Carers allowance

ginjeannie have you contacted Adult Socuak Care about equipment and adaptations? You shouldn't have to pay for things yourself.

Anyone know or understand about direct payments? Some one i know has to have help and pay for shopping, housework and gardening etc due to a foot operation which is still after two months requiring a DN visit everyday for treatment and dressings and they cant wear a shoe or go out or drive and they have to sit with foot up to try to promote healing.Just wondered if anyone has had experience of claiming this.

Seven years ago, when DH had a bad stroke, taking his left side, I was told that Carers Allowance was less than my State Pension, also that I couldn’t have both, fair enough. Have since been granted Attendance Allowance, and am so grateful, it’s a huge help as all disabled equipment is so over priced, even with the VAT exclusion.

thank you oldandverygrey

Pleased to hear your news nevesnan.

thank you silverlining

Thats good news nevesnan. V

Hi everyone, Just to let you know I was awarded care allowance, thank you everyone for your kind words and advice Good luck to everyone wating for their decision.

Springblossoms AA is not relevant here. It’s a disability benefit paid to the disabled person and is not means tested, it is also only payable to older people. This lady says her husband is already in receipt of PIP (the younger persons version of AA) and therefore she (below state pension age as she is) can claim carers allowance (for looking after him)

Hi everyone, just a little update. Husband has today received a letter informing him that I have applied for carers. If he was unaware of this he has to telephone DWP.

Good job I told him

@ Springblossoms thank you for replying. I will have a look at all the suggestions, it's hard to know what to do when you haven't claimed before. Im grateful for everyone's help.

@52bright, so very sorry you and your mum were treated so awfully. I know my parents were the same, my dad was housebound for many years before he died in 1990. They never applied for carers allowance because they didn't know about it, but my dad was like yours worked hard and wouldn't ask for any outside help, it was hard on my mum.

@lindiann, thanks for the information. If I do get awarded it I'll inform the tax office. Wouldn't have known to do this.
I will look at the carers forum too, thank you.

Good luck with your claim nevesnan. I hope things have changed now.

When will things ever change. My lovely hard working dad had cancer in the 1980s. Died 1986. Kept working as long as he could. Ended up on half pay because of long sickness leave at the end of his life. Too proud to ever ask for anything a Macmillan nurse told us about Carers allowance 3 weeks before he died. His small savings diminished in the weeks leading up to his death as he was determined to die with 'no debt' and every electric bill ext had to be paid immediately it came in.

I was a young wife with a child and the petrol cost of going every day to help nurse him took us to the limit in those days of high interest rates so couldn't do much to help them financially. I remember making my daily visit a week before he died and him insisting I had to go to the town to pay his gas bill. Go now he said ...but hurry back.

He left no debt but very little extra for my mam. I applied for a retrospective payment for her for carer's allowance but was turned down. Apparently we should have known to apply earlier. They had never claimed for anything in their whole lives and he died before he got a penny of the pension he had paid into all of his life.

Even now when I think of the money wasted on some crazy schemes I feel angry. Is my mam bitter? I wanted to appeal for her but she said ...We will keep our dignity ...your dad never asked for anything his whole life long and we are not going to dishonour his name by begging now. I know what she meant ...but honestly ...is this right in a well off country for those who have always been contibutors? So many seem on the make now.

Possibly look into Attendance Allowance which is non means tested and is claimed by the person who needs help with their care needs.

nevesnan
Occupational or personal pensions do not count as earnings and you can be paid Carer's Allowance in addition to these. ... If you do receive taxable income such as occupational or personal pensions or part-time earnings you should inform the tax office about your Carer's Allowance, because it is a taxable benefit.
www.carersuk.org/images/Factsheets/Carers-Allowance-2018-19-FINAL.pdf

I had Carers Allowance (received quite quickly) but it was stopped despite still caring for my brother when my Husband died and I got widow's Benefit for a year (Overlapping Benefit) Carers Uk Forum can give you a lot of information about all aspects of Caring

I had carers allowance but it stopped as I got a temp job around Christmas. It should have started again when my job finished on 31st Dec but I am still waiting! When I rang a few weeks ago they did say new claims were being processed quicker than changes. Hopefully you’ll have better luck than me!

@Alygran thank you, Im sorry for your loss . I didn't think of that. I don't pay tax on my pension now as it is quite a small one. £80 per week. I don't receive any other income. But I'll have to check it out.

I had my decision in 3-4 weeks when DH had PIP because he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I too was retired with a pension but below state pension age. Do remember that it is taxable in your hand so think about putting some away if you are a tax payer. I am paying the last bit of tax now through my 19/20 tax code even though DH died in 2017 and the allowance stopped 6 weeks after that. One upside is that it does count towards your NIC for state pension years.

@jenpax & silverlining thank you both. Heard nothing yet but I will let you know the outcome

Hope you hear positive news soon nevesnan.

You could also do a benefit calculation there is a good one on turn2us or the Government one on gov.uk is entitledto.

@silverlining not retired yet but don't work have my occupational pension but wont get my state pension for another couple of years (66).