Terminal Illness and Benefits

Hoof_Hearted

Looking for some advice for a friend who is terminally ill. He has worked all his life and never drawn any benefits, so I want to make sure he gets what he deserves. He probably has a year to live.

He is now on ill-health retirement with a tiny annual pension of around £1500. He is married but his wife is off work nursing him. He has an endowment mortgage and all the usual household expenses. Minimal savings or debts. His daughter is living in the house and she is working.

I have been fortunate enough never to draw benefits, so I know nothing.

Where should he go to get proper information and advice?

Could he have somebody visit him at home to help with information?

What benefits could he claim?

Many thanks. It's a very sad situation.

tinktinktinkerbell

he is best to get in contact with the CAB either phone up or get his wife to pop down and they will tell you all the info that he needs

all i know is that DLA do give something to people who are terminally ill, not sure how much it is or anything but his local CAB should be able to tell him all he needs to know

Indie_Kid

How old is he? If he has cancer, he can contact Macmillan who can give him advise.

Oldernotwiser

sh1305 wrote: »

How old is he? If he has cancer, he can contact Macmillan who can give him advise.

People die from many other diseases than cancer!

Person_one

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

People die from many other diseases than cancer!

Of course they do, but cancer takes a lot and if thats what it is Macmillan are a good call. That poster was trying to be helpful, what were you trying to do?

richard9991

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

Looking for some advice for a friend who is terminally ill. He has worked all his life and never drawn any benefits, so I want to make sure he gets what he deserves. He probably has a year to live.

He is now on ill-health retirement with a tiny annual pension of around £1500. He is married but his wife is off work nursing him. He has an endowment mortgage and all the usual household expenses. Minimal savings or debts. His daughter is living in the house and she is working.

I have been fortunate enough never to draw benefits, so I know nothing.

Where should he go to get proper information and advice?

Could he have somebody visit him at home to help with information?

What benefits could he claim?

Many thanks. It's a very sad situation.

He should get the highest rate of the care component of dla he wont need to wait 3 months to get it it should be paid weekly his gp needs to give him a form and he needs to claim under the special rules.

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Benefits-for-the-Terminally-Ill.htm

NASA_2

Claim ESA and DLA under the special rules. Form DS1500 needs to be provided by the GP/Consultant.

Claims will be fastracked into payment at the highest rates posible and no medicals required.

The forms are pretty straightforward so can be done without outside help.

Hoof_Hearted

richard9991 wrote: »

He should get the highest rate of the care component of dla he wont need to wait 3 months to get it it should be paid weekly his gp needs to give him a form and he needs to claim under the special rules.

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Benefits-for-the-Terminally-Ill.htm

Thank you. This site is really helpful.

For info, it is lung cancer and I wil enquire about McMillan.

fresian_cow

Might be a bit late but my mum recently died from breast cancer and when she was told she was terminal she received a form from the doctor which seemed to 'fast track' everything (not sure what it was). She got DLA, both care and mobility and used the mobility part for a car. She got a blue badge for the car also. Her pension was too much for ESA so she didn't bother with that. I think his wife may be able to get carers allowance also. My thoughts go out to you and your friends! xx

NASA_2

fresian_cow wrote: »

Might be a bit late but my mum recently died from breast cancer and when she was told she was terminal she received a form from the doctor which seemed to 'fast track' everything (not sure what it was). She got DLA, both care and mobility and used the mobility part for a car. She got a blue badge for the car also. Her pension was too much for ESA so she didn't bother with that. I think his wife may be able to get carers allowance also. My thoughts go out to you and your friends! xx

The form was the DS1500.

sunnyone

For the fast track you cant normally use the high rate mobility allowance for a car because you need at least a year high rate mobility allowance to lease a car and to fast track you have an expected lifespan of less than a year.

It happend to my best mates sister last year and she had to just take the cash and use it to help her in her last months (5).