Disability Living Allowance for Children

This is a payment which contributes to the cost of looking after children who suffer from fibromyalgia or any other disability. To qualify, the child in question needs to be under 16 and either have difficulty walking, or needs far more care than a child who did not have a disability. The amount someone can receive each weeks varies from £26.90 to £172.50. However this benefit is only for Children living in England and Wales, so if you live in Scotland you instead need to apply for Child Disability Payment.

Disability Living Allowance for Adults

This payment is has already been replaced for most people by either Personal Independence Payment or Adult Disability Payment. If you already claim you will receive a letter informing you what is going to happen and how to apply to these two other payments.

Child Disability Payment

Like DLA for children this is a benefit which helps to look after a child with a disability under the age of 16. There are two components of this payment, care and mobility. For care parents there are three payment rates, low which is £26.90, middle which is £68.10 and highest which is £10.75. For mobility there are only two rates, the lowest at £26.90 and highest at £71.00.

Adult Disability Payment

Adult Disability Payment is extra money paid by the Scottish Government which helps towards costs when an individual has a disability or long-term condition which affects day-to-day life. It is divided into two sections: daily living and mobility. You can qualify for either of these or both. For daily living you’ll either get a payment of £68.10 or £101.75 a week and mobility pays either £26.90 or £71.00 weekly too.

Personal Independence Payment

PIP is a extra payment which you can get even if you are working, have savings, or receive other benefits from the government. It is there to help with extra living costs if you have both a long term physical or mental health condition and have a difficulty doing everyday tasks or troubles with your mobility. When considering applications the following factors are taken into consideration, whether it can be done safely, how long tasks take, how often the a condition affects these tasks, and if someone uses as specialist equipment or is supported by someone. If you live in Scotland you need to apply for Adult Disability Payments instead.

Attendance Allowance

This is a payment that helps with extra costs if an individual’s disability is severe enough to require help from someone else. There are two different payment rates, which is based on the level of care required. These amounts are £68.10 or £101.75 a week. You also need to be state pension age or over to receive this payment. One important factor to remember is you do not necessarily have to have someone to take care of you in order to claim.

Employment and Support Allowance

ESA can be claimed if you have a disability or health condition which impacts on how much you can work. It helps to manage living costs if you are unable to work, or support an individual to get back into work and you can apply if you are employed, self-employed or not working at all. However in order to receive this payment you must have both been employed or self-employed and paid enough National Insurance in the last 2-3 years. National Insurance Credits so count towards this factor.

Statutory Sick Pay

SSP is a payment of £109.40 a week if you are too ill to work. Unlike the previous payments mentioned, this one is paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks and cannot be less than this amount. It can however be more if your company or organisation has a sick pay scheme/ occupation scheme which will be mentioned in your contract. If you work in the agricultural industry there are different rules where instead you are paid agricultural minimum wage.

Carer’s Allowance

This is a payment that can be made if an individual needs someone to care for them for over 35 hours a week and if they receive certain benefits. There is a weekly payment of £76.75, and whilst the carer doesn’t need to be related or live with the one they care for, you do not get paid any extra if there is more than one carer. Moreover if there is someone else who cares for the same individual only one of them may recieve this payment. This benefit can also affect other benefits both the carer and the individual being care for receives too and if their income is over the amount of  Personal Allowance, tax may have to be paid.

Blue Badge

A blue badge is a benefit for those with a condition or disability which affects their mobility.  For £10 in the UK, £20, in Scotland or nothing in Wales, an individual can receive a blue badge that lasts for up to 3 years. This is linked to the individual themselves and not a vehicle, meaning that it can be used if they are either a passenger or the driver. It allows for the holder to park in more accessible parking. The badge itself must be renewed before it expires.

Pat and Trevor Jordan

Activities and Fundraising Coordinators for Fibromyalgia Friends Together