Are you claiming all the benefits you are due?
12/12/2007
Every month we receive letters and emails from readers asking for advice about benefits. Given the complexity of the system, we are delighted to announce that we now have a specialist on hand to help with your enquiries: Lee Healey. Lee is the manager of leading London charity DABD (UK), who have provided independent benefit advice for eleven years and claim £3 million of extra benefits for its clients every year. You could not be in better hands!
Writes Lee: “It is widely recognised that the benefits system is incredibly complex and trying to establish exactly what you are entitled to can be a minefield for most of us.
“Take the means-tested benefits that older people can claim - such as Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. These involve complex calculations that would bamboozle even the most talented of mathematicians!
“Help is at hand, though, in the form of independent benefit advice services in your area. These services can provide you with a ‘benefit check’, which will help you understand exactly what you can claim and, most importantly, how the benefit will be worked out. If possible benefit claims are identified, they will then be able to help you complete the forms and help you through the claiming process.”
So what does a benefit check involve? Lee explains: “Basically, trained benefit advisors talk to you about your circumstances and ask key questions that help us establish entitlement to the different benefits that are available. We often start by checking out eligibility for non-means tested benefits - such as attendance allowance - before moving onto means-tested benefits like pension credit and council tax benefit, but only if clients are happy to talk about their finances.”
Lee acknowledges that this is something that is a huge bugbear for older people: “It is never nice for people to have to disclose their income and finances. Benefits advisors should always explain to clients that the information supplied is totally confidential.
“However, it is impossible to know what means-tested benefits you can claim if someone doesn’t have an idea of your income and finances. And unfortunately, this information will have to be disclosed once a claim for means-tested benefits is made.”
We asked Lee if there are any other situations where people should seek independent benefit advice. “Any change of circumstances, such as reaching retirement age, bereavement, disability, caring for someone or a change in income could lead to you being entitled to more benefits. But to be honest, I would just say that if you are at all unsure if you are getting the correct benefits, or if you do not fully understand why you get the benefits you already receive, contact your local independent advice service for a confidential benefit check.”
What if you were still unsure or if you do not understand the benefit check results? “Ask to speak to the supervisor of the benefits advice service.
“They will nearly always be very experienced benefit advisors and they will not mind you wanting to double check the information that you have received.”
You can find your local independent benefits advice service by contacting CLS direct on 0845 345 4 345, or by visiting their website linked below. Many independent benefits advice services are free, but check this out with the provider if you are unsure.
Lee will be writing a “Benefits Doctor” column for Mature Times every month. You can write to him by emailing jayne.warren@maturetimes.co.uk.
Please head the subject matter as “Benefits Enquiries”. We cannot promise to answer all enquiries, but we will certainly do our best.