Patrick Hill writes:
“Since the introduction of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), there have been increasing reports from advisors across the UK that the Severe Disability Premium (SDP) has not been added to income based benefits such as: Employment Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support. Nor have there been claims made to those income based benefits that might become payable due to entitlement to SDP. When Universal Credit (UC) begins to take a firmer hold, and includes people with disabilities, an additional amount recognising a disability such as the SDP will not, unless the lobbying for it to do so succeeds, be part of a UC award.
NAWRA are making members aware of these scenarios so that they will be better placed to seek out such cases in their own area. Where an SDP is in payment, and the claimant is migrated onto UC, transitional protection will apply.
As a reminder, here is a brief list of how a person would qualify for the SDP:
In the case of a single person the claimant should:
- Receive a qualifying benefit (see below); and
- Not live with any non-dependants*; and
- No one receive Carers Allowance in respect of providing care to them.**
Qualifying benefits – middle or higher rate care component of Disability Living Allowance, any level of Attendance Allowance, daily living component of Personal Independence Payment at any rate.
In the case of a member of a couple:
- Both receive a qualifying benefit (or one receive a qualifying benefit and the other be registered as severely sight impaired); and
- Not live with any non-dependants*; and
- No one receive Carers Allowance in respect of providing care to them.*
*Non dependants are people aged 18 or more years (but not qualifying young people still in education) living in the same household as the claimant. However, these will not be treated as non dependants if:
- They are joint tenants with the claimant (but not a close relative) and have been so since the tenancy was set up; or
- Joint owners of the property (but not a close relative)in which they reside; or
- They are liable to pay you rent (but are not a close relative);
- You are liable to pay them rent (but are not a close relative); or
- They are also recipients of one of the qualifyingbenefits described above.
**It is actual receipt of Carer’s Allowance that prevents SDP being included. If, due to the overlapping benefits rules, the Carer’s Allowance is not being paid and there is only an underlying entitlement, then this will not prevent the SDP from being paid. It will also allow the Carer Premium to be awarded to the carer if they are on means-tested benefits.”
Patrick Hill is the NAWRA committee representative for North-West England.