Disability

 

• If you have a disability
• What benefits am I entitled to?
• Statutory Sick Pay
• Where do I go for information on work and becoming disabled?
• Where do I go for Rehabilitation Services?
• Am I entitled to help with transport?
• New Deal for Disabled People
• Disabled Facilities/Public Conveniences/Radar Keys
• Travel Tokens

If you have a disability

The Government wants to enable people with disabilities to have the same opportunities to work as anyone else.  For many, this requires extra support.

Jobcentre (this is an external hyperlink) advisors can offer extra help to people with disabilities seeking work.  Nearly 90,000 disabled people a year are helped into work by the advisers.

They can also help you to assess what sort of job you might be able to do, if your disability makes it harder to do some types of work.

Access to work provides practical support to disabled people and their employers to help overcome work related obstacles resulting from disability - helping pay for new equipment or adjustments to existing working environments.

If you are on health-related benefits, the New Deal for Disabled People also helps people with health conditions or disabilities who want to work and find work.  It is voluntary and you decide whether or not you want to join in.

There are benefits available for people with disabilities, including Disability Living Allowance and Disablement Pensions (this is an external hyperlink) for those injured or disabled as a result of any service in Her Majesty's Armed Forces.

If you are severely disabled or have been sick and unable to work for over six months, find out what benefits you may be entitled to claim.

If you are over 18 and become disabled, you should contact Social Services (this is an external hyperlink), they will then pass you onto the initial Assessment Team.  If you have a child with disabilities you should contact Social Services Children with Disabilities Team.

Staff at Social Services will be able to give you information and advice and may be able to offer you services such as respite care.  They will also be able to give you information on any voluntary, private, community or leisure groups and organisations that may also be able to help.

What benefits may I be entitled to?

You can get help and advice about welfare benefits.  A Guide to Incapacity Benefit.  For more information please contact the Citizens Advice Bureau (this is an external hyperlink).

Severe Disablement Allowance

If you are aged between 16 and 65 and you have been unable to work for at least 28 weeks in a row because of disability of if you have never been able to work, you may be entitled to Severe Disablement Allowance.

Disability Living Allowance

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a tax-free social security (this is an external hyperlink) benefit intended for adults and children with a long term illness or a disability.  It can be paid in addition to other benefits such as incapacity benefit but can also be paid if you are working.

To be able to make a claim for Disability Allowance, you must:

• Claim before you reach 65, unless you are switching from the Invalid Vehicle Service
• Been paid if you need help looking after yourself
• Paid if you are aged 3 or over and have severe difficulty walking, or aged 5 or over and need help getting around out of doors
• Paid at different rates depending on how your disability affects you.

Vaccine Damage Payment

This is a one off payment that you may be entitled to if you or a member of your family is severely disabled as a result of a vaccination against certain diseases. For more information visit the Department for Work and Pensions website (this is an external hyperlink) or Directgov (this is an external hyperlink) or write to The Vaccine Damage Payments Unit, Palatine House, Lancaster Road, Preston, PR1 1HB.

War Disablement Pension

War Disablement Pension (WDP) is a payment made to people who have been injured or disabled as a result of any service in Her Majesty's Armed Forces.  Further information is available from Directgov (this is an external hyperlink).

Disabled Person's Tax Credit

If you are aged 16 or over and working an average of 16 hours per week or more but you are restricted in the type of work, number of hours you can work or the amount you can earn because of disability then you may be entitled to Disabled Person's Working Tax Credit (this is an external hyperlink).  This benefit is claimed through HM Revenue and Customs (this is an external hyperlink).

Attendance Allowance

Attendance allowance is a tax free social security benefit intended for people with a long term illness or a disability.  It can be paid in addition to other benefits such as Retirement Pension.  It is for people aged 65 and over.

To be able to make a claim for Attendance Allowance, you must have been:

• Paid if you need help looking after yourself
• Paid if you became ill or disabled on or after your 65th Birthday, or are claiming on or after your 65th Birthday
• Paid at different rates depending on whether you need care during the day, during the night or both.

There are special rules for people with a terminal illness to help them get Attendance allowance quickly and easily.  You can get Attendance allowance even if no one is actually giving you the care you need.  You may not get Attendance allowance if you are in hospital or residential care.  Attendance allowance is not affected by savings.  Attendance allowance is not usually affected by other money you have coming in.  Attendance allowance is usually ignored as an income for working out Income Support and Jobseekers allowance.

Income Support

Income support is available to people who are on a low income. If you have savings over £8,000 (£12,000 if you or your partner are aged 60 or over, and £16,000 if you live in residential care or a nursing home), usually you cannot get Income Support .  If you have to sign on at the Jobcentre, you will also not be able to get Income Support.

You can claim for Income Support;  if you are aged 16 or over, on a low income, or not working or working on an average of less than 16 hours a week, and your partner works on average less than 24 hours a week.

Statutory Sick Pay

Statutory Sick Pay is paid to you via your employer, and can be paid to you for up to 28 weeks.

If you were; Sick for at least 4 days in a row including weekends and bank holidays, Employed when you became sick, Earning enough on average for it to be relevant for NI purposes (this amount is lower than the amount when you start paying NI contributions) you can claim for Statutory Sick Pay.

If you want to know how much you have earned for it to be relevant for NI purposes, contact your Inland Revenue Office.

You can get Statutory Sick Pay for up to 28 weeks in one spell of sickness, Spells of at least 4 days in a row with 8 weeks or less between them are counted as one spell, If you have more then one job you may be able to claim Statutory Sick Pay from each employer.

Where can I find information on employment and disability?

Jobcentre Plus (this is an external hyperlink) can give you information on employment and disability.  They also provide specialist services for people with disabilities.  For more information about the services available you can call in to your local job centre.

Adult Learning

To increase your changes in the workplace you may wish to improve your skills.  Many of the local colleges and schools offer adult learning courses offering you the chance to learn at all levels. Learndirect offer many courses aimed at increasing skills.  For more information visit their website at www.learndirect.co.uk (this is an external hyperlink).

Where do I go for Rehabilitation Services

Rehabilitation services include help with physiotherapy and adaptations for the home. 

There are also private organisations and specialists that may be able to help. For more information contact your local library.  The staff there will be able to help you find private providers.

Am I entitled to help with transport?

If you are a car user you may be entitled to join the disabled parking scheme. The disabled parking badge scheme is a national scheme for people who are registered blind, have severe walking difficulties, or regularly drive but are unable to turn the steering wheel by hand.

The scheme provides a wide range of parking benefits.  For example the scheme enables badge holders to park free in most pay and display car parks and also to park on single yellow and double yellow lines in most streets for up to three hours.

New Deal for Disabled People

If you are on health related benefits the government has introduced New Deal for Disabled people (this is an external hyperlink) helping the sick or disabled people who want to work, find work.  It is voluntary and you decide whether or not you want to join it. 

You can get help from New Deal for Disabled people if you are on health related benefits. If none of the benefits apply to you but you have a disability or health condition, find out about the New Deal Jobseekers with disabilities (this is an external hyperlink).

Disabled Facilities/Public Conveniences/Radar Keys

There are 17 sets of Public Conveniences in the Borough, 15 of these are under the Council's control. The two remaining are the responsibility of the Fareham Shopping Centre. Many of them have facilities accessible to disabled people. Facilities accessible to disabled people are kept closed, but access can be gained 24 hours a day with a special key called a Radar Key.

Radar keys are free from the Council. If you or a member of your family would benefit from using a disabled toilet, and you would like a Radar Key, please contact the Contracts Officer on tel 01329 236100 or e-mail: waste@fareham.gov.uk.

Travel Tokens

In order to be eligible for Travel Tokens, you must be over 75 years of age or disabled. Proof of age is needed and there is a charge of £5.00 for £35.00 worth of tokens. These can be used in taxis, on buses and on trains. For more information please see the Concessionary Travel pages or contact the Benefits Manager in the Department of Finance and Resources on Tel: 01329 236100 or by e-mail: travelconcessions@fareham.gov.uk.