Westminster

Benefits are complicated, and change frequently. So this page provides specific advice on a only few key benefits. For others, we hope our list will be useful as an idea of what you might explore on other sites.

Vasculitis UK can provide, to its members, free information from an independent organisation “Benefits and Work”. The documentation gives help on claiming benefits and appeals procedures. Please contact: [email protected]

If you prefer Benefits and Work can provide individuals with full details about claiming benefits for an annual subscription of approximately £20 a year. For full details see: Benefits and Work

Additional information that has been recommended to VUK can be found via C-App Website – [Terms and Conditions]

Attendance Allowance

Updated: April 2025

If you are aged 65 or over when you first make your claim, and you have needed help to manage your personal care needs for at least six months because you have a physical and/or mental disability, you may be eligible to get Attendance Allowance. You can make your claim before the end of the six months, but the payment will not start until the six months is up.

Attendance Allowance is not means tested so any other income or savings that you have are ignored.

If you get Attendance Allowance because you need help only during the day or only at night you will get the lower rate currently £73.90 per week. If you get Attendance Allowance because you need help during the day and the night you will get the higher rate currently £110.40 per week.

There are special rules for people who are undergoing renal dialysis at least twice a week which means that they may be able to get the lower rate of Attendance Allowance if they need another person (not a member of medical staff) with them when they are undergoing dialysis. If you are dialysing at home then you would need to show that you need help from another person to enable you to do this – for instance help to change the bag.

Personal care includes things like washing, dressing, using the toilet, and managing your medication.

You do not actually have to be having help with your personal care to claim Attendance Allowance. When the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) work out whether they can pay you Attendance Allowance, their assessment is based on the help that you reasonably need, not what you are getting. Help can include things like supervision to keep you safe when you are doing tasks yourself and prompting and encouragement to do things as well as hands-on care.

If you get some other means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit these could increase if you get Attendance Allowance. Your informal carer may also be able to get Carers’ Allowance for looking after you depending on their personal circumstances (see information on Carers’ Allowance), and they care for you for at least 35 hours per week.

If you are paid Attendance Allowance, it does not have to be used paying for care and it’s up to you how you use it.

Attendance Allowance normally stops if you have been in hospital or a NHS or social care funded care home for more than 28 days, so you need to tell the DWP about these changes.

For more information on how to claim Attendance Allowance, see here.

If you need help to make a claim, talk your local free, independent advice service such as Citizen’s Advice or a disability advice service if there is one in your area.

Blue Badge scheme

Updated April 2025

You do not have to be able to drive to get a Blue Badge.

The blue badge is specific the Blue Badge holder and not the vehicle. The Blue Badge can be use in any vehicle that the holder is a passenger in. Blue Badges belong to the holder and must not be used by anyone other than the holder named on the blue badge.

Having a Blue Badge means you can park in accessible parking bays, and dedicated areas at hospitals, supermarkets and other places, normally giving you closer access to public buildings and areas.

A Blue Badge holder may also be able to park for free on certain streets with parking meters or pay-and-display machines, but please check the signage first. Some car parks may enable Blue Badge holders to park for free or to have additional time, but many now provide accessible spaces but the normal charge is payable. It is important to check to avoid a fine.

Each area has is own specific rules on parking and you should check the guidelines, within the book supplied with your new Blue Badge, if you are awarded one.

You can find the list of groups that automatically qualify for a Blue Badge here.

Please note that the rules differ slightly depending on where you live in the UK.

If you don’t automatically qualify you can still apply for a Blue Badge. You will have to complete further questions about your mobility and health. You need to explain how your illness affects your mobility and describe the way you manage to walk short distances. You might be also asked to have mobility assessment with a health professional

If you do need to complete further questions, you should be honest and clearly state how you illness(es) impair your ability to walk and give the person assessing your application a clear picture of how you manage. You should be open about variations in your walking ability. Do not just give a picture of your ‘worst’ days.

It may also help if you provide information about your prescription drugs and diagnosed illnesses and how these affect your walking . Be as detailed as you can as the person assessing your application may not have heard of, or understand the impacts of your Vasculitis, the associated illnesses, or the medications you take before.

You can apply for, or renew, your Blue Badge here.

Carer’s Allowance

Updated April 2025

Carer’s Allowance may pay you up to £83.30 a week, if you care for someone for at least 35 hours a week and if they get any of the benefits listed here

You don’t have to be related to or live with the person you care for.

You won’t be paid extra if you care for more than one person.

You can claim for carers allowance if:

  • You are 16 years old or over
  • You care for the person you are claiming, for at least 35 hours a week
  • You are a student and you spend less than 21 hours in ‘supervised study’, and not doing a course described as full-time by the college or establishment providing it.
  • Your take normal home pay does not exceed £196 a week. The information here will show how to calculate your earnings

For more information, help applying and to check your eligibility please see the Carers UK guide to Carer’s Allowance.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Updated April 2025

DLA for new claims for people aged over 16 has been replaced by PIP and Adult Disability payment in Scotland. Some adults may not yet have transferred over to PIP in England and Wales, so will still get DLA. People getting DLA who were aged over 65 on 08/04/2013 will remain on DLA.

New DLA claims can currently only be made for children up to the age of 16.

There are two parts to DLA -the care and mobility components:

  • Care component lower rate – £29.20
  • Care component middle rate – £73.90
  • Care component higher rate – £110.40
  • Mobility component lower rate (paid from aged 5 onwards) – £29.20
  • Mobility component higher rate (paid from age 3 onwards) – £77.05

The care component can be paid to children who need help with managing their personal care, or they need supervision to keep them safe because they have a long-term physical and/or mental disability. The rate that they are paid depends on the amount of care and support they require

The mobility component is paid to children who have a long-term physical and/or mental disability and who either have physical problems walking or who would be unable to manage to get around in an unfamiliar place without more supervision and guidance than you would normally expect to give a child of their age.

DLA is not means-tested and will normally be paid to the parent or main carer of a child aged under 16 as the DWP appointed person (appointee)

For more information about claiming DLA for a child or for claiming Child Disability Payment in Scotland please see here.

Disabled Students’ Allowance (higher education)

Updated April 2025

If you are a student in higher education you may be able to apply for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). To be eligible you must have a disability, which can be:

  • long-term health condition
  • mental health condition
  • specific learning difficulty, eg dyslexia

The support you get depends on your individual needs and not on income.

For more useful information about help for disabled students:

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) – new style

Updated April 2025

Whilst some people may still be receiving income based (means-tested) ESA, it is now only possible to make a new claim for ‘new style’ ESA. Most people who are still receiving income based ESA will be migrated on to Universal Credit by the end of March 2026.

New style ESA is paid to people aged 16 or over who are unable to work, or who have limited availability for work because of a health condition. Payment is based on their National Insurance contributions.

More detail about this, when new style ESA should be claimed and how it may also overlap with Universal Credit payments can be found here.

New style ESA is paid to people aged 16-24 at a lower rate for the first 13 weeks of their claim (£72.90 per week). For people aged 25 or over it is £92.05 per week.

The payment may be increased at the end of 13 weeks for all claimants if an assessment of their ability to work determines that they qualify for the ‘support component’. At this point the benefit increases to £140.55.

If you are paid an occupational pension or private pension of over £85 per week, this can affect the amount of new style ESA that you are paid.