Benefits for people with learning difficulties ?

avstar

Hi all

Just hoping for some advice/information for my family.

My aunt is 75 and in a wheelchair after a stroke - she lives at home with her 55 year old daughter (my cousin) who has learning difficulties.

My cousin has worked for Remploy for 35 years and they have offered her redundancy. Not sure what the payout would be but it would prob be quite a few £1000's simply because she's been there so long.

My cousin would like to leave work now as most of her friends have already gone and she has to catch 2 buses to work, then does pretty much all the shopping and housework etc to look after my aunt, and she's 55 now.

Where would they stand benefit-wise - are there benefits for people with learning difficulties ? What about her role as a carer for my disabled aunt ? And would her redundancy payment be taken into account ?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm struggling to find info on benefits for people with learning difficulties.

Any help would be gratefully received.
avstar

cattie

She could claim carer's allowance for looking after her mother & as she has learning difficulties she may qualify for a care element of dla if she has some care needs herself.

Dla is a non means tested benefit & as the forms are quite complex it's best to have help with filling them out from an experienced welfare rights worker, who should also be able to advise on any other benefits she might qualify for.

Does her mother recieve attendence allowance as she should qualify for this because of her ill health?

leoetal19

hi
the organistaion i work for have a national free family carer service specially to supprt families of and people with learning disabilities
check out www.hft.org.uk and follow the 'family carers link' where there are e mail links or ring robina mallet or naomi shannon on 0117 9302608 in business hours (9-5 ish) they offer free advice on all matters and are experts in benefits and learning disabilities-hope this helps
sue x

avstar

Thanks so much for the advice Cattie and Leoetal19, thats really helpful. :A

I need to check up on what my aunt claims for herself as I was thinking she should qualify for some benefits being disabled. I 'think' she just gets her state pension.

As far as I'm aware my cousin has never claimed anything. Its difficult to describe how she needs care, physically she's OK, and she's able to get a bus by herself if she knows the route, do some shopping with a list and does all the housework but she'd never be able to live on her own.

I'm def going to get in touch with hft.co.uk as we need an expert to help us with the minefield of benefits !
avstar

leoetal19

thats www.hft.org.uk or the home farm trust in google-good luck x

ohreally

avstar wrote: »

My cousin has worked for Remploy for 35 years and they have offered her redundancy. Not sure what the payout would be but it would prob be quite a few £1000's simply because she's been there so long.

Assuming she qualifies for the statutory max earnings (currently £330pw) she will get just under £9000 at stat rate.

avstar

Thanks for info but what is statutory max earnings ?

My cousin works 35 hours a week for Remploy and I think she gets about £5.50ph, and she's been there about 35 years.

Jo_R_2

Absolutely contact http://www.mencap.org.uk/html/about_mencap/what_we_do.asp - you don't specify what your cousin's difficulty is but I'm assuming as she worked for Remploy then she may have a learning 'disability'?

Mencap help people with different aspects of their life and they would be able to help your cousin with her situation.

avstar

Jo_R wrote: »

Absolutely contact http://www.mencap.org.uk/html/about_mencap/what_we_do.asp - you don't specify what your cousin's difficulty is but I'm assuming as she worked for Remploy then she may have a learning 'disability'?

Mencap help people with different aspects of their life and they would be able to help your cousin with her situation.

Thanks Jo_R

I will do and thanks for the advice - Doctors have never worked out exactly what my cousins disabillity is or how she got it - from what my aunt says she developed normally up to the age of about 3, and then just seemed to stop developing mentally.

She is very much like a child. She can do tasks when shown etc but could never live on her own. My aunt is convinced in something to do with childhood immunisations or something but we don't know.

ohreally

avstar wrote: »

Thanks for info but what is statutory max earnings ?

My cousin works 35 hours a week for Remploy and I think she gets about £5.50ph, and she's been there about 35 years.

There is a cap which is currently set at £330 when taking into account earnings for the purpose of calculating statutory redundancy pay.

Based on her current earnings her redundancy pay would be in the region of £5200.