Welfare Rights Service
The Welfare Rights Service is responsible for providing Welfare Benefits advice and assistance to clients of Social Care Services together with their immediate families and carers, through a team of Welfare Rights Officers. These officers also advise and assist with appeals and tribunal representations.
Welfare Benefits Assessment Officers undertake financial assessments for Domiciliary Care by arranging to visit you at home or wherever you are most comfortable.
Welfare Benefits advice is also available to all people needing residential care and their families. Requests for Welfare Benefits assistance can be made through social workers, Welfare Rights Officers and Welfare Benefits Assessment Officers.
We have 13 Welfare Benefits Assessment Officers and 14 Welfare Benefit Advisers countywide, who will be able to help you. We will give advice by phone or email.
What the advisers can do
- Help to complete forms, such as Income Support, Attendance Allowance, Housing Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Social Fund.
- Advise about asking for an unfavorable decision to be revised.
- Help with written appeals and if necessary, accompany clients to tribunal hearings.
- Make applications to Social Security Commissioners if appeal decisions involve an error of law.
- Explain what the duties of an appointee are and who may need one.
- Help those whose partners need to go into care.
- Check whether a person is receiving their correct entitlement to benefit.
- Give talks to community groups such as carers groups, disability groups or pensioners.
- Provide training to other organisations in particular aspects of benefits.
- Produce advice sheets to promote better understanding of who may be entitled to benefit.
Benefits Rates
Below are the details of benefit rates and savings thresholds from April 2008. Please contact us if you want help to make an application.
Care and mobility needs
Attendance allowance
Higher rate £67.00 weekly
Lower rate £44.85 weekly
Disability living allowance (care component)
Higher rate £67.00 weekly
Middle rate £44.85 weekly
Lower rate £17.75 weekly
Disability living allowance (mobility component)
Higher rate £46.75 weekly
Lower rate £17.75 weekly
Unable to work
Incapacity benefit
Short term (lower rate for first 28 weeks)
Person below pension age £63.75 weekly
Person above pension age £81.10 weekly
Short term (higher rate after 28 weeks)
Person below pension age £75.40 weekly
Person above pension age £84.50 weekly
Long term (after 52 weeks) £84.50 weekly
Carers' needs
Carer's allowance £50.55 weekly
Income threshold (over which a person cannot claim) £95 a week
There are also age restrictions here and there may be an effect on the benefits of the person being cared for. Please seek advice
Retirement
Basic pension £90.70 weekly
Married woman £54.35 weekly
Couple on husband's contributions £141.65 weekly
Over 80s pension £54.35 weekly
Pension credit
Guaranteed income
Single person £124.05 weekly
Couple £189.35 weekly
Savings credit (maximum payable)
Single person £19.71 weekly
Couple £26.13 weekly
Income support
Savings threshold (over which a person cannot claim) £16,000
Savings threshold for person in residential care £12,000 to £16,000
Care costs
NHS funded registered nursing care contribution
From 1 October 2007, one flat-rate band, paid at £101 per week, replaced the previous three separate bands. Those who previously received the high band rate will continue to do so unless their circumstances change. See the National Health Service (Nursing Care in Residential Accommodation) (England) Directions 2007.
In Wales the rate may vary from place to place, check with your local health board.
Payment of home care and care home fees
Upper savings threshold (above which person must pay all their costs)
£22,500 (£22,000 in Wales)
Lower savings threshold (below which person pays no costs)
£13,500 (£19,000 in Wales)
Personal expenses allowance for those in care
£21.15 (£21.38 in Wales)
Some other benefits
Housing benefit
Savings threshold £6,000 to £16,000
Winter fuel payments
The 2008 budget indicated £50 in winter fuel payments, however this had not been confirmed at the time of publishing. We suggest that people contact the Winter Fuel Payments Helpline on 08459 15 15 15.
NHS Benefits
Savings threshold for people under 60 £8,000
Savings threshold for people over 60 £16,000
Savings threshold for people in a care home £21,000
People receiving income support, income-based job seeker allowance, family credit or disability working allowance, providing their savings are less than £8,000, are entitled to:
- free prescriptions (prescriptions are free for everyone of retirement age)
- free dental treatment from NHS dentists
- free sight tests and vouchers towards the cost of glasses
- free wigs and fabric supports
- help with hospital travel costs for NHS treatment and free appliances for outpatients or day patients.
People not receiving income support or family credit but who are on a low income with no more than £8,000 in savings can apply for help towards NHS benefits. Ask your social security office, GP, dentist, optician or hospital for the claim form and leaflet.
NHS hearing aids, prescribed by an NHS consultant, are supplied to anyone needing them, on free loan. They are fitted, serviced and supplied with batteries free of charge.
Where we are
Our Advisers are based in our offices in Burton, Cannock, Cheadle, Codsall, Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Tamworth.
How to contact us:
By phone:
(01785) 277055
Mon-Thurs 8.30am-5.00pm
Friday 8.30am-4.30pm
By Post:
Welfare Rights Service
Unit J
Ferranti Court
Staffordshire Technology Park
Beaconside
Stafford
ST18 0LQ
(This office is not open to the public but, you can visit any other social care office in the county. Contact details for our offices.)
"Staffordshire County Council is not responsible for any of the content of external websites linked from this page"
For general information on benefits please refer to Department for Work and Pensions website: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/atoz.asp
In addition to this, general information on health and wellbeing, caring for someone and benefits can be found at http://www.direct.gov.uk
Last Modified:
28/08/2008 11:15:59
Back to top