Need advice on Severe Disability Premium please

fluffyclouds_2

I receive the highest rate of both the care and mobility sections of DLA and am also on Income Support.
I was recently sent a form to fill in because I may also be entitled to Severe Disability Premium.
I'm 29 and live with my 72 year old Father who looks after me, he doesn't get carer's allowance for this (we've never applied) but I'm wondering if him applying for Carer's allowance may be a wiser move than me trying to get Severe Disability Premium (I understand we can't have both). I'm living in his house and not paying rent, would this mean I wouldn't be entitled to the Severe Disability Premium anyway?
I'd really appreciate some advice please, I've tried to read up on it on various websites but I'm just getting confused.
Thankyou!

anmarj

your father would get the underlying entitlement to carers and not get paid as he will have state pension and that is classed as an overlapping benefit, but if he is in recepit of Pension Credit, then he would get a carers premium. I would fill in the form, as there are certain conditions which have to be satisfied and the decision maker would need to see if he could be "ignored". Does he get anything like DLA/AA himself?

fluffyclouds_2

Thank you very much for your reply anmarj, no he doesn't get DLA or AA.

MECFS_2

I may be confused here but I thought if someone was on medium rate care or above they automatically got the sever diability premium in the form of income support.

Mupette

ME/CFS wrote: »

I may be confused here but I thought if someone was on medium rate care or above they automatically got the sever diability premium in the form of income support.

well if you complete the forms you will.
I had to chase mine on ESA, first form got lost in the post, 2nd form took ages to get to them (last year when the postal strike was on)
Eventually both forms turned up.

MickBee

If you (fluffyclouds) live with your father, whether or not he gets AA / DLA, then you cannot get the Severe Disability Premium included in your IS.
From the directgov website (which I am not allowed to post) DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/OtherBenefitsAndSupport
"The Severe Disability Premium
Single rate

If you are single, you may get the lower rate premium if you live alone, no one gets Carer's Allowance for looking after you and you get the middle or highest care component of Disability Living Allowance."
[my emphasis on if you live alone.]

anmarj is correct about your father's underlying entitlement to Carer's Premium - which could apply not only to Pension Credit but also to Council Tax Benefit and/or Housing Benefit; it might mean that he would qualify for these benefits when he doesn't now.

No need to apologise for being confused - the staff who calculate benefits find it so, and they get training.

MECFS_2

Is the severe diability premium paid as an increase in income support? The goverment says you have a higher applicable amount (how much you need to live on) of around £140 a week? I am on incapacity benefit and when I was put on MRC I automatically got a top up from income support to make it up to £140. In fact I think income support now pay my incapacity benefit and seveer disability premium as one sume of £140.

MECFS_2

OP - as you are on HRC you should also recieve the Enhanced Disability Premium on top of your Severe Disability Premium.

MickBee

ME/CFS is right about the Enhanced Disability Premium [the OP should be getting this automatically with her IS] but not correct about the Severe Disability Premium (see my previous post) which depends on whether or not she lives alone.

MECFS_2

MickBee wrote: »

ME/CFS is right about the Enhanced Disability Premium [the OP should be getting this automatically with her IS] but not correct about the Severe Disability Premium (see my previous post) which depends on whether or not she lives alone.

Yes sorry you're right. I live alone so get the SDP at the moment.

[Deleted User]

the qualification for SDP is simple,if you receive mrc or hrc on dla and you live alone and claim i/s then you qualify,alternatively if you live within someone then you dont unless they also rec.dla mrc or hrc then you qualify as a couple