Benefits for the Elderly
By Sarah Flett, Laura Brook and Abby Proctor
Pension Credit
• Aims to supply the elderly with
some form of income
• Guaranteed Credit qualifying criteria:
– Age in line with state pension age
• Savings Credit qualifying criteria:
– 65 and over
– have made a contribution to a second
pension or savings
– Weekly income does not exceed £188 (if
single) or £277 (with partner)
Successes and Failures of Pension Credit
• Successes:
– Everyone over the age of 65 is entitled to
the guaranteed credit
• Failures:
– 4 million people are entitled to pension
credit but between 27-38% of these still
aren’t claiming it.
– It’s too complicated and many pensioners
struggle to understand the system
Council Tax Benefit
• Aims to supply those with a low
income with extra funds
• Qualifying Criteria:
– Income and savings
– Who you live with
– The amount of council tax you pay
– Any other benefits you receive
– Means tested
Successes and Failures of Council Tax Benefit
• Successes:
– Aimed at the people who need it most
rather than people receiving it
unnecessarily
• Failures:
– 1.4 million eligible elderly people are
missing out on council tax benefit
Housing Benefits
• Aims to help those with low incomes
pay part or all of their rent
• Qualifying Criteria:
– You have savings of under £16,000
– You don’t live in the home of a close relative
– If you live with a partner, only one person
can claim
Successes and Failures of Housing Benefits
• Successes:
– Benefit is paid directly to landlord, thus
reducing confusion and increasing
transparency
• Failures:
– Homes are becoming less affordable, even with
housing benefits
– Claim form runs to 33 pages with 7 pages of
explanatory notes (HCTB 1)
– 380,000 older people who are entitled to
housing benefits are not claiming it
Winter Fuel Payment
• Aims to help the elderly keep warm
during winter.
• Qualifying Criteria:
– Must have been born before 5/1/51
– Not means tested
• Money received:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/Benefit
s/BenefitsInRetirement/DG_179916
Successes and Failures of Winter Fuel Payments
• Successes:
– Offers help to those with good savings
– No tax to pay
• Failures:
– Some elderly people are too wealthy to need winter fuel
payments but still receive it
– Costs £2.7 billion per year but only 12% of recipients are in
fuel poverty
– 5.4 million households are still in fuel poverty and 25,400
pensioners in the UK die due to extreme cold (2010)
– Badly publicised and pensioners don’t know it is available
– Recently been cut and with recent rising fuel costs, many
pensioners who are claiming still cannot keep warm
– Energy companies are not required to help the terminally ill
or disabled and criteria needs to be widened to encompass
these vulnerable groups
Attendance Allowance
• Aims to help the elderly with
disabilities afford personal care
• Qualifying Criteria:
– You have a physical disability
– Your disability is severe enough to need a
carer
– You are aged 65 or over
Successes and Failures of Attendance Allowance
• Successes:
– Those who are terminally ill get higher
rates of Attendance Allowance straight
away
• Failures:
– No medical examination required so people
can abuse the system
Disability Living Allowance
• Aims to help those with disabilities
afford personal care
• Qualifying Criteria:
– You have a physical disability
– Your disability is severe enough to need a
carer
– You are under 65 (over 65’s get attendance allowance)
Successes and Failures of Disability Living
Allowance
• Successes:
– Tax-free and not affected by savings or
employment
– Those who are terminally ill get higher
rates of DLA straight away
• Failures:
– No medical examination required so people
can abuse the system
Free Eye Tests/Voucher Towards Glasses
• Aims to offer the elderly visionrelated treatment which would
otherwise cost money
• Qualifying Criteria:
– You are aged 60 or over
– You have a listed medical condition
– You are a war pensioner
– You receive the guaranteed credit benefit
Successes and Failures of Free Eye Tests
• Successes:
– Opticians are often very expensive and thus
much money is saved
• Failures:
– Under a Conservative government, the
future of free eye tests is uncertain
– Many elderly people are not aware that this
is available for them
Cold Weather Payments
• Aims to help people stay warm in
the event of cold weather
• Qualifying criteria:
– Receiving Pension Credit
– Receiving Income Support
Successes and Failures of Cold Weather Payments
• Successes:
– You don’t have to receive the other winter
fuel payments
– There is no need to re-apply, the benefit is
automatic if you have received it before
– Not means-tested
• Failures:
– Only triggered in the event of extreme
weather
Warm Front
• Aims to provide heating and
insulation improvements to
households on certain incomerelated benefits
• Qualifying Criteria:
– Must be on Pension Credit or IncomeRelated Support Allowance
– You own your own home or rent from a
private landlord
Successes and Failures of Warm Front
• Successes:
– The scheme has recently assisted its 2
millionth customer
• Failures:
– The scheme is only available in England
(but
there are equivalents for the rest of the UK)
– There are lots of requirements to be able to
qualify
Overall Successes and Failures of Benefits
for the Elderly
• Successes:
– It’s a source of income that elderly people would
otherwise not receive
• Failures:
– The whole system is too complicated
– Some elderly people are too proud to claim benefits
– Many elderly people do not have internet access
and therefore don’t know what benefits are
available for them
– Around 30% of elderly people are not claiming the
benefits they are entitled to.
– £5.4bn of means-tested benefits went unclaimed in
2008/9.