Help please. I'm wondering if I might be entitled to other benefits

abbiewalker5913

Hi, My name is Abbie and I am 23 years old. I have ADHD/ASD and I also have a complex learning disability.  I struggle on a day to day basis with telling the time and money management amongst other daily things. I work for Mencap where I support children with severe disabilities. I currently work 16 hours a week and enjoy my work. I am living at home at the moment but am keen to find out if I might be entitled to benefits to top up my wages so that I might be able to rent my own flat. My mum has helped me to apply for Universal credit and we are waiting to hear back from them. I just wondered if I might be entitled to other benefits to help me.

Thank you so much for listening :-)

poppy123456

HI,

While you're working UC is the only benefit that's possible to claim because it's replaced all the old legacy benefits such as ESA etc. If you rent your own home then you would be able to claim for help with the rent through UC.

You would also be able to claim for council tax reduction if you rent your own home. Unofortunately, if you live with parents then you won't be able to claim for help with any rent.

Do you claim a disability benefit such as PIP or DLA?

abbiewalker5913

Hi Poppy,

Thank you so much for your help. No I do not claim for PIP, but my mum and me are looking into that now. Looks like theres a long wait for that at the moment. 

poppy123456

As you're working 16 hours per week then while you're living at home with your mum you won't be entitled to any UC because your earnings would reduce your entitlement to zero.

Once you move out into a place of your own you would be able to claim for help with the rent in with your UC but because you're under 35 you would only be entitled to the shared rate of local housing allowance (if you privately rent) See here for how much LHA you would be entitled to for the area you want to live. https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/

Whether you would have any entitlement to UC would depend on the amount of LHA you're entitled to. Using a benefit calculator when the time comes will help you know if you'll have entitlement to UC.

If your PIP is successful and you're awarded the daily living part then you will be entitled to the 1 bedroom rate of LHA rather than the shared rate.

woodbine

@abbiewalker5913 hi and welcome to scope, yes there is a long wait for PIP anything upto 10 months for new claims, but if you get an award it will be back-dated to when you apply.

abbiewalker5913

Thank you so much for your replies :-)

abbiewalker5913

One other question if I may,  Would I need to have moved out and actually moved into a rented place before I can put a claim in for LHA or can I get the benefits in place for when I start renting?. Thanks again :-)

poppy123456

There's no such thing as a benefit called LHA. The LHA is the rates used to calculate housing benefit/housing element of UC for those that are privately renting.

At the moment while you live at home you won't qualify for UC because you work 16 hours per week and your UC will be reduced to zero because of earnings so you won't be able to start the claim before moving house.

Before moving into your own place you should use a benefits calculator to check if you'll have any entitlement to UC. Whether you will, will depend on how much housing element you'll be entitled to.

If your PIP claim is successful, if your health condition limits your capability to work then you can claim UC, report a health condition and send in fit notes to start the work capability assessment process off. If you're assessed as having limited capability for work (LCW)  then you will also have a work allowance, which means you can earn a certain amount from working before the deductions apply.

If you're assessed as having LCWRA then you will receive extra money from the 4th month of your claim as well as the work allowance.

At the moment because you're not working less than 16 hours they won't refer you for the work capability assessment without a PIP award in place.

Hope this helps. I know it's extremely complicated.

abbiewalker5913

Thank you Poppy, it all does seem complicated but hopefully we will get sorted :-)