The National Lottery Awards for All provided funding for one day a week of our Benefits Advice service for carers in Essex and Southend-on-Sea.
The Problem
"Money is a constant worry that keeps me from sleeping. We will probably end up going into debt because we need to pay the electricity for showers and to charge Denise’s wheelchair.” Alan from Witham, cares for his wife Denise who has terminal cancer.
We know many carers like Alan are missing out on financial support they may be entitled to. Awareness of what they may be entitled to and confidence completing forms are two key barriers. For example, the form to claim Attendance Allowance is 30 pages long! An estimated 3.4m people of pension age weren’t claiming Attendance Allowance in 2019 and £1.7bn in pension credit is being left unclaimed. These benefits are often a gateway entitlement that opens a range of other support and entitlements such as free prescriptions, free eye tests and Blue Badge.
There is a range of other financial support available to carers of any age including grants, discounts and support with household bills that many are not aware of.
How we help
Our experienced Benefits Adviser provides accurate and detailed benefits information and advice to carers by telephone and email. They support carers to maximise their income including benefit calculations. They also signpost carers for additional support as appropriate e.g. help with completing benefit forms and support with Appeals and Tribunals.
We receive lots of positive feedback on this service, for example “I did not know of any benefits we could claim before I got in touch with you” and ‘it has helped me gain an understanding of future options and a financial gain through Council Tax disability reduction.”
Our Benefits Adviser has supported over 80 carers during the life of the Awards for All grant.
How you can help
We rely on voluntary donations and grants to fund the Benefits Adviser service in Essex and Southend-on-Sea. If you are interested in finding out how you can support, please contact partners@carersfirst.org.uk
Thank you to the players of the National Lottery