx

If you claim Carer’s Allowance, it will not normally affect the benefit of the person you look after. But there's an important exception. If the person you're looking after receives a severe disability premium which is paid within means-tested benefits such as Income Support, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, they will lose the premium if you're paid Carer’s Allowance.

If the person you're looking after receives a severe disability addition which is paid as part of Pension Credit, they will lose the addition if you are paid Carer’s Allowance.

The severe disability premium and severe disability addition
This is an extra £50.35 a week, paid as part of means-tested benefits, such as Income Support or Pension Credit, to people who:

* Are disabled and receive Attendance Allowance (AA) or the middle or highest rate care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
* Live alone (see below for exceptions to this).
* No one is receiving Carer’s Allowance for looking after them.

Example
Esther is 89 and receives AA. She's widowed and lives alone, and there's no one being paid Carer’s Allowance to look after her. Esther is paid Pension Credit (a means-tested top-up to her state pension), and a severe disability addition is paid as part of that Pension Credit.

Exceptions to the living alone rule
In some cases, the person you're looking after can be treated as living alone even if that's not the case. For example, if a couple were living together and both received AA or middle or highest rate care DLA (and no one actually receives Carer’s Allowance for looking after either of them) they may both be able to have severe disability premiums or additions included in their means-tested benefit.

 

[jimbo 111]

Carers Allowance/ Pension Credit

Thank you all for your advice.
I got onto the website and established that I would not be entitled to the Carers Allowance. and filled in an estimate for claiming the Pension Credit
Perhaps I should have known before I started
my estimate said " your estimated Pension Credit is £0.00
Anyway thanks once more for your interest and advice
Jimbo 111

 

[mayfield]

benefit Info

Jimbo, also The Princess Royal Trust for Carers http://www.carers.org/ offers an excellent information on caring and local associated charities. There is a search for local office feature on their contact page http://www.carers.org/contact-us,175,GP.html

Our local carers charity provided us with excellent information on what benefits and other help we could receive which goes unknown by many carers and in many cases social services were unaware or obstructive.

Also welfare rights as previously mentioned were very helpful and if memory serves right actually came and visited us.

As Gigi said the info is all too fragmented! I am trying to pull together all info on benefits/entitlements etc into document/website etc so if anyone has any info they would like to share please send me a private message.

cheers

 

[lesmisralbles]

I could claim carers allowance up to the age of 60, when I retired.
As soon as my OAP kicked in, it stopped.


As for council tax.
25% discount is all that is allowed. As husband and wife.

We do not get pension credit, our combined pension's are over the figure the goverment allow's.

We do get attendance allowance for Ron.

That is it.

Oh, we get 3 hour's a week from Crossroad's, (thank you Crossroad's) free.

Otherwise, we are on our own.

Barb X