Don’t be left out in the dark

People diagnosed with cancer, may find that their financial situation changes which can cause money worries. There is a lot of help available but it can be difficult to know where to start, so Tenovus  Cancer Support Advisor Gemma Leigh has put together the following ten tips to ensure you get all that you’re entitled to.

If you need any more advice, please speak to one of our Cancer Support Advisors by calling our Freephone Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 1010.

1.Work out how much money you have coming in.

Don’t forget to include any pensions or welfare benefits that you’re currently receiving.

2. Have you taken out any insurance?

This could be critical illness cover on your mortgage or insurance that you have taken out to protect your wages in the event that you are unable to work. Don’t forget to check any payment protection insurance that you may have taken out on any loans.

3.Are you entitled to any means-tested benefits?

These are benefits where your (and your partner if you have one) savings and income are taken into account and if they’re below a certain threshold they will be entitled to some money to ‘top them up’ to the threshold level. If you’re not sure what your threshold is, our Cancer Support Advisors can help.

4. Do you have any care or mobility needs?

If you are struggling with your personal care needs e.g. washing or dressing, then you may be entitled to Disability Living Allowance (if you are under 65 years old) or Attendance Allowance (if you are over the age of 65).

5. Does anybody in your household care for you?

If you and your carer meet certain conditions, then your carer may be entitled to Carer’s Allowance. If your carer receives state pension then they’re  unlikely to receive Carer’s Allowance, but it will mean that your threshold at step 3 is higher.

If your carer does not live with you, then him or her claiming Carer’s Allowance could affect your benefits so please seek advice from a specialist first.

6. Are you entitled to any help with your council tax bills?

Council Tax Benefit is one of the most under-claimed benefits – probably because is it so complicated. It is means-tested so it works to pay off some (or sometimes all) of your liability if your savings and income are below your relevant threshold. Again, if you’re not sure you should get advice from a specialist.

7. Are you entitled to any help with your housing costs?

Any help with your housing costs is means-tested. If you own your home (subject to a mortgage), then you may get help with the mortgage interest if your income and savings are low enough. This payment will be part of a mean-tested benefit (see step3) and if you are entitled to some help then this will be paid directly to your mortgage lender.

If you rent, then you may be entitled to some Housing Benefit (it is called Local Housing Allowance if you rent from a private landlord). Again, this depends on your circumstances and one of our Cancer Support Advisors can check this for you.

8. Help with health costs

You will be entitled to help with your travel costs if you are in receipt of Income Support, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance and the guarantee credit of Pension Credit. You may also qualify for help if you receive Child Tax Credits or Working Tax credits – but not always.

If you are not in receipt of any of the above benefits then you may still qualify under the ‘low income scheme’  this means that you may get ‘partial help’ and so receive some help with your health costs but not as much as under the main scheme.

9. Are there any grants that you could claim?

Some grants are means-tested but some are not. Many grants have very specific criteria such as you must live in a certain area or have had a certain type of job. Take a look at the Turn2us website – www.turn2us.org.uk – where you can search three thousand charities for grants.

10. Get Advice!

Unfortunately, the benefits system is quite complicated so in order to get everything that you are entitled to you should speak to a specialist, such as one of our Cancer Support Advisors. You can do this by calling our Freephone Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 1010.

Gemma Leigh is a Tenovus Cancer Support Advisor