Direct payments of £173 per week for diabetes patients: can you get extra money?
More than four million people in Britain live with diabetes, but some may not know they can get up to £173 a week in extra help.
Anyone with the disease may be eligible for government benefits.
According to the charity Diabetes UK, 4.3 million people suffer from the disease, with around 90% having type 2 diagnoses and 8% the most serious type 1 diagnosis.
But if you have diabetes, and it is so debilitating that it affects you on a daily basis, you may be eligible for Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
The benefit is intended to help people who suffer from a health condition or disability.
Payments can be up to £173 a week, or almost £9,000 a year, and you can qualify whether you work or not.
PIP consists of two elements: the daily living part and the mobility part.
The daily living area is for those who need help with daily tasks, while the mobility area is for those who need help getting around.
There are two rates for each part, depending on your needs: standard or extended. The weekly rates are:
- Standard daily living component: £68.10
- Enhanced Daily Living Component: £101.75
- Standard mobility component: €26.90
- Enhanced Mobility Component: £71
You can qualify for both parts of PIP, meaning the maximum amount you can currently receive each week is €172.75.
It's a potentially life-changing amount, so if you're not claiming it yet, it's worth checking whether you qualify.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says there is no specific list of conditions that entitle people to PIP.
What is diabetes?
DIABETES is a lifelong health condition that affects around 4.8 million people in Britain.
It is a condition caused by high levels of glucose (or sugar) in the blood.
Glucose levels are so high because the body cannot use it properly.
In people diagnosed with diabetes, their pancreas produces little or no insulin.
Insulin is a hormone normally produced by the pancreas that allows glucose to enter the body's cells where it is used for energy.
Common signs that you may have diabetes include:
- Going to the toilet a lot, especially at night
- Being really thirsty
- Feeling more tired than normal
- Lose weight without trying
- Genital itching or thrush
- Cuts and wounds that take longer to heal
- Blurry sight
Diabetes UK's four T's campaign – Toilet, Thirsty, Tired and Thinner – aims to raise awareness of the key symptoms.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease and accounts for between 85 and 95 percent of all cases. Diabetes UK.
It occurs when the insulin-producing cells in the body are unable to produce enough insulin.
It can also be activated if the insulin produced does not work properly.
In type 1 diabetes, the cells in the body that normally produce insulin are destroyed, leaving the body unable to produce the most important hormone.
It is much less common, affecting about 10% of adults who have the disease.
It is treated with daily insulin injections or an insulin pump.
This form of the disease usually occurs in childhood or before the age of 40 and is not related to obesity.
However, if your diabetes affects you enough on a daily basis, you may qualify.
What is PIP and who is eligible for it?
If you suffer from a long-term health condition or disability, you can get extra money through PIP.
It is available to people aged 16 or over, but you must also be under state pension age (currently 66).
Crucially, you also have a health condition or disability that has caused you to have difficulty with daily living or getting around (or both) for three months.
You should also bear in mind that these difficulties will last for at least nine months (unless you are terminally ill and have less than twelve months to live).
Problems with daily life may include:
- Preparing or eating food
- Washing, bathing and going to the toilet
- Dressing and undressing
- Read and communicate
- Managing your medications or treatments
- Making decisions about money
- Dealing with other people
PIP payments are tax-free and the amount you receive is not affected by your income or savings.
You can also claim it along with other benefits apart from the Armed Forces Independence Pay.
In the meantime, if you receive a constant attendance allowance, you will receive less of the daily living expenses of PIP.
If you receive the Mobility Supplement for War Pensioners, you will not receive the mobility part of PIP.
How do you apply for PIP?
You can make a claim by calling the DWP on 0800 917 2222.
There are also other ways to claim if you don't want to call. You should check out government.co.uk For more information.
If you make a claim you will need the following information:
- Your contact details
- Date of birth
- National insurance number
- Account number and sorting code of the bank or building society
- The name of your doctor or health professional
- Address and telephone number
- Dates and addresses of the time you spent abroad, in a nursing home or hospital
Someone else can call on your behalf, but you must be present with them when they call.
You will then receive a form that you must complete. You will then be invited for an assessment or your healthcare or social worker will be asked for information.
You will then receive a letter stating whether your claim has been successful.
You can read about Citizens Advice's help in preparing an assessment guide on the website.
If you apply for PIP and are unsuccessful, you can appeal the decision.
Are you missing out on benefits?
You can use a benefit calculator to check whether you are not missing out on money you are entitled to.
Charity The Turn2Us benefits calculator figuring out what you could get.
Entitlement is free calculator calculates whether you are eligible for various benefits, tax credits and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefit tools powered by Entitledto's data.
You can use The Policy in Practice calculator to find out not only what benefits you can receive, but also to find out how much money you have left every month after paying your housing costs.
Exactly what you are entitled to will not become clear until you make a claim, but calculators can give you an indication of what you may be eligible for.
Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing money@the-sun.co.uk.
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