To think the disgrace that is Carers' Allowance should be a national scandal

[FoxyTheFox]

Carers' Allowance is paid to someone over the age of 16 who provides a minimum of 35hrs p/wk of care to a disabled person who is in receipt of a qualifying benefit.

The current weekly rate of Carers' Allowance is £67.25 p/wk, taken over 35hr this is the equivalent of £1.92 an hour. Over 24hrs, seven a days a week - the reality for many carers - it is only 39p an hour.

You can only claim Carers' Allowance once, meaning if you care for multiple people - e.g., if you have two disabled children - you still only get £67.25 a week.

There is an earnings cap of £128, so working just 15hrs a week at minimum wage is enough to stop your Carers' Allowance.

Carers' Allowance is a taxable benefit so can reduce the amount of other benefits you claim, it can also reduce the amount of benefits claimed by the person you care for. Unlike other state benefits, Carers' Allowance does not entitle you to free prescriptions or help with other healthcare costs such as dentistry or eye tests. Caring has a detrimental effect on physical and mental health but there are no specific support services for carers other than those set up by external agencies (e.g., Carers UK).

When you reach state pension age you are no longer allowed to claim Carers' Allowance even if you are still providing care.

These carers save the government an estimated £132bn each year in health and social care costs - enough to fund a second NHS. If these carers were to suddenly decide to step back and no longer provide the care needed, the social care system would collapse.

Universal Credit was temporarily increased by £20 a week to support people during the increased financial difficulties associated with the pandemic. No such increase was extended to carers in the majority of the UK, however Scotland offered a one off additional payment to carers to recognise the additional work and additional costs borne by them during the pandemic.

I've written to my MP, who does not give a shit and sent me a generic reply about how caring is hard and the government is grateful to those who care but did not actually address any of my questions or my request that he raise the issue in Parliament.

novaramedia.com/2020/11/16/the-government-has-abandoned-carers-during-covid-19-now-its-being-taken-to-court/?fbclid=IwAR2Fs10I04h0fUNMRtDTYf0hs_ieA63dVeb5Hux8Os4IQttTBD95eGemCRA

www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/news/research-the-forgotten-families-in-lockdown-unpaid-carers-close-to-burnout-during-covid-19-crisis

I do get free eye tests, dentistry and prescriptions as a carer

The problem with carers allowance is that it isn't monitor and relatives/spouses on other benefits or not working will claim as soon as PIP is awarded, regardless of the genuine hours of care being provided.

Ideally, the amount should be much increased but evidence of care beyond companionship, shopping etc...is provided.

It is time it was overhauled. I claimed CA from 1995 until 2016 apart from a brief time when I was working 2 days a week and earned too much to claim (threshold was lower then). Certain expenses were deductible from pay to assess if you qualified - including childcare. However they would only allow you to deduct a max of 50% of your pay for childcare costs regardless of what you were paying. As the 'cared for' was a DC with multiple severe disabilities and uncontrolled epilepsy, 1:1 childcare at home was the only option - which cost all of my pay. So it ended up costing me money to go to work. Didn't do that for long - it wasn't worth the stress! The result was they ended up paying me CA for 21 years plus my Pension Contributions instead of me working, paying tax and my own NI.
My care duties were 24/7 with very little respite and in the later years I ended up caring for an elderly parent and using what little respite I got in order to do that!
The Government takes the micky where carers are concerned and doesn't care.

@dontdisturbmenow DLA (i haven't ventured into PIP yet) is awarded based on hours of care needed. Therefore its a given that if they qualify then the care giver will be providing that.

The government used the pandemic to reduce the legal rights of disabled people.

I think that tells you all you need to know really.

yanbu this is why most carers live in poverty,

YANBU .

I’m a carer to my mum, 55, my gran 80, and my sister 27 .

I’m 29 .

Because I claimed both UC and carers allowance, I ended up getting a drop in benefits and then being told I owed money (£400) to DWP for not applying correctly .

DWP employee had the balls to tell me ‘it’s not that bad’ whilst I sobbed down the phone at him that I couldn’t afford to pay them back .

They’re taking their money back anyway - at a rate of £100 a month .

If I don’t help my mum, my sister, no one will - to me, it is that bad; it’s endless sleepless nights wondering what will happen next . I have cold sweats at night as my mum will lose her benefits soon for being an OAP (God willing she lives that long) and then wtf do I do?

Carers allowance - and the sheer lack of carer’s support - is a fucking joke .

I am a carer. I have recently made the decision to give up work due to the impact my caring responsibility has on me. I look after my mum and my son and it's impossible to hold down a job. Thankfully my husband can provide for us. The £67 a week doesn't cover my petrol bill!

Thank you for raising this. It is criminally low.

@dontdisturbmenow

The problem with carers allowance is that it isn't monitor and relatives/spouses on other benefits or not working will claim as soon as PIP is awarded, regardless of the genuine hours of care being provided.

Ideally, the amount should be much increased but evidence of care beyond companionship, shopping etc...is provided.

Hmm no that really isn’t the problem with carers allowance.

What evidence do you think should be provided? Get real. We have enough on our plate.

Of course @HadaVerde.

@dontdisturbmenow when I first applied for CA I was working and had to provide proof of earnings and my working hours to the DWP every few months (six monthly I think?).

It is an utter disgrace.

I have disabled twins who are 4. They’ve just started specialist school full time but for the last three years I’ve only been able to work a very flexible job that’s 30 hours a month. I could potentially work more hours now, but finding something term time only (can’t access childcare in the holidays due to their needs), and highly flexible in case they are sick etc is basically impossible.

Doing 30 hours a month (so about 7.5 hours a week) I earn too much to qualify for carers allowance, even though I could make significantly more working more hours but cannot do so due to caring responsibilities. I’m lucky I earn that much for so few hours.

But hey, social care have just told us they are recommending some support for 6 hours a week in holidays (not respite, just one person to help me take them outside). That’ll fix it then!

When lockdown kicked off and people started complaining about the level of SSP I really lost the plot.

Carers allowance only really benefits people who are caring for children (( because it's taken off the benefits of adults )) and are rich enough to not need it (( because it's taken off tax credits etc )) it's a pointless benefit really........I can't see it ever becoming online with minimum wage. But I do think it's disgusting that it's taken off the benefits of any adults that the person is caring for. Especially as many will also be paying out for additional care.

Not only that but because I claimed carers my mum has lost £300 a month in severe disability payment . Money out of hand and into the other . So no-one is any better off . It’s hell .

If I don’t help my mum, my sister, no one will - to me, it is that bad; it’s endless sleepless nights wondering what will happen next . I have cold sweats at night as my mum will lose her benefits soon for being an OAP (God willing she lives that long) and then wtf do I do?

Have your relatives had social care assessments and have you had a carers assessment? You have to kick up a right bloody fuss but you should not be carrying this alone with no support.

Was coming on to say the same thing dontdisturb. It isn’t monitored. I have a family member who has just been awarded a disability related benefit and the first thing she did was cast around amongst family and friends to see who meets the criteria to claim carers allowance - ie not working etc, because otherwise the money would ‘go to waste’.

@dontdisturbmenow

The problem with carers allowance is that it isn't monitor and relatives/spouses on other benefits or not working will claim as soon as PIP is awarded, regardless of the genuine hours of care being provided.

Ideally, the amount should be much increased but evidence of care beyond companionship, shopping etc...is provided.

This is the biggest problem that there is with disability benefits and carers.

There’s always that assumption by so many people that too many people are on the fiddle.

The amount of fraud on benefits, especially disability benefits, is tiny. Absolutely tiny. Even by the governments own figures.

And yet it is exactly why disability benefits and carers allowance will never be properly funded benefits. Scare mongering has worked a treat on it

OP you are 100% right it's so hard to exist like this. I gave my career/decent well paid job with lots of benefits to care for our daughter who receives DLA. All this income is needed for her and I have no independent income or any means of earning it. It's soul destroying and extremely challenging to function some months, but the government know we will never stop so get away with it. It's disgraceful so many are forced into this situation

Aah the old because a teeny tiny number of people commit fraud, the other much much bigger number should live in poverty argument.

I have an old university friend who cares for her disabled husband who is on enhanced rate of PIP. He was disabled in a car accident that broke his neck and caused brain damage.
But she’s on a partner visa (10year route) and still has two years until she can apply for indefinite leave to remain and then citizenship. She’s prohibited by her partner visa from claiming carers allowance or any benefits at all. Her visa only allows her to live and work in the U.K. But she can’t work because she has to care for her disabled husband! She’s stuck and a completely unpaid carer with zero financial support.
Her husband says it feels like they are being punished because he didn’t marry a British woman.

No I don’t think they should live in poverty at all. But under the current system carers allowance doesn’t work.

@FoxyTheFox thank you got highlighting this, it is an absolute disgrace. Are you starting a petition? If not I am happy to, and would it be ok to copy some of the excellent points you have made in the letter you sent to your MP, if I do?

I completely agree. My partner cares for me and our universal credit is dropped by the exact same amount.

I need him ideally 24 hours a day as my physical disability means I can move around slowly one minute and the next not be able to stand up. We have a toddler and it's exhausting but it's also the best thing I've ever done. He should be given more because he can't get a job, he needs to do everything related to shopping, prescriptions etc, needs to help me with stuff all day and help with half the job of caring for our child.

He's an absolute godsend of a man and it angers me the government says he's only "worth" less than bloody job seekers allowance.

Fraud forms a very small part of the Carers budget, only around 3% of claims are fraudulent.

Carers UK have an open letter to the Chancellor alling for more support for carers, they are asking people to sign.

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Q7W6LY7