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The government has a range of benefits to support people who are not able to work due to illness or injury. Below are some of the key types of benefit available. Statutory sick pay (SSP) Many employers offer their own sick pay terms to their employees, but for those who don’t there is a statutory minimum paid by the government. Like your normal pay, it’s paid through your employer’s payroll. However, you can only claim it after you have been of sick for four or more days in a row so for any period of absence shorter than this your leave will be unpaid. The present rate is £70 per week, which can be claimed for a maximum of 28 weeks. Statutory sick pay is designed to support people with short-term illnesses. For long-term periods of illness (over 28 weeks) incapacity benefit must be applied for. Incapacity benefit If you’re still unfit to work after 28 weeks of absence and therefore unable to continue to claim statutory sick pay, you can apply for incapacity benefit. The amount awarded is graded depending on the length of your period of absence. The longer you are off work, the more the benefit increases, up to a maximum of £78 per week for a period of absence of one year or more. All applications are investigated in detail to confirm eligibility. Your jobcentre will invite you to attend an assessment and they may also require you to see a doctor to obtain a full report on your state of health. The benefit is paid into your bank account on a weekly basis, so you don’t need to go to your jobcentre to collect it. Being on incapacity benefit doesn’t necessarily exclude you from working. Depending on your fitness and state of health, and the type of job you do, it might be possible for you to earn a limited income, normally working no more than 16 hours per week. Bear in mind that you may be subject to tax deductions. NHS treatment A great deal of the services and treatments offered by the NHS are free of charge, although a few require at least partial payment from the patient – such as prescriptions and dental treatment. If, however, you are absent from work and claiming benefit, you might be entitled to receive these free of charge, as long as you don’t have savings of more than £16,000. Other services that can be claimed free of charge while on benefits are transport to appointments, eyecare, fabric supports and wigs. Grants If you need assistance to allow you to live in the community rather than have to go into permanent care, you may be eligible for a community care grant (but only if you are already claiming incapacity benefit or jobseeker’s allowance or certain other benefits). If you are the carer of someone who is unable to look after themselves fully, you may also be eligible to apply for this grant. It’s a tax-free lump sum, which will be deposited directly into your bank. What’s more, it’s not a loan so you don’t have to repay it. The amount granted will depend on the level of savings that you have. Enquire at your jobcentre plus to find out whether you are eligible. This article is copyright protected and is not for republishing |
