Benefits

Question 1

What benefits can a person claim if they have a chronic illness which causes them to need help caring for themselves?

Answer 1

1. Personal Independence Payment: for patient under 65 years.
2. Attendance Allowance: for patients 65 years and over.

Question 2

What is the personal indepdendence payment replacing?

Answer 2

In 2013 it replaced the disability living allowance

Question 3

What criteria must be fulfilled to get the PIP?

Answer 3

• Long term health condition for 3 months.
• Expect them to last atleast 9 months.
• Having difficulties with activities related to daily living or mobility.

Question 4

Who are exempt from the PIP criteria and fast tracked?

Answer 4

terminally ill patients

Question 5

What 2 components are the PIP divided into?

Answer 5

• Daily living component
• Mobility component

Question 6

What are the criteria to claim attendance allowance?

Answer 6

• 65 years or over.
• Need help with personal care for 6 months.

Question 7

Are PIP and AA means tested?

Answer 7

No.

And PIP is tax-free too.

Question 8

What form do terminally ill patients fill out to be fast tracked through the system of claiming incapacity benefit, employment support allowance, DLA or AA?

Answer 8

A DS1500 form

Question 9

Tell me about the DS1500 form

Answer 9

1. Entitlement to high rate of attendance allowance if prognosis less than 6 months and priority in processing application.
2. Contains questions about the diagnosis, whether the patient is aware of the condition/prognosis clinical features (e.g. staging) and treatment​​
3. May be completed by a hospital or hospice consultant
4. A fee is payable by the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) for the completion of this form
5. Given directly to the patient rather than sent to the DWP

Question 10

How long should someone expect to live to be able to get the DS1500 form?

Answer 10

6 months.

Question 11

When someone dies what payments are the spouse/family entitled to?

Answer 11

• Funeral payment
• Bereavement payment
• Bereavement allowance
• Widowed parent’s allowance

Question 12

What is the funeral payment?

Answer 12

One-off payment to the partner or parent of the deceased if they are on benefits to help pay for a funeral

Question 13

Bereavement payment

Answer 13

• Lump sum given to spouse if they are under the state pension age(<65 years) when their partner died
• Depends on national insurance contributions
• Not payable to divorcees

Question 14

What is the bereavement allowance?

Answer 14

Taxable weekly benefit paid to the spouse for up to 52 weeks (12 months) from the date of death, if the surviving partner is 45 years or older and less than the state pension age (<65 years)

Question 15

What is the Widowed Parent’s Allowance?

Answer 15

Payable to a parent whose husband or wife has died.

Eligibility

• Surviving partner is bringing up a child < 19 years of age and receiving child benefit
• Deceased partner had made adequate national insurance contributions
• Also if the woman was expecting her late husband’s baby
• Divorcees and those who remarry are not eligible to claim

Question 16

What is the job seekers allowance?

Answer 16

From 18 years old to state pension age. Claimants must be capable of working and agree to actively seek work

Question 17

What is stautory sick pay?

Up to how many days in a row are you allowed off before claiming it?

How long can you claim it for?

Answer 17

For employees unable to work due to illness. Unable to work for > 4 days in a row. Paid up to a maximum of 28 weeks

Question 18

What is Incapacity Benefit & Employment and Support Allowance

Answer 18

Employment and Support Allowance replaced Incapacity Benefit for new claimants from October 2008. Claimable by those not entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), for example self-employed, or when SSP has ended

Question 19

Which one of the following statements regarding the DS1500 form is correct?

• The completing doctor cannot claim a fee from the Department of Works and Pensions
• Should be completed when a patient has less than 12 months to live
• Contains a question about whether the patient is aware of their diagnosis
• Should be sent directly to the Department of Works and Pensions
• Must be completed by the patient’s General Practitioner (or another doctor at the same surgery)

Answer 19

Contains a question about whether the patient is aware of their diagnosis

The DWP pay the doctor. It is issued when the patient has <6 months to live. It should be given directly to the patient and can be completed by any doctor.