Carer's Allowance eligibility, retrospective claims after death of person cared for

[oldguy]

I've got a couple of questions I'd like to clarify about Carer's Allowance. I think I know the answers but I'm not certain. I've read the gov.uk website guidance but I know that the website is not necessarily the fount of all correct wisdom.

 

(1) My mother died recently. I was her primary carer, spending 40+ hours per week looking after her. I received no income. She was definitely eligible for Attendance Allowance (and had been for more than a decade) but would not claim it and did not receive any other benefits. As a result I did not claim Carer's Allowance, although I would certainly have been eligible had she claimed AA. My question is: Could I have claimed Carer's Allowance using any other route, such as certification by a healthcare professional?

 

(2) If the answer is yes to the above question, is it possible to make a retrospective clam for Carer's Allowance after the death of the person who was being cared for?

 

(I have just today discovered Carer's Credit which can be claimed using the healthcare professional certification route, even retrospectively after the death of the person being cared for, and I was wondering if there was a similar, unpublicised, route to claim Carer's Allowance).

 

As an aside, for anyone else in my position, you definitely should be claiming Carer's Credit. The person being cared for does not have to receive a qualifying benefit for you to claim it; you just need to be looking after them for 20 hours or more a week and to obtain a certificate from a healthcare professional working on the case. Carer's Credit won't pay you money but will ensure that your NI credits are kept up to date. I've received no NI credits for more than a decade.

Edited June 3, 2021 by oldguy
Typos

[honeybee13]

Hi.

 

I haven't come across this before and didn't realise you could claim anything retrospectively.

 

This site has agood pdf about all the rules which may help you.

 

https://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/financial-support/help-with-benefits/carers-allowance

 

HB

[unclebulgaria67]

Contact a Carers benefit advice organisation for clarity.

 

I would say that as the person being cared for was not claiming one of the qualifying benefits, that you would not be able to claim Carers Allowance.  I doubt there is any process to  provide certificates or other information to support a retrospective claim.  But there may be Court claim precedents an organisations that specialises in helping Carers would be better placed to research this.

 

And I am doubtful about a Carers Credit claim, unless you have already talked to a health professional and they are happy to sign the form required.  Sometimes health professionals can be reluctact to sign forms, if it relates to retrospective claims.

 

 

[tomtom256]

It should/will be a straightforward no, as legislation doesn't allow for it.

 

To be entitled to carers allowance, there needs to be a qualifying disability benefit in payment, for the person the care was provided for. If no disability benefit claimed, then there will never be an entitilement to carers allowance.

 

There is other criteria as well, but if you don't meet the main one, the rest don't matter.