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£4.6million for Sheffield’s Older People

Between May 2006 and June 2008 Age Concern Sheffield ran a home visiting advice service focussing on increasing the uptake of state benefits. The project was funded by the Big Lottery Fund and supported over 1,100 older people to claim in excess of £4.6million in additional annual income.

The project reached physically frail and vulnerable older people across Sheffield enabling them to improve their standard of living and quality of life for example through an increased ability to pay for personal and domestic care services.

The project was greatly valued by local professionals and organisations and has significantly increased awareness of benefits issues among particularly health professionals. A number of training sessions were provided to voluntary organisations

Sheila saw a BAH leaflet at one of her regular visits to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. She was initially very unsure about contacting ACS believing she wasn’t entitled to any other benefits since she was already receiving part council tax benefit and savings pension credit. However during an initial phone call we established that based on her personal care needs Sheila fitted the criteria for Attendance Allowance.

Still very unsure Sheila agreed to a home visit where the Attendance Allowance form was filled in. Since Sheila lives alone and there was no one that would apply for carers allowance if Attendance Allowance was awarded, further calculations indicated that if Attendance Allowance was awarded then the severe disability premium could be added to her Pension Credit claim. This in turn would entitle her to both Pension Credit guarantee and Pension Credit savings thereby opening the door to full council tax benefit.

Within 4 weeks Sheila was awarded higher rate Attendance Allowance of £67 per week backdated to the date she contacted us at Age Concern giving £134 backdated money. Her Pension Credit was increased by £36.50 a week with backdated money of £358 being paid. In turn this led to her Council Tax being paid in full and again this was backdated to the Attendance Allowance award date.

During the visit to apply for Attendance Allowance Sheila explained that her boiler was in need of replacing so the adviser rang warm front and did the application for a warm front grant. Within 4 weeks the warm front team had been and done an assessment, the grant was awarded and the fitters had been out and fitted a new boiler.

At the end of the case Sheila said ‘Without the full support of the benefits adviser I would never have been able to fill in the necessary forms and without the advisers encouragement and support to follow through the full case to the end I would never have realised what extra benefits I could claim.

ACS
15/09/2008