Benefits/Allowances/Finance

A long-term illness or disability can affect your finances and cause money problems. There are a number of benefits and allowances available to help but the rules governing them are often complex. Ask for advice from your social worker if you have one; or the social worker at your hospital; or from an organisation such as:

Citizens Advice - provides free, independent and confidential advice on financial matters. Their offices all offer face to face and telephone advice, and most of them offer home visits and email contact. Their website includes a search facility where you can find your nearest office. They also provide Adviceguide, a website offering printable fact sheets and online information.

Age UK (previously Age Concern + Help the Aged) - offers information and advice on financial and other issues to people over 50 in the UK. They have local offices that can be found through their website.

Carers UK - provides advice on benefits and other financial support for carers.

Macmillan Cancer Support - their website has a section on financial help. They also have a free benefits help-line for people with cancer and their families and carers. Their website lists details of local advisers.

Community Legal Advice - if you have a low income and qualify for legal aid, you can call for free independent advice about benefits and tax credits.

Benefits and Work provide step by step user friendly guides to help make Disability Living Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Incapacity Benefit claims or appeals.

Turn2us has been designed to help people find appropriate sources of financial support, quickly and easily, based on their particular needs and circumstances.

Directgov provides information on all benefits, what you are entitled to and how to claim.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has a Bereavement Service that acts as a single point of contact for notifying the Department when someone dies and deals with all resulting changes to benefits and pensions.

Contacts

Age UK (previously Age Concern + Help the Aged)	Astral House 1268 London Road London SW16 4E 0800 169 6565 (Advice line) info@ageuk.org	Age UK money matters
Benefits and Work	Benefits & Work Publishing Ltd PO Box 4352 WARMINSTER BA12 2AF	Benefits and Work Guides home
Carers UK	20 Great Dover Street London SE1 4LX 020 7378 4999 (office) 0808 808 7777 (help line Wed & Thurs 10-12am, 2-4pm) info@carersuk.org	Carers UK help with money
Citizens Advice	You can search for your local Citizens Advice Bureau on their website. Advice line 08444 111 444	Citizens Advice website Advice Guides online
Directgov	Benefits enquiry line 0800 882200 Email: BEL-Customer-Services@dwp.gsi.gov.uk	Benefits and Financial Support
Macmillan Cancer Support	89 Albert Embankment 020 7840 7840 (office) London SE1 7UQ 0800 500 800 (Benefits help line)	Macmillan Financial Support information
Money Advice Service	The Money Advice Service 25 The North Colonnade Canary Wharf London E14 5HS Tel 0300 500 5000	Money advice service - Tax & benefits
Turn2us	0808 802 2000	Turn2us home
DWP Bereavement Service	Tel 0845 606 0265

Review Date: February 2012

Dorothy House Hospice Care provides the A-Z as a service to patients, carers and professionals, and cannot accept responsibility for the content of any external site referred to. We endeavour to ensure that all links are relevant at the time of publication.