No Carers unless the person is on benefits

Spoonie_Turtle

sarah1972 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

sarah1972 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

sarah1972 said:

marcia_ said:

sarah1972 said:

marcia_ said:

sarah1972 said:

Long story short. 

My husband has oesophageal cancer and I have been caring for him through chemotherapy & radiotherapy and next is a minimum 10 hour operation, time in ICU and then he will need even more home care when he gets discharged from hospital. 

I find it absolutely ridiculous that you cannot claim carers allowance unless the person you are caring for is on benefits ??? He isn’t entitled to anything so that means neither am I . 

How many carers out there who get nothing because of this odd rule. 

 He needs to apply for PIP, Personal Independence Payments, he will qualify as he has cancer. It's not means tested and you will be able to claim carers allowance 

He got declined pip with zero points 😢 We applied in July and got turned down last month. It’s gone to independent review which takes another 2 months.

  So you applied for a mandatory reconsideration, many applications are turned over then or at appeal 

ETA...

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/benefits-and-financial-support/personal-independence-payment

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/benefits-and-financial-support/personal-independence-payment

Yes, fingers crossed it gets turned over. Carers allowance isn’t backdated either so I can only apply ‘if’ we get PIP. 

The good news for you is CA can be backdated, either by three months or to the date of the PIP claim (i.e. the date you/your husband phoned to start the PIP claim), if that's taken more than 3 months

I was told by them twice that it is never backdated more than 3 months regardless of pip claim date. I said but by the time pip is granted (although I doubt it ever will be) I will of been caring for him for over 6 months and they said that it’s just the way it is with no exceptions? 

Who told you that? 
We backdated my Mum's by 7 months to the start of my PIP claim and I'm not aware of the rules having changed.
Let's see … The wording on gov.uk is not completely unambiguous ("Your Carer’s Allowance can be backdated to the date PIP is awarded to the person you are caring for" - but the award date should mean the beginning of the claim, not the decision date) but AgeUK explicitly says it https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs55_carers_allowance_fcs.pdf
"4.1 Backdating and advance claims
CA can usually only be backdated for 3 months, so it is important to claim as soon as you think you might be entitled.
If the person you care for has recently been awarded a qualifying benefit (see section 3.1), CA can be backdated to the start date of the qualifying benefit, even if this is more than three months ago. You must claim CA within three months of the start date of the qualifying benefit award"

I called the DWP carers line, they said it’s never from the start of a pip claim, it will only ever be from the date that pip is awarded. 

As it says from your post. ‘Backdated to the start of qualifying benefit’ which is the start date not application date apparently 

No the start of the qualifying benefit is the date the claim was started.  They backdate PIP money to the beginning of a claim - if the start of the claim were the date it was awarded then people would be far worse off than they already are.

I know DWP staff on the phone for things like UC can often give worse than useless advice, but I didn't think it also applied to advice about CA over the phone.


I'll tag a couple of more knowledgeable members who will know for certain …
@poppy12345 @Alice_Holt Hope you don't mind me tagging you, could you please confirm whether Carers Allowance can be backdated 3 months at most, or can it be backdated to the beginning of a new PIP claim even if it's further back than 3 months?

rosewalk

My understanding is that if PIP is eventually awarded it will be awarded from the date on which you started the claim. 

sarah1972

rosewalk said:

My understanding is that if PIP is eventually awarded it will be awarded from the date on which you started the claim. 

Yes that’s for pip. It’s carers that apparently won’t be backdated x 

sarah1972

Spoonie_Turtle said:

sarah1972 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

sarah1972 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

sarah1972 said:

marcia_ said:

sarah1972 said:

marcia_ said:

sarah1972 said:

Long story short. 

My husband has oesophageal cancer and I have been caring for him through chemotherapy & radiotherapy and next is a minimum 10 hour operation, time in ICU and then he will need even more home care when he gets discharged from hospital. 

I find it absolutely ridiculous that you cannot claim carers allowance unless the person you are caring for is on benefits ??? He isn’t entitled to anything so that means neither am I . 

How many carers out there who get nothing because of this odd rule. 

 He needs to apply for PIP, Personal Independence Payments, he will qualify as he has cancer. It's not means tested and you will be able to claim carers allowance 

He got declined pip with zero points 😢 We applied in July and got turned down last month. It’s gone to independent review which takes another 2 months.

  So you applied for a mandatory reconsideration, many applications are turned over then or at appeal 

ETA...

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/benefits-and-financial-support/personal-independence-payment

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/benefits-and-financial-support/personal-independence-payment

Yes, fingers crossed it gets turned over. Carers allowance isn’t backdated either so I can only apply ‘if’ we get PIP. 

The good news for you is CA can be backdated, either by three months or to the date of the PIP claim (i.e. the date you/your husband phoned to start the PIP claim), if that's taken more than 3 months

I was told by them twice that it is never backdated more than 3 months regardless of pip claim date. I said but by the time pip is granted (although I doubt it ever will be) I will of been caring for him for over 6 months and they said that it’s just the way it is with no exceptions? 

Who told you that? 
We backdated my Mum's by 7 months to the start of my PIP claim and I'm not aware of the rules having changed.
Let's see … The wording on gov.uk is not completely unambiguous ("Your Carer’s Allowance can be backdated to the date PIP is awarded to the person you are caring for" - but the award date should mean the beginning of the claim, not the decision date) but AgeUK explicitly says it https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs55_carers_allowance_fcs.pdf
"4.1 Backdating and advance claims
CA can usually only be backdated for 3 months, so it is important to claim as soon as you think you might be entitled.
If the person you care for has recently been awarded a qualifying benefit (see section 3.1), CA can be backdated to the start date of the qualifying benefit, even if this is more than three months ago. You must claim CA within three months of the start date of the qualifying benefit award"

I called the DWP carers line, they said it’s never from the start of a pip claim, it will only ever be from the date that pip is awarded. 

As it says from your post. ‘Backdated to the start of qualifying benefit’ which is the start date not application date apparently 

No the start of the qualifying benefit is the date the claim was started.  They backdate PIP money to the beginning of a claim - if the start of the claim were the date it was awarded then people would be far worse off than they already are.

I know DWP staff on the phone for things like UC can often give worse than useless advice, but I didn't think it also applied to advice about CA over the phone.


I'll tag a couple of more knowledgeable members who will know for certain …
@poppy12345 @Alice_Holt Hope you don't mind me tagging you, could you please confirm whether Carers Allowance can be backdated 3 months at most, or can it be backdated to the beginning of a new PIP claim even if it's further back than 3 months?

I called them again and they have said the same thing. Pip is backdated to the date of claim as we know. Carers is from the date of pip being awarded and no earlier. X 

HillStreetBlues

sarah1972 said:

I called them again and they have said the same thing. Pip is backdated to the date of claim as we know. Carers is from the date of pip being awarded and no earlier. X 

The date of claim is the same as the date of PIP being awarded.  If a person claims on the 1st Jan and is awarded PIP  both dates are the 1st Jan.
The term "awarded" is used when it is known that a person has PIP   but that really is date of decision, which will be later.

CA should be award from the start date of PIP (so in my example 1st Jan)   this can be later than 3 months.

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/benefits-entitlements/carers/carers-allowance

Can Carer's Allowance be backdated?

Your claim can be backdated for up to three months if you were eligible. You do not have to give a reason for why you're claiming late.

If the person you're caring for has recently been awarded a qualifying benefit, try to claim Carer's Allowance within three months of the award. Their qualifying benefit is the benefit they get that means you can receive Carer's Allowance. This means your Carer's Allowance can be backdated to when they started their claim for the qualifying benefit – even if that was more than three months ago.

You can ask for your Carer's Allowance to be backdated when you apply. You should ask for this on the claim form where it asks "When do you want your Carer's Allowance to start?

sarah1972

HillStreetBlues said:

sarah1972 said:

I called them again and they have said the same thing. Pip is backdated to the date of claim as we know. Carers is from the date of pip being awarded and no earlier. X 

The date of claim is the same as the date of PIP being awarded.  If a person claims on the 1st Jan and is awarded PIP  both dates are the 1st Jan.
The term "awarded" is used when it is known that a person has PIP   but that really is date of decision, which will be later.

CA should be award from the start date of PIP (so in my example 1st Jan)   this can be later than 3 months.

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/benefits-entitlements/carers/carers-allowance

Can Carer's Allowance be backdated?

Your claim can be backdated for up to three months if you were eligible. You do not have to give a reason for why you're claiming late.

If the person you're caring for has recently been awarded a qualifying benefit, try to claim Carer's Allowance within three months of the award. Their qualifying benefit is the benefit they get that means you can receive Carer's Allowance. This means your Carer's Allowance can be backdated to when they started their claim for the qualifying benefit – even if that was more than three months ago.

You can ask for your Carer's Allowance to be backdated when you apply. You should ask for this on the claim form where it asks "When do you want your Carer's Allowance to start?

Thank you. They agree to disagree. Hopefully our Pip Decision will be overturned and then I will at least apply for carers. 

poppy12345

sarah1972 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

sarah1972 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

sarah1972 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

sarah1972 said:

marcia_ said:

sarah1972 said:

marcia_ said:

sarah1972 said:

Long story short. 

My husband has oesophageal cancer and I have been caring for him through chemotherapy & radiotherapy and next is a minimum 10 hour operation, time in ICU and then he will need even more home care when he gets discharged from hospital. 

I find it absolutely ridiculous that you cannot claim carers allowance unless the person you are caring for is on benefits ??? He isn’t entitled to anything so that means neither am I . 

How many carers out there who get nothing because of this odd rule. 

 He needs to apply for PIP, Personal Independence Payments, he will qualify as he has cancer. It's not means tested and you will be able to claim carers allowance 

He got declined pip with zero points 😢 We applied in July and got turned down last month. It’s gone to independent review which takes another 2 months.

  So you applied for a mandatory reconsideration, many applications are turned over then or at appeal 

ETA...

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/benefits-and-financial-support/personal-independence-payment

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/benefits-and-financial-support/personal-independence-payment

Yes, fingers crossed it gets turned over. Carers allowance isn’t backdated either so I can only apply ‘if’ we get PIP. 

The good news for you is CA can be backdated, either by three months or to the date of the PIP claim (i.e. the date you/your husband phoned to start the PIP claim), if that's taken more than 3 months

I was told by them twice that it is never backdated more than 3 months regardless of pip claim date. I said but by the time pip is granted (although I doubt it ever will be) I will of been caring for him for over 6 months and they said that it’s just the way it is with no exceptions? 

Who told you that? 
We backdated my Mum's by 7 months to the start of my PIP claim and I'm not aware of the rules having changed.
Let's see … The wording on gov.uk is not completely unambiguous ("Your Carer’s Allowance can be backdated to the date PIP is awarded to the person you are caring for" - but the award date should mean the beginning of the claim, not the decision date) but AgeUK explicitly says it https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs55_carers_allowance_fcs.pdf
"4.1 Backdating and advance claims
CA can usually only be backdated for 3 months, so it is important to claim as soon as you think you might be entitled.
If the person you care for has recently been awarded a qualifying benefit (see section 3.1), CA can be backdated to the start date of the qualifying benefit, even if this is more than three months ago. You must claim CA within three months of the start date of the qualifying benefit award"

I called the DWP carers line, they said it’s never from the start of a pip claim, it will only ever be from the date that pip is awarded. 

As it says from your post. ‘Backdated to the start of qualifying benefit’ which is the start date not application date apparently 

No the start of the qualifying benefit is the date the claim was started.  They backdate PIP money to the beginning of a claim - if the start of the claim were the date it was awarded then people would be far worse off than they already are.

I know DWP staff on the phone for things like UC can often give worse than useless advice, but I didn't think it also applied to advice about CA over the phone.


I'll tag a couple of more knowledgeable members who will know for certain …
@poppy12345 @Alice_Holt Hope you don't mind me tagging you, could you please confirm whether Carers Allowance can be backdated 3 months at most, or can it be backdated to the beginning of a new PIP claim even if it's further back than 3 months?

I called them again and they have said the same thing. Pip is backdated to the date of claim as we know. Carers is from the date of pip being awarded and no earlier. X 

You need to be aware that when ringing any DWP department, you're speaking to someone from a call centre, who very often give incorrect information. They are not benefits advisors and you shouldn't rely on the advice they give.

If he's awarded PIP, providing you apply for carers allowance within 3 months of that decision then carers allowance can be backdated to the start of the PIP award, as has been advised.

Muttleythefrog

sarah1972 said:

HillStreetBlues said:

sarah1972 said:

I called them again and they have said the same thing. Pip is backdated to the date of claim as we know. Carers is from the date of pip being awarded and no earlier. X 

The date of claim is the same as the date of PIP being awarded.  If a person claims on the 1st Jan and is awarded PIP  both dates are the 1st Jan.
The term "awarded" is used when it is known that a person has PIP   but that really is date of decision, which will be later.

CA should be award from the start date of PIP (so in my example 1st Jan)   this can be later than 3 months.

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/benefits-entitlements/carers/carers-allowance

Can Carer's Allowance be backdated?

Your claim can be backdated for up to three months if you were eligible. You do not have to give a reason for why you're claiming late.

If the person you're caring for has recently been awarded a qualifying benefit, try to claim Carer's Allowance within three months of the award. Their qualifying benefit is the benefit they get that means you can receive Carer's Allowance. This means your Carer's Allowance can be backdated to when they started their claim for the qualifying benefit – even if that was more than three months ago.

You can ask for your Carer's Allowance to be backdated when you apply. You should ask for this on the claim form where it asks "When do you want your Carer's Allowance to start?

Thank you. They agree to disagree. Hopefully our Pip Decision will be overturned and then I will at least apply for carers. 

Being blunt DWP agents on the phone are probably less reliable than the first result on google for same enquiry - in fact I've even quoted such at a U/C agent who insisted my wife must apply for CA and there was no such things as a carer element for U/C. Often worse than saying they're not absolutely sure they just make things up - as happened recently when I enquired about permitted holidays abroad. Actual DWP decision makers unsurprisingly tend to be a lot hotter on actual benefit rules.

Good luck at getting the PIP resolved and then obviously try to backdate CA to when they first claimed PIP... and naturally best of wishes regarding husband's well being.