Know Your Benefits - A Guide for Renal Patients and Carers

Many Kidney Patients or their carers face financial difficulties – this is not unusual or surprising. Before seeking a grant, or other help from a charity, check to see whether you have claimed all the benefits available from the State. Check what benefits you may be able to get - below are brief guidelines on some of the benefits to look for.

For further information on any of these benefits, see Contact numbers for advice on benefits in the DLA Information Pack.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

If you were working for an employer and paying National Insurance Contributions when you became sick.

Statutory Sick Pay is payable to someone who is incapable of work because of sickness or disability. It is only paid to someone who is employed and who earns more than the National Insurance lower earnings limit (currently £87).When Statutory Sick Pay runs out or you stop being employed, you may be able to claim Incapacity Benefit or Income Support.

Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) – replaces Incapacity Benefit

ESA is a benefit paid to people whose ability to work is limited by ill health or disability.

It is a single benefit and is not simply because you are found to be incapable of work.

ESA is paid when you are found to have a limited capability for work. ESA claimants are divided into two separate groups, the “support group” and the “work related activity group”. The group you are placed in will determine the amount of ESA you receive and the responsibilities you will need to meet in order to keep receiving the benefit.

The support group: If you have a limited capability for work related activity under the WCA.

The work-related activity group: If you do not have a limited capability for work-related activity under the WCA.

Work Capability Assessment (WCA)

When you claim ESA you enter a 13 week "assessment phase" (with the exception of those who are terminally ill).  During this period you will undergo a “work capability assessment”.

This has three elements:

• The first part looks at whether you have a “limited capability for work”. If you do you are entitled to ESA.
• The second part looks at whether you have a “limited capability for work-related activity”. This will determine whether you are placed in the support group or the work-related activity group of claimants. It also determines the amount of ESA you receive and the responsibilities you must meet to retain the benefit.
• The third part is work focused health-related assessment. This only applies if you are in the work-related activity group. The assessment looks at barriers to work and what support you could receive to help you move towards and into work. If you fail to attend or participate in the assessment, your ESA may be affected.

To apply contact Jobcentre Plus.

Income Support

If you can’t get Statutory Sick Pay or Incapacity Benefit, or if you can, but still don’t have enough to live on.

Disability Living Allowance (over 16s)

If you are aged over 16 and under 65 and need help looking after yourself or getting around.

Click here for the ‘Disability Living Allowance Information Pack’ - copies available from the NKF Helpline on 0845 601 02 09 (Local Rate Call in the UK).

Disability Living Allowance (under 16s)

If a child under 16 and needs more help or looking after than other children of the same age because of their illness or disability.

The application process and the way the questions are asked are very similar to those in the claim pack for Disability Living Allowance for over 16s. If you would like a copy of the over 16s information pack please call the NKF Helpline on 0845 601 02 09 (Local Rate Call in the UK).

Attendance Allowance

If you are aged over 65 and need help looking after yourself or getting around.

Disabled Person’s Tax Credit

If you are aged 16 or over and working an average of 16 hours a week or more and are restricted in the type of work, number of hours or amount you can earn because of illness or disability.

Home Responsibilities Protection

If you are unable to pay National Insurance contributions because you are caring for someone.

Carers Allowance (CA) – formerly called Invalid Care Allowance

If you are aged 16 or over and spending at least 35 hours a week looking after someone who is getting or waiting to hear about getting Attendance Allowance or Disability Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care.

Click here for the ‘ Benefits for Carers’ factsheet - copies are available from the NKF Helpline on (0845) 601 02 09 (Local Rate Call in the UK).

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

If you became disabled as a result of an accident at work or a disease known to be a risk of a job you have done, including deafness.

Housing Benefit

If you are on a low income and paying rent.

Council Tax Benefit

If you are on a low income and paying Council Tax. If you qualify for a disability reduction, that is if you or any other ‘resident’ in your home is ‘substantially or permanently disabled’. At least one of the following conditions must also be met:-

• You have an additional bathroom or kitchen needed by the disabled person.
• You have a room (other than a bathroom, kitchen or toilet) needed by and predominantly used by that person – eg) a room used for home haemodialysis or storage for PD fluid.
• You have enough space in your home for that person to use a wheelchair indoors.

Help with NHS Health Costs

There can be charges for some treatment from the NHS and a leaflet has been produced by the NHS which outlines information about who does not have to pay charges and also explains the help you might get with costs if you are on a low income. You may be eligible for help with the following items:

• NHS prescriptions
• NHS dental treatment
• Sight tests
• Glasses and contact lenses
• Travel costs for treatment under the care of a consultant

If you would like a copy of the leaflet quote ‘HC11 – Help with health costs/35002’. You can get a copy from DH Publications Online, contact details:

Tel: 08701 555 455
Fax:  01623 724 524
Email: dh@prolog.uk.com

If you have access to the internet you can print the leaflet at the below link:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/07/80/85/04078085.pdf

Travel Costs

Patients who are traveling to hospital for treatment can be reimbursed for travel costs if they are on Income Support, Income Based Job Seekers Allowance or Pension Credit Guarantee Credit. Incapacity Benefit or Disability Living Allowance do not count as they are not income related. It’s also available if you are entitled to or are named on a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate.

Prescription Charges in the UK

Both HD & CAPD patients can now claim for free prescriptions.

Guidance on exemption from prescription charges is set out in leaflet HC11, Help with Health Costs. The leaflet is also published on the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/nhscharges/hc11.htm

Any patient who has a permanent fistula which requires a surgical dressing or an appliance would be entitled to medical exemption if they have completed application form FP92A and a doctor has signed the form to confirm the condition (in this context, “permanent” is taken to mean “intended to last indefinitely”). Whether or not a dialysis patient has a permanent fistula which requires a surgical dressing or appliance is a matter for their doctor’s clinical judgement. We would expect the criteria to be met where there is a clinical need for a permanent fistula to be covered by a surgical dressing (for example between haemodialysis treatments) or by an appliance (such as a catheter for peritoneal dialysis).

Water Charges

If you are on a meter and suffer from certain medical conditions, including kidney failure requiring dialysis at home, and are on a low income or are a large family on a low income, you may be able to apply to have your bill capped – that is, there is a fixed ceiling applied to your bill and however much water you use, your bill cannot go above the average figure for your area.

Applications should be made to your local water company. You will need to tell them that you want to apply for the ‘Vulnerable Groups’ tariff. If eligible, your bill will be capped to the level of the average bill in the area. This will save you money if you would normally use more water than the average.

Grants – Local and Charitable

Your Renal Social Worker should be able to provide you with information on grants available in your area.

Your local authority (Council) may be able to help you with a grant for improving your home or making alterations for medical reasons. You should contact the Housing Department at your Council to see what is available in your area. As most grants are means-tested it is likely that you would have to pay something towards the cost even if you are on a low income.

You may like to apply to the British Kidney Patients Association, or the National Kidney Research Fund, contact details below, who may be able to assist. It is usual for the National Kidney Research Fund to only accept referrals through the patient’s social worker.

Grants – Social Fund

The social fund is a government fund that makes payments to people in need. The discretionary social fund provides grants and interest free loans for things that are hard to pay for out of your normal weekly benefits.

Community care grants are to assist people on income support, income based job seekers allowance or pension credit.

Budgeting loans are interest free, repayable loans to assist people who have been on income support, income based job seekers allowance or pension credit for at least 26 weeks to meet expenses for irregular items that are difficult to budget for.

Crisis loans are interest free repayable loans for people who cannot meet their immediate short term needs in a crisis – whether or not you are on benefits.

There are rules for each type of payment and they are discretionary – decisions can be reviewed but you cannot appeal.

Other Benefits

If you are awarded Disability Living Allowance there are some other benefits that may be available to you. These are listed below under the relevant component and rates.

If you get the Care Component at the middle or highest rate then you are also eligible for the help available to those receiving the lowest rate. The same applies under the Mobility component – if you receive the higher rate then you are also eligible for the help available to those receiving only the lower rate.

The National Kidney Federation cannot accept responsibility for information provided. The above is for guidance only.

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Page created: 6 August 2004

Last updated: 9 July 2009

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