Chepstow & Caldicot Carers Support Group

JULY and AUGUST 2002 NEWSLETTER

CARERS... Look after family, partners or friends in need of help. Because they are ill, frail or have a disability. The care they provide is unpaid. THE CHEPSTOW AND CALDICOT CARERS' SUPPORT GROUP Chairman: Alison Short (01291-623771) Secretary: Patsy Lewis (01291-420602) Office: 'Cobblers Pitch', Highmoor Hill, Caerwent, Monmouthshire NP26 5PF Dear Carer, Our June meeting was at Boverton House when the Benefits Agency came along and spent the day with us. Their representative met carers individually in the morning and then gave us a general talk about benefits that affect carers in the afternoon. The main benefit that carers can claim is Invalid Care Allowance or "ICA". (A dreadful name!) This is for carers who are 16 or over and under 65, who care for someone at least 35 hours a week and the person they care for is getting: Attendance Allowance Disability Living Allowance care component at the middle or highest rate for personal care. Industrial Injuries Disablement Constant Attendance Allowance War Pensions Constant Attendance Allowance. You cannot get ICA if you are in full-time education or if you earn above a certain amount. If you get ICA your other benefits may increase or decrease. Carer Premium. Carer Premium can be included in the calculation of Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. Changes since April 2001. ICA has increased to £41.75 a week, and now you can earn up to £72 a week after the deduction of allowable expenses and still get ICA. This is because the ICA earnings limit has increased by £22. Carer Premium has increased by £10.25 a week to £24.40 Disabled Child Premium has increased by £7.40 a week to £30 a week for parents with a disabled child. Enhanced Disability Premium was introduced in April 2001. It is included in a customer's Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit where a young person or disabled child for whom they are claiming gets the highest care component of Disability Living Allowance. It is worth £11.05 a week. FUTURE CHANGES. As announced in October 2000 further changes to ICA are planned. They will be introduced soon. (I do not know the date) If you are a carer of 65 or over, you will be able to claim ICA for the first time. However, if your rate of pension is the same or higher than the rateof CA you may not be able to get any allowance, but you may be able to get the Carer Premium if you are on a low income. If the person you care for dies, you will be able to get ICA for 8 weeks after they die. The name Invalid Care Allowance will change to Carers' Allowance. From April 2002, for each complete tax year you get ICA, you will automatically earn an extra pension called State Second Pension. (SSP). You get SSP if you are entitled to ICA but are not paid it because you get certain other benefits at the same or a higher weekly rate. And you can get SSP if you do not qualify for ICA but get Home Responsibilities Protection instead. You will be paid SSP with any basic state pension when you reach state pension age (65 for men, 60 for women). (The SSP would be worth £1 extra a week for every year spent caring.) Attendance Allowance and Disabililty Allowance These are non-means tested benefits given to people who need help with personal care. Many people are reluctant to claim this, but it can help to pay for extra bills which you can incur as a result of being ill, disabled and immobile. Disability Living Allowance (Claimed by people who are under 65) Care component: Low: £14.90 per week Middle: £37.65 per week High: £56.25 per week Mobility Component Low: £14.90 per week High: £39.30 pa- week Attendance Allowance Low: £37.65 per week High: £56.25 per week. No doubt, you will realise that the benefits system is a very complicated one, but you should not miss out on this help if you are entitled to it. For benefits advice locally you can go to the Citizens Advice Bureau in Chepstow or Caldicot, or the Resource Centre in Caldicot where there is Welfare Rights Worker. Telephone 01291-424277. The Benefits Agency is now called the 'Job Centre Plus' and have an office in Station Road, Chepstow. You can call there with your enquiries. If you are over pension age, you will have to deal with your enquiries by telephone through to Swansea. However, they offer a visiting service. Age Concern also offer a home visiting service for benefits. Telephone 01633-763330. If you or the person you care for applies for Disability Living Allowance or the Attendance Allowance, be sure to get some help when you fill in the forms at any of these places. What you must remember is that you should answer the questions as you feel when you are having a 'BAD' day. Do not say what you can do when you are having a good day. You will probably not qualify and the appeals procedure is a very difficult one. If you want a chat I am at Gray Hill Surgery on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10:00am-12:00 mid-day. Anyone, subscribers or not, can come and see me there. Ring 01291-420282 for an appointment or take a chance and pop in! For transport to meetings contact Nan Smith on 01291-421665 or Alison Short on 01291-623771. Best wishes, Patsy Lewis.