Compensation for vCJD and Job Seekers Allowancw

backwardbean

My mother died when I was five because of vCJD, which was otherwise known as "mad cow disease". The vCJD compensation scheme awarded me a substantial amount of money for "pain and suffering caused" from losing my mother.

I received the money when I turned 18, and now, after just graduating from university, I want to claim JSA. The no-fault compensation I received was not for earnings, it was simply for "pain and suffering" and the money is described as "going some way to alleviate the pain of losing a family member through vCJD".

Should this money be discounted as capital, as it is not savings, and was compensation awarded for the loss of my mother?

Thanks x

antrobus

You want:-

Capital disregards
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/pc10s-guide-to-pension-credit/capital-disregards/

backwardbean

This is for Pension Credit. Do the same exemptions apply to JSA?

Thanks x

agrinnall

The link below is to a 200 page document on the treatment of income with respect to benefit payments. I suspect your situation is buried in there somewhere. I have seen threads previously that indicate awards can only be disregarded if the money is held in a trust, but whether that applies to you or not is well outside the scope of my knowledge I'm afraid.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dmgch28.pdf