Benefits for the Elderly

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Benefits for the Elderly

• By Sarah Flett, Laura Brook and Abby Proctor

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Pension Credit

• Aims to supply the elderly with some form of
  income
• Guaranteed Credit qualifying criteria
• Age in line with state pension age
• Savings Credit qualifying criteria
• 65 and over
• have made a contribution to a second pension or
  savings
• Weekly income does not exceed 188 (if single) or
  277 (with partner)

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Successes and Failures of Pension Credit

• Successes
• Everyone over the age of 65 is entitled to the
  guaranteed credit
• Failures
• 4 million people are entitled to pension credit
  but between 27-38 of these still arent claiming
  it.
• Its too complicated and many pensioners struggle
  to understand the system

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Council Tax Benefit

• Aims to supply those with a low income with extra
  funds
• Qualifying Criteria
• Income and savings
• Who you live with
• The amount of council tax you pay
• Any other benefits you receive
• Means tested

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Successes and Failures of Council Tax Benefit

• Successes
• Aimed at the people who need it most rather than
  people receiving it unnecessarily
• Failures
• 1.4 million eligible elderly people are missing
  out on council tax benefit

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Housing Benefits

• Aims to help those with low incomes pay part or
  all of their rent
• Qualifying Criteria
• You have savings of under 16,000
• You dont live in the home of a close relative
• If you live with a partner, only one person can
  claim

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Successes and Failures of Housing Benefits

• Successes
• Benefit is paid directly to landlord, thus
  reducing confusion and increasing transparency
• Failures
• Homes are becoming less affordable, even with
  housing benefits
• Claim form runs to 33 pages with 7 pages of
  explanatory notes (HCTB 1)
• 380,000 older people who are entitled to housing
  benefits are not claiming it

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Winter Fuel Payment

• Aims to help the elderly keep warm during winter.
• Qualifying Criteria
• Must have been born before 5/1/51
• Not means tested
• Money received
• http//www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementp
  lanning/Benefits/BenefitsInRetirement/DG_179916

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Successes and Failures of Winter Fuel Payments

• Successes
• Offers help to those with good savings
• No tax to pay
• Failures
• Some elderly people are too wealthy to need
  winter fuel payments but still receive it
• Costs 2.7 billion per year but only 12 of
  recipients are in fuel poverty
• 5.4 million households are still in fuel poverty
  and 25,400 pensioners in the UK die due to
  extreme cold (2010)
• Badly publicised and pensioners dont know it is
  available
• Recently been cut and with recent rising fuel
  costs, many pensioners who are claiming still
  cannot keep warm
• Energy companies are not required to help the
  terminally ill or disabled and criteria needs to
  be widened to encompass these vulnerable groups

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Attendance Allowance

• Aims to help the elderly with disabilities afford
  personal care
• Qualifying Criteria
• You have a physical disability
• Your disability is severe enough to need a carer
• You are aged 65 or over

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Successes and Failures of Attendance Allowance

• Successes
• Those who are terminally ill get higher rates of
  Attendance Allowance straight away
• Failures
• No medical examination required so people can
  abuse the system

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Disability Living Allowance

• Aims to help those with disabilities afford
  personal care
• Qualifying Criteria
• You have a physical disability
• Your disability is severe enough to need a carer
• You are under 65 (over 65s get attendance
  allowance)

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Successes and Failures of Disability Living
Allowance

• Successes
• Tax-free and not affected by savings or
  employment
• Those who are terminally ill get higher rates of
  DLA straight away
• Failures
• No medical examination required so people can
  abuse the system

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Free Eye Tests/Voucher Towards Glasses

• Aims to offer the elderly vision-related
  treatment which would otherwise cost money
• Qualifying Criteria
• You are aged 60 or over
• You have a listed medical condition
• You are a war pensioner
• You receive the guaranteed credit benefit

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Successes and Failures of Free Eye Tests

• Successes
• Opticians are often very expensive and thus much
  money is saved
• Failures
• Under a Conservative government, the future of
  free eye tests is uncertain
• Many elderly people are not aware that this is
  available for them

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Cold Weather Payments

• Aims to help people stay warm in the event of
  cold weather
• Qualifying criteria
• Receiving Pension Credit
• Receiving Income Support

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Successes and Failures of Cold Weather Payments

• Successes
• You dont have to receive the other winter fuel
  payments
• There is no need to re-apply, the benefit is
  automatic if you have received it before
• Not means-tested
• Failures
• Only triggered in the event of extreme weather

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Warm Front

• Aims to provide heating and insulation
  improvements to households on certain
  income-related benefits
• Qualifying Criteria
• Must be on Pension Credit or Income-Related
  Support Allowance
• You own your own home or rent from a private
  landlord

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Successes and Failures of Warm Front

• Successes
• The scheme has recently assisted its 2 millionth
  customer
• Failures
• The scheme is only available in England (but
  there are equivalents for the rest of the UK)
• There are lots of requirements to be able to
  qualify

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Overall Successes and Failures of Benefits for
the Elderly

• Successes
• Its a source of income that elderly people would
  otherwise not receive
• Failures
• The whole system is too complicated
• Some elderly people are too proud to claim
  benefits
• Many elderly people do not have internet access
  and therefore dont know what benefits are
  available for them
• Around 30 of elderly people are not claiming the
  benefits they are entitled to.
• 5.4bn of means-tested benefits went unclaimed in
  2008/9.