DLA HRC for a child - does this trigger/entitle to anything else?

GobbledyGook

suelees - That is why I said I'd ask on here. The wait is too long to be doing nothing. Especially when she's feeling up to doing things atm. Who knows how she is going to be after Christmas and New year.

Should she just put a claim in for Carers and IS and they'll let her know if she's entitled or not?

kingfisherblue

I have no idea about WPA, but just to clarify - you can get Carer's Allowance and means tested benefits. I get income support, to which a carer's premium is added. The amount is then reduced by £55.55 a week, which I receive in CA.

Child tax credits have a disability element, and for children receiving HRC there is an additional enhanced disability element.

Your friend should be claiming a single person discount for her council tax, but might also be able to claim council tax benefit. If the house has been adapted for her disabled child (such as a downstairs bedroom or a wetroom added), or if the child uses a wheelchair indoors, she may be able to get a disabled reduction, which reduces council tax by one band.

If the house needs adaptations, your friend should apply to the council for a Disabled Facilities Grant. An occupational therapist will assess to check what is needed, but any work is likely to take months rather than weeks. As well as major work such as bedrooms or wetrooms, smaller things such as additional bannisters, shower rails, bath seats, etc. are available. If it is equipment rather than building work, it should be a lot quicker.

There is a thread somewhere on Disability and Dosh about discounts for disabled people and their carers - entry into many attractions is often free for carers, disabled people (and sometimes their carer) can sometimes get a bus pass to enable them to travel on public transport free of charge, etc.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2561839

If the child has continence problems as a result of his disability, the PCT can provide nappies, pads or pull ups free of charge, although there may be a limit of X amount per day. Radar sell a key which can enable disabled people to get into accessible toilets - I bought one for my son from the local walk in centre and it cost £3.50. The Mencap website has a section called Changing Places, which lists places where you can change a disabled person (with hoists, etc)

The child may need help in school (or attend a special school) - a Statement of Special Educational Needs can be applied for, which gives details of, for example, an entitlement to speech therapy. There might also be help with transport to school, especially if the boy attends a special school.

There may be the possibility of free school meals - if this is the case (for example, if mum receives income support), some councils offer a uniform grant once a year. However, not all councils offer this and it is phasing out in many areas. In my town, it is still paid (£29 for primary age children and £44 for secondary age).

If there is a Carer's Centre near your friend, it is well worth joing. It is free of charge, and different centres offer different services. The main thing, though, is that they offer support. My local centre has a parents group that meets monthly, and just getting together for a natter can be a great stress reliever, as well as a chance to share information and experiences.

Good luck to your friend. She will need a lot of support over the coming years, as her life has changed so much. When she is ready, you might want to point her in the direction of a short story called Welcome to Holland, about having a disabled child. I was shown it when my son was six weeks old (he was born with major, life threatening disabilities). I didn't appreciate it at the time, but I do now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_Holland

I will post more if I think of anything else.

suelees1

GobbledyGook wrote: »

Should she just put a claim in for Carers and IS and they'll let her know if she's entitled or not?

In a word yes

merlin68

As widowed parents allowance is £100.70 a week, I very much doubt you'll get carers allowance. Until after the 52 weeks.

GobbledyGook

Thanks for all the help.

Her son's schooling is quite well sorted now. The school he is going to is fabulous and they've helped her enomously with getting things in place for him. He gets collected in the morning and brought home which allows her to get her other child to school. It also gives them the walk to and from school to have some time together which is important to them both as they don't get much chance for that.

She just now needs to sort out the finance side and get herself on her feet and know where she is going to go from here.

She is hoping to get into some sort of work at some point, but personally I think that is going to be incredibly difficult with her son's care needs. Even though he is at school he has constant appointment and picks up every bug going and is off/in hospital very often. It will be extremely difficult to juggle that with working, especially with the current job climate. however she'll get there in the end - she's the strongest person I've ever met. She hates requiring benefits, but we've all been telling her that her kind of situation is one of the reasons this country has a welfare system.

merlin - What do you mean until the 52 weeks? Does the WPA change/stop after 52 weeks? The way I read it I thought that would continue under her child benefit stopped (which as her children are young is a long way off) or she remarried?

sueless - Thanks.

merlin68

Sorry I read it wrong. It continues till end of child benefit or if you marry or live with someone.

suelees1

merlin68 wrote: »

As widowed parents allowance is £100.70 a week, I very much doubt you'll get carers allowance. Until after the 52 weeks.

I'm not in work so can't check but isn't that the maximum WPA and would depend on her age?

If WPA is less than this or if she gets the max but also has a mortgage, she really does need to claim IS.

With the carers premium the amount the law says she needs to live on will be £98.50 pw. If she has a mortgage it will be more.

As we don't know exactly what's what it's best to claim anyway so she won't lose out.

Killmark

suelees1 wrote: »

I'm not in work so can't check but isn't that the maximum WPA and would depend on her age?

If WPA is less than this or if she gets the max but also has a mortgage, she really does need to claim IS.

With the carers premium the amount the law says she needs to live on will be £98.50 pw. If she has a mortgage it will be more.

As we don't know exactly what's what it's best to claim anyway so she won't lose out.

Widowed Parent's Allowance has a basic rate for those who are eligible, pretty sure its topped up depending on their husbands NI contributions up to a maximum of £100.70.

Dependent on the amount received she may be able to get IS and Carers Allowance and if she has a mortgage may be able get additional help as long as getting £1 in IS.

Widowed Parent's Allowance isn't means tested (eligibility ceases if you move in with a partner/marry or cease to get child benefit) unlike IS so perhaps a combination of the three benefits might be better in the long term.

GobbledyGook

She doesn't have a mortgage now. Her husband had an insurance that covered the mortgage. She's thankful now they bought a cheap 'doer upper' so their mortgage was low and was completely covered.

I don't know exactly how much Widowed Parent's Allowance she gets. She is 30 and her husband was 32. He worked for the same company from the age of 17.

Is there anywhere else other than CAB that she can go to work all this out? Could someone in the job centre or benefits office help? Or even somewhere she could phone.

suelees1

Ok now we know about the mortgage this is what she should claim -

CA - claim online. She'll get a confusing letter to say she won't be paid it but will have underlying entitlement. It WILL mean she's better off when the LA take that into account for her council tax benefit. She needs to give the letter to the LA when she gets it.

CTC - ring up tax credit office and tell them about the DLA. Her tax credits wisll increase as a result. Once she has this additional income she must again inform the LA. Increased income usually leads to less council tax benefit but because she'll have another two premiums in the calculations it should even itself out.

The Jobcentre won't be much use to her as I really don't think she's going to have any entitlement to Income Support as her income will exceed the amount she needs to live on by a couple of £s.

At least if she now gets the ball rolling it won't matter that the CAB appointment is in Feb. They can then simply check it all out for her.

kingfisherblue gave some good advice in an earlier post