Spotlight on Benefits and Social Care

Benefits

For the previous four years, most working age benefits were kept at their 2015/16 cash value. This did not affect disability, carers and pensioner benefits which saw a yearly increase.

Due to the general election last year’s Autumn budget was cancelled. The government had previously announced there would be an end to the freeze in payment. There is a Spring budget planned for 11 March 2020 and the government policy will be confirmed then. We will update our Members in the following bulletin in Summer.

Disability, carers and pensioner benefits are set to rise from April 2020. Anyone claiming these benefits should receive an award letter sometime in March advising of their new entitlement.

National Minimum Wage

The hourly rate for the national minimum wage depends on your age and whether you are an apprentice.

The hourly national minimum wage will increase between 4.6 and 6.5% in April 2020 to:

• Apprentices £4.15
• Under 18s £4.55
• 18-20 year olds £6.45
• 21-24 year olds £8.20
• Over 25 year olds £8.72 (known as the national living wage)

Apprentices are entitled to the minimum wage for their age if they both:

• are aged 19 or over
• have completed the first year of their apprenticeship

Blind Person's Allowance

Most people have a tax allowance. This is the amount you can earn before you start paying income tax. The Blind Person’s Allowance is an extra amount that can be added on to a person’s tax-free allowance.

For the tax year 2019 year this allowance was set at £2,450. We will update our Members in the Summer bulletin, as the government will confirm the 2020 tax allowance in the Spring budget.

You can transfer your Blind Person’s Allowance to your spouse or civil partner if you don’t pay tax or cannot use all of it.

England and Wales

You can claim Blind Person’s Allowance if you:

• are registered with your local council as being blind or severely sight impaired
• have a certificate that says you are blind or severely sight impaired (or a similar document from your doctor).

Scotland and Northern Ireland

You can claim Blind Person’s Allowance if you:

• cannot carry out work for which eyesight is essential
• you have a certificate that says you are blind or severely sight impaired (or a similar document from your doctor)

Contact Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to claim. Telephone: 0300 200 3301

Monday to Friday: 8am-8pm

Saturday: 8am-4pm

Motability

Motability is an independent charity set up to help people with disabilities use one of the following qualifying benefits to improve their mobility:

• enhanced rated of Personal Independence Payment mobility component
• higher rate of Disability Living Allowance mobility component
• War Pensioner’s mobility supplement
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

The scheme offers cars on lease (including cars adapted to carry a driver or passenger seated in their wheelchair), powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

To use the Motability scheme the qualifying benefit must have at least 12 months still to run. The Department for Work and Pensions or Veterans UK will make the payment of the qualifying benefit direct to Motability.

Whilst the vast majority of Motability Scheme customers use just their mobility allowance to lease the vehicle they require, there are still some who are unable to access the benefits of the Motability Scheme as they are unable to afford adaptations or driving lessons. Some of the more expensive cars also require an advance payment. Motability can offer grants to support people on a qualifying benefit to access the scheme.

If you would like to find out more about the Motability Scheme please visit their website www.motability.co.uk or speak to your Blesma Support Officer.

 

How to Access Social Care

Social care is the term used to describe care and support provided to enable people to manage their daily living tasks. This includes supporting people with physical, mental and learning disabilities.

Care and support can be provided in a number of ways including:

• Equipment and adaptations to your home
• Attending a day care centre
• Care at home
• Care in a residential home

Healthcare is centrally organised by the Government, whilst local authorities administer social care.

You can contact your local authority, which will carry out an assessment of your needs, usually by a social worker, occupational therapist or other qualified professional. There is usually a means tested charging assessment, as unlike the NHS, social care is not free at the point of delivery.

The means test works out whether:

• The local authority pays the full cost of your care
• The local authority pays some of the costs and you pay the rest
• You pay for all of your care

What is charged for depends on whether you live in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales.

If you prefer, you can contact a care agency directly that can complete an assessment of your needs. You will then have to pay for the full cost of any care you have arranged privately.

In some situations, social care and support is provided by the NHS instead of your local authority. In this instance it is free. This can include:

• Short term care after leaving hospital in order for you to prepare to manage independently at home. This is sometimes known as reablement.
• Care if you have a complex and serious health condition. This is known as continuing healthcare.

War Pension disregard for social care charging assessments

As mentioned above, when people have a local authority social care assessment, they may be expected to have a financial assessment to calculate their contribution towards their care costs. In April 2017, the government changed the way that War pension is treated as income within the charging calculation.

For those living in England, Scotland and Wales, War Pension is now disregarded as income when calculating a person’s charge towards their care. There is yet to be an announcement from the Northern Ireland government.

As April is the time of year when local authorities write to people to advise them of their updated contribution towards their care costs, this is a timely reminder to make sure that, if you receive a War Pension, it has not been included within the assessment. However, please note that Constant Attendance Allowance can be treated as income.

If you do identify that your War Pension is still being treated within the assessment, please contact your local authority. If this is not resolved, please contact your Blesma Support Officer.