I'm hoping someone might be able to advise. I am on DLA Low Mobility and Mid Care. My husband claims Carer's Allowance for me and due to this we get couple rate Income Support. This has been the situation for the last couple of years.

My husband has been very ill in recent months and has just received High Care and High Mobility DLA.

I am confused as to what premiums we can apply for and also how this affects the Carer's Allowance he is paid. Can I now claim Carers Allowance for him so we would both be claiming carers allowance for one another?

Also what premiums are we allowed to claim and would this affect our entitlement to Income Support?

I've tried searching for information but I'm more confused than ever.

Thanks in advance.

I can't answer your income support question but you can both claim carers as both me and my wife receive it

Because of the high rate care, there's an enhanced disability premium on income support. I think that's around £20 a week. (couple rate)

Not wishing to be rude but how can one ill person be paid carers to look after the person who is being paid to look after them?

Surely if they are ill enough to require a carer themselves then they are not able to be a carer for someone else?

Not wishing to be rude but how can one ill person be paid carers to look after the person who is being paid to look after them?

 

Surely if they are ill enough to require a carer themselves then they are not able to be a carer for someone else?

I'm not sure but think it is possible. I think technically 'caring for someone' can mean watching over someone so one person can watch over the other and vice versa even if they are both ill.

I've tried researching dwp site and it does seem to say that a husband and wife both claiming mid/higher rate dla can claim carers allowance for each other?

I've tried researching dwp site and it does seem to say that a husband and wife both claiming mid/higher rate dla can claim carers allowance for each other?

Yes.

There is no rule saying that 2 disabled people can't claim for each other. As long as the care needs don't contradict the help each person gives.

Yes.

 

There is no rule saying that 2 disabled people can't claim for each other. As long as the care needs don't contradict the help each person gives.

Thanks for that. So I would need to put in a claim for Carers Allowance and also we would need to claim the enhanced disability premium?

Yes. You should ask for the enhance premium to be added too.

Not wishing to be rude but how can one ill person be paid carers to look after the person who is being paid to look after them?

 

Surely if they are ill enough to require a carer themselves then they are not able to be a carer for someone else?

1 could be physically ill and need physical care and 1 can be mentally ill and need emotional support

Thanks very much your help fluffy25 and Nystagmite. I will contact income support tomorrow and start the ball rolling. Thanks again.

An example of how it's possible...

Person A posesses the manual skills to be able to wash and dress themselves, but cannot do so to an acceptable level, because they have a mental health condition that means they need frequent prompting, encouragement, motivation, etc. from another person.

Person B has no issues with the mental health side of things but is physically disabled to the point that they cannot wash and dress themselves without assistance from another person.

So, Person A does the manual tasks that take care of both his and Person B's washing and dressing needs, and Person B provides the 'motivation' that enables Person A to carry out these tasks.

Being 'ill', as stated above, doesn't preclude the ability to care for someone else.

hi Paige,

you have two options here,

you need to Inform IS straight away as you are entitled to Enhanced DP. £14.05

You can claim Carers Allowance for your husband

but if you dont then you are entitled to single rate Severe Disability premium as a couple, because he gets DLA middle rate care.

If you claim CA then its

the extra carers premium at £31 or if you dont then its single SDP at £55.30

so its up to you

I am taking it you have no one else over 18 living with you, eg children

I

Mikey - isn't that the single persons rate? Direct Gov says you'll get the couple rate of £20.25 if either of you receive higher rate care.

I just want to make sure I've got it right. So if I claim carers allowance then we would be £31 better off per week.

Whereas if I don't claim carers allowance we'd get a severe disability premium of £55.30.

So would we be financially better off then claiming the severe disability premium instead of the carers allowance?

Thanks in advance.

The carers allowance is taken off the income support and £31 is added. So, if I've worked it out properly, you'd be better off claiming carers allowance.

My husband has rang IS today and informed them of his DLA award and about the Enhanced Disablity Premium. The woman said she would sort it out . He asked about me claiming Carers Allowance for him and she said can do all that for us in IS. I imagine she'll send out a carers allowance form for me to fill in?

IS was due today but they didn't pay it.

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yes you would get the couple rate EDP sorry so correct there

but you are entitled to single SDP, on the claim if you dont claim CA for your husband thats £55.55 extra.....

and if you do claim CA you would get an extra £31 thats the CP, you would of course get the CA but as you know its taken fully in to account.

so £24.55 better of per week with out CA...... and getting the single SDP

but you will have to decide which way to go

I would say you havent got paid today as DLA has downloaded onto your claim and stopped payment.

easily rectifified hope you got it sorted

Arrears of the EDP will be backdated to the date of the award of the DLA

Couple rate

Thanks for all the help. I'll have to get on to IS next week and see what has happened with the payment that was due today. So it's probably looking like we'd be financially better off per week with husband claiming the Severe Disability Premium instead of me claiming Carers Allowance. We can inform them of that when we ring to sort out what happened with the payment this week.

Just a quick question regarding if anything changed with my DLA. I'm on the mid-care so if they changed me to low care at any stage my husband would lose his Carers Allowance which in turn would mean we would lose Income Support. In that case, could we then stop the Severe Disability Premium for my husband and change to me claiming Carers Allowance so that our income support would continue? Would they let us swap over claims like that?

Just a quick question regarding if anything changed with my DLA. I'm on the mid-care so if they changed me to low care at any stage my husband would lose his Carers Allowance which in turn would mean we would lose Income Support. In that case, could we then stop the Severe Disability Premium for my husband and change to me claiming Carers Allowance so that our income support would continue? Would they let us swap over claims like that?

yes, if you went on to low rate care then his CA would cease but he would get an eight week run of IS under those circumstances, in that time you coud make a claim to CA for your husband and then make the claim to IS in your name,

At the end of the eight week run on your clam for CA would be up and running and away you would go,

You could put the new claim in then

The SDP on the old claim would remain in payment untill your CA is in payment.....