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Welfare Rights/Benefit Advice

We Are Here to Help

ACHA’s Welfare Rights Officers are here to help tenants with all aspects of Income Maximisation, including benefit advice. For more info, click here.

Cost of Living Crisis

We can help with all of the following:

Referrals for Energy advice
Applications to the Flexible Fuel & Food Fund

Tenant Guide to Maximising Income

Acha’s Welfare Rights Officers are here to help all ACHA tenants with all aspects of benefit advice including mandatory reconsiderations and appeals including representation at Tribunal. The benefits system can often be challenging and overwhelming to navigate, further complicated by the fact that benefits, grants and rebates can come from a variety of agencies and so it is often difficult to know where to go for the right support. Some benefits e.g. Universal Credit are administered by the UK Government and some benefits are now being devolved to the Scottish Government for example Child Disability Payment. Some benefits such as the Scottish Child Payment are only available in Scotland which can be overwhelming for claimants.

Additionally, local authorities have also been given responsibility for administering support and grant assistance. Using a holistic approach to bring all of this information to one access point, Welfare Rights Officers are committed to ensuring that tenants access the right information and level of support they require on an individual basis.

Our Welfare Rights Service provides a Welfare Rights Officer for each area in Argyll where you can contact your Welfare Rights Officer to arrange an appointment either by telephone or in person, face to face visits can be organised for the office or home whichever suits best. Please click on the following area leaflets for more information on the Welfare Rights Officer for your area.

For further information on benefits for working age and pensioners and please do not hesitate to contact Acha’s Welfare Rights Service if you wish to check eligibility.

You can also contact our Welfare Rights Service on 0800 028 2755 or email welfarerights@acha.co.uk.

Please click on this link for useful information on some of the benefits available to maximise income.

Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP)

From the 21^st October 2024 Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) is replacing Attendance Allowance in Scotland. This benefit will now be administered by Social Security Scotland (SSS); Attendance Allowance is currently delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Pension Age Disability Benefit is for people who have reached pension age who have health conditions or a terminal illness that impacts on their ability to look after themselves requiring help or supervision from someone to keep them safe. You can still apply even if you do not receive help or supervision with your care needs.

Pension Age Disability Benefit is not means-tested and is worth either £290.60 or £434.20 every 4 weeks depending on the needs of the person who gets it and which rate is awarded.

If you currently receive Attendance Allowance you do not need to take any action as your award will be automatically moved over from the Department for Work and Pension to Social Security Scotland.

People who already receive Attendance Allowance, will move to Pension Age Disability Payment in phases, with the first cases expected to be transferred in early 2025.

For new claimants in Argyll and Bute, who do not already receive Attendance Allowance, Pension Age Disability Payment will be available from 21 October 2024.

If awarded Pension Age Disability Benefit this could mean entitlement to means tested benefits such as Pension Credit.

If you need any help or assistance or are unsure whether this applies to you, please contact us on 0800 028 2755 or e-mail Welfarerights@acha.co.uk

Carers Support Payment

Carer Support Payment (CSP) is replacing Carers Allowance (CA) in Scotland. Your benefit will move from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to Social Security Scotland if you:

get Carer’s Allowance
live in Scotland

This is planned to happen between February 2024 and spring 2025 as part of Scottish devolution.

Social Security Scotland’s Carer Support Payment replaces Carers Allowance for people in Scotland. If you already get Carers Allowance, you don’t need to apply as your award will transfer automatically.

From the 04.11.24 new applications for Carers Support can be made in Scotland. Please click on the link below for more information. https://www.mygov.scot/carer-support-payment

Carers Support Payment is £81.90 per week which you can get if you provide care for someone, and meet certain eligibility criteria. You must:

be 16 or over
usually live in Scotland
provide care for 35 hours or more a week, this includes if you provide care all day every day
not earn more than £151 a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses

The person you provide care for must get certain disability benefits for example: Adult Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance, Child Disability Payment

Carer Support Payment may affect some of:

your other benefits
the benefits the person you care for gets

Benefits the person you care for gets

If the person you care for gets a severe disability premium for the following benefits, the premium will stop:

income-related Employment and Support Allowance
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income Support
Pension Credit

If you need any help or assistance or, wish further information before making a claim please contact us on 0800 028 2755 or e-mail:- Welfarerights@acha.co.uk