Carer's assessment and universal credit

PippaT1966

Hi,
My 21 year old daughter lives with us and has chronic fatigue. Her PIP claim and MR have been rejected, so we're waiting for a tribunal, and we've taken advice from the Citizens Advice who say she should qualify for PIP. Is it also worthwhile applying for universal credit and a carer's assessment? I do everything for her (food prep, laundry, she has outings longer than 15 minutes in a wheelchair), but I work full time, so we don't qualify for means tested benefits. 
I'm also concerned that she won't be building up NI for a pension (she's only 21 but has never worked due to her illness). 

AlexandriaUK

Because carers is a separate benefit you could claim this, whether you would get it is another matter, your daughter has to require so many hours of care to merit recieving it though. Theirs online sites that you can use to see if you might be eligible

BenefitsTrainingCo

Hi PippaT1966.  A carer assessment may help you establish links with any organisations who could provide information and/or support to you as your daughter's carer, so could be worth doing.  You would not qualify for the benefit called Carers Allowance - to get this your daughter would need to have an award of the daily living component of PIP (which I hope is soon resolved for her), but also as you work full time you would be above the current earnings threshold of £120 per week which would also exclude you from getting it.  In relation to her NI, if your daughter has not claimed benefits (other than PIP) in her own right, due to being incapable of work, she should seek advice about doing so.  Dependent on whether Universal Credit (UC) is fully operational in your area, she could either claim UC (claimed online at gov.uk) or if not UC then she should claim Employment and Support Allowance. She would require a fit note (medical certificate) from her GP to support either claim.  She could then have NI credits paid for each week she is claiming, thus protecting her NI record. Any income she has will affect her entitlement, as would the situation of her partner if she had one.  She (or you) should seek advice specifically for her in either case.  Hope that helps!

PippaT1966

Thanks, both, that's really helpful. We are in an area that has UC, so I'll help her apply. It sounds more straightforward than PIP, which is incredibly frustrating. The consultant at our hospital yesterday said they just want people to give up, and most of her patients who were refused have won appeals at tribunal, so we're going to keep going with it.