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A look at how the magic roundabout of Pension Credit sums work in detail with the help of some examples and a summary of this series of听 five blogs on benefits, cancer and older age.听

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In the previous blog in this series of five looking at Benefits, cancer and older age, I looked at extra amounts for older people that may well apply after a cancer diagnosis in and the too often unclaimed Pension Credit in particular.

This time, I look at some examples of how the sums work for the main听Pension Credit (Guarantee)听in more detail. This involves sums not just for the sake of it and ignore the arithmetic but to see how PC can work in practise.听To try and help us through that double maths on a Tuesday afternoon urge to doze off, I have recruited some听fictional and familiar charcters all now facing scenarios familiar to people affected by cancer.听

This blog may help you to check whether you are missing out on extra help within an existing Pension Credit claim or to see how you may now be entitled to PC for the first time, perhaps because of extra disability and carers additions that might now apply.

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1. How do Pension Credit sums work in detail?

Essentially, PC compares the money you have coming in with an 鈥渁ppropriate amount鈥� set for your household, depending on whether or not you have a partner and whether or not you qualify for two extra additions, one for severe disability and one for being a carer. In future it is planned to add further amounts to replace Housing Benefit for rent and any Child Tax credit for any grand children living with you, but for the time being these remain separate benefits and claims.

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1.1 The basic 鈥渁ppropriate amount"

These amounts include a standard amount for anyone which is听拢173.75 if you are single and听拢265.20 听if you are a couple (at 2020/21 rates)

So, for example:

• Dylan听has a full basic Retirement Pension of 拢134.25 a week听听and a small works pension paid at the equivalent of 拢19.50听 a week. A weekly total income of 拢153.75.听听He applies for PC and gets 拢173.75 - 拢153.75听 = 拢20.00 a week in Pension Credit.

And because he is on Pension Credit, he automatically qualifies for full help with any rent, council tax and health costs e.g. fares to hospital. He also spends a lot of time looking after his friend听Ermintrude,

• Zebedee听springs into the Centre and at first sight is not entitled to PC. As well as his full State Retirement pension of 拢134.25,听听he gets 拢83.45 a week in works pension from the Magic Roundabout Company and has 拢20,000 of life savings, which add a nominal 拢20 tariff income on to his income figure used in the PC sums.

At a total of听拢237.70,听Zebedee seems well over the basic single 鈥渁ppropriate amount鈥� for Pension Credit. And he has to pay all his rent and council tax too, so he is dipping into his savings to pay the bills. But we will come back to Zebedee after we have sorted out his Attendance Allowance :-) .

• Florence, 66 and听Dougal听56 are a couple. Florence has built up a good works pension equivalent to 拢186.30听 a week and a full State Retirement Pensions at 拢134.25. Dougal has long term mental health difficulties and gets听Contributory Employment and Support Allowance听of 拢113.55 a week and听Personal Independence Payment Daily Living Component听of 拢59.70听听a week .

Their total income for PC purposes is听拢434.10, with Dougal鈥檚 PIP being ignored as income. They are though well over their basic PC amount of听拢265.20.听听Florence is used to managing Dougal, sweetly, and the household finances.

Florence has come into the Centre more for emotional support and to join in other activities after a recent diagnosis of breast cancer. They face extra costs, but Florence thinks they might manage. prudently, as long as听听she keeps Dougal's spending on a tight lead. But her Centre's Benefits Advisor grabs her from the Kitchen Table for a quick benefits check, with a glint in his eye :-)

厂辞:听

• Dylan qualifies for PC at the moment with just the basic amounts, but for now Zebedee, Florence and Dougal don鈥檛.听
• But that look in the Advisor鈥檚 beady eye is all due to the power of PC additions, that may well benefit all four of them :-)

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2 Additions to your Appropriate amount

As well as the basic amounts for a single person or a couple, there are currently two additions within the Pension Credit sums, both of which could potentially be relevant to people affected by cancer:

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2.1 The Carers addition

The Carers Addition is worth an extra听拢37.50 a week听听and applies to anyone who either:

• receives the听Carer's Allowance: or
• who has had one of those听鈥渋t鈥檚 not you, it鈥檚 me鈥�听letters back from Carers Allowance mentioned in the last blog. These are the ones that say you do qualify for CA, but that they can't actually pay you anything because you are already receiving another "overlapping benefit"听

And with most people claiming a State Retirement Pension, it鈥檚 more likely to be the latter they get back,听 rather than the one saying that they will actually receive the 67.25 in CA (with an additional amount to top it up to 拢74.35 in Scotland). Your听Retirement Pension, then, would usually stop a Carers Allowance being paid, but you would still retain an听鈥渦nderlying entitlement鈥澨齮o that CA.

And that鈥檚 good enough for the PC carer鈥檚 addition. So that鈥檚 why your Advisor is going to suggest you apply for a benefit that s/he knows you are not going to get. It鈥檚 often best to humour them 鈥�

Both partners in a couple could be getting a carers addition, perhaps for looking out for each other

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2.2 the severe disability addition

This is the big one, worth an extra听拢66.95听a week in the sums. This can apply to people who get a disability benefit (e.g. AA, DLA or PIP), but not to everyone who does so. There are some extra conditions just to complicate things...

To qualify for a severe disability addition:

• you must get the right disability benefit:听听either AA or its equivalent i.e. PIP Daily Living (either rate) or DLA Care (at middle or highest rate) - DLA and PIP Mobility or DLA Lowest Care won鈥檛 count ;听and
• you must be counted as living alone听- If you do then this is straightforward enough. But if you don't live alone you may still be counted as doing so, as some people who may be in your household can be ignored;听and
• no one must be actually receiving Carers Allowance for looking after you

So:

• For the first condition you need to be getting听听the relevant 鈥渄isability benefit鈥� . Either you do, you don't or your Advisor may have high hopes that you might, having just helped you make a claim for PIP or AA.
• For the second condition,听it can be very straightforward if you do live alone. But other adults who may be in your household may be ignored - by Pension Credit not necessarily you - for the purposes of the addition. For example: 听under 18s, people staying temporarily who normally live elsewhere, people who also have a disability and people who are there on a commercial basis (whether they pay you rent as your lodgers or you pay them rent as your landlords)
• The third听condition听can often rest on the difference between a carer actually being听paid听Carers Allowance and merely making a claim for it. If a carer is actually paid the Carers Allowance听then the severe disability addition stops.听 But if the carer only gets听听a PC "carer's addition" or a legacy benefit "carer's premium"听, then the severe disability addition can carry on . But see UC below.

The overall effect of a claim for Carer's Allowance on both their income and the person they look after听听would be either:

• a听straight swap: the person with cancer loses up to 拢66.95 a week, but the carer听听and the carer gets the full value of their 拢67.25听Carers Allowance (becoming 拢74.35 Carers Assistance in Scotland)
• a net loss.听if the carer is on a means-tested benefit themselves (e.g. Income Support or Pension Credit), then they may well be paid the Carers Allowance. This is then taken away from their benefit 拢 for 拢, but they do get some of it back via a carers premium. The value to the carer - in that scenario - is only an extra 拢37.50 a week, but the person they care for loses up to 拢66.95 听听
• But there鈥檚 a third happier听"win-win outcome"听from making a Carers Allowance claim :-) And this might be quite common in 鈥減ension age鈥�.

This happy result occurs when a carer claims CA, but听 can鈥檛 actually be paid it because it overlaps with say a Retirement Pension or a Contributory ESA. The carer can still have a PC carers addition or a carer's premium in a "legacy benefit", and so is still 拢37.50 up on the deal.

But because Carers Allowance is听not听actually听paid, then it does not get in the way of the 拢66.95 听severe disability addition for the person they are caring for. Cakes are both had and eaten, and buns and pennies are held in the same hand 鈥� A carer's premium or carer's addition on its own does not block off a severe disability addition. Unfortunately the equivalent "carer's element" in Universal Credit does听

It does seem complicated, but I hope this just about makes sense. If in doubt get advice first before claiming Carers Allowance.

Warning - Universal Credit can seriously damage your wealth:听

The above happy third win-win situation relies on the carer having a benefit that blocks off the payment of Carers Allowance. Common enough for carers who have also come of pension age, but less so among younger carers. So , the听 the carer gets the benefit of a carers premium /addition for just having claimed Carers Allowance, but the fact they can't get the Carers Allowance听means the person they care for can still get their severe disability addition addition in PC.听

However, under Universal Credit, the similar 鈥渃arers element鈥� comes with key differences to carers premiums: one of these is that receipt of just the UC carers element can knock out entitlement to the severe disability addition. It will no longer be enough to just block off the Carers Allowance

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2.3 Don鈥檛 miss out on the severe disability addition

A lot of people entitled to a severe disability addition don鈥檛 actually get it added on, as there is no reliable automatic mechanism for triggering the follow up form 鈥� called a PC10 鈥� that is needed in order to have that extra addition included when someone on PC is awarded a disability benefit.

Meanwhile, it may not feel like common sense to be able to get听more听PC after your disposable income has just increased because of an award of AA, DLA or PIP. Many people are just glad that the extra disability benefit income is not taken away from their income, so the very idea of an increase seems impossible and so people don鈥檛 even think there is a question to ask.

And that can be all the more so, if you haven鈥檛 claimed PC before 鈥� or have applied but been correctly turned down in the past . You might not realise then 鈥� that by the power of additions 鈥� you have now become entitled to Pension Credit, when perhaps previously 鈥� with a lower income 鈥� you were not.

Meanwhile many Pension Service staff 听are not totally clear and will get mystified at the idea of someone being entitled to both carers and severe disability additions at the same time. But having read the last blog you so understand听听how that could be 鈥�

It may seem hard to make sense of, but it would be a shame after all that hard work getting your disability benefit sorted, if you were to miss out on an extra 拢64.30听听- and sometimes far more听听- for the sake of a quick phone call, a short PC10 form which can often come down to two ticks and a signature :-).

And if you are thinking you may have been missing out all this time, then it can be sorted. One of my colleagues 听recently spotted an unpaid severe disability addition. Two quick ticks and the shake of a signature on the PC10 and a brief covering letter led to 5 years back pay of around 拢15,000 with interest 鈥�

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3. What those additions can do to our case studies

Perhaps it鈥檚 easier if we apply these additions to our three magic roundabout households.

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3.1 Dylan

Dylan听is already on PC, but that doesn鈥檛 stop the Advisor鈥檚 beady income maximising eye.

- 鈥淟et鈥檚 apply for a benefit we know you aren鈥檛 going to get 鈥� she says, enthusiastically... 鈥� Because of all the care and support you are giving Ermintrude"

- 鈥淲ell if it makes you happy, man鈥� said Dylan , doubtfully.

The result is that听鈥淒ear Dylan, it鈥檚 not you, it鈥檚 me 鈥� letter from Carers Allowance. Dylan sends the letter to PC, dubiously and is delighted to get a carers addition adding 拢37.50 a week to his Pension Credit.

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3.2 Zebedee

Zebedee听can鈥檛 get PC at the moment, but following a diagnosis of cancer of the spring, his Advisor applies for Attendance Allowance. He is awarded the top rate of 拢89.15 as the cancer has affected his bounce after some aggressive chemo treatment with a maintenance dose of WD40 therapy. -

- 鈥淲ell this is handy鈥� say Zebedee gratefully, as it will save me drawing on me savings to pay the rent鈥�

- 鈥淛ust a minute鈥�, says his advisor as she reaches for a Pension Credit claim form 鈥淏y My Sums! You are now entitled to Pension Credit鈥�

The extra income from Attendance Allowance doesn鈥檛 count in the听听PC sums, 听so Zebedee is treated as still having just his 听拢204.30 a week in other income plus 拢20 because of his savings i.e. 拢224.30 a week. But as Zebedee lives alone and no one is getting Carers Allowance for helping him, he now qualifies for a severe disability addition. HIs PC amount goes up from 拢173.75听to听拢240.70, while his income has remained at 拢237.70. So,听听he now qualifies for听拢3.00听a week PC

- 鈥淲ell, it may only be 拢3, but every little helps 鈥� , says Zebedee, not too disappointedly
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- 鈥淎h, but now you are on PC, you are passported through the Housing Benefit savings limit and can now get all your rent and council tax covered鈥� says his Advisor, beamingly. "That 拢3 is actually going to be worth more like 拢90 a week to you!"

- 鈥淏oinnngg!!!", says Zebedee.

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3.3 Florence and Dougal

As things stood,听Florence听and听Dougal听could only get a carers addition added to their PC amount bringing their appropriate amount up to听拢302.70, which would still be a long way below their income of听拢434.10. So there seems little point in bothering to make that Care's Allowance claim听. Although Dougal鈥檚 PIP is at the right rate for him to have a severe disability addition included, he does not live alone because Florence is in the house.

However, with Florence facing a rough year of cancer treatment, she could also apply for Attendance Allowance. And after a successful application, things change markedly in the PC sums. If they made a claim before 19th May 2019, they could have finally听received Pension Credit. The sums are shown at current 2020/21 rates,听 to show how the sums would look this year :

• Each one of them is now ignored for the purposes of the other鈥檚 severe disability addition. So not only can Dougal now get the severe disability addition he was previously denied, but Florence can also have an addition for her added to their joint sums too.听
• So, two lots of severe disability addition makes their PC applicable amount increase and a PC claim edged ever closer. But not quite - a basic 拢265.20 -at current rates-听and two lots of severe disability addition @ 拢66.95 each, makes their current听听PC amount up to 拢399.10. Their income would still be听拢35 too high to receive any PC听
• But then it was听 worth making was worth making those听Carer鈥檚 Allowance claims. Not only for Florence for all years of putting up with Dougal, patiently, but also for Dougal who in his own way supports her through her time with cancer. Both of them had another benefit to block the actual payment of Carers Allowance. So, they each claimed CA, knowing that they wouldn't be paid it and so will not affect the other鈥檚 severe disability addition. The point of the flurry of additional paperwork to claim a Carers Allowance that neither could get, was听听is to add two carers additions to their PC appropriate amount.听
• So, at current rates听they were听 then entitled to both two cares additions (@ 拢37.50 each) and two severe disability additions (@66.95 each) on top of the basic 拢265.20 couple rate. This brought听 the amount up to the absolute PC maximum of 拢474.10.听
• With neither Dougal鈥檚 previous PIP award, nor Florence鈥檚 new PIP award counting as income, PC still counted their joint assessed income as being听拢434.10. So this meant that听, Florence and Dougal' income is below their PC 鈥渁ppropriate amount鈥� and they are entitled to a top up of 拢40听a week from PC Guarantee Credit.听

And with any award of PC Guarantee Credit, that means full help with council tax, rent and those worrying fares to hospital.

The mixed age couple effect.听

This blog was first written before the mixed age couple changes, so I have just updated the sums as they would look now, had all the Pension Credit magic happened before May 2019. Although they had been a couple for many years, they were not receiving Pension Credit before all of the claims were sorted as above. They would then still be stuck,听 if they were doing all of this after that rule change.

However, if Florence and Dougal were just good friends now, claiming separately,听听when their eyes met across the Kitchen Table at the Magic Roundabout 欧美无码 centre, then the Benefits Advisor could still work the same magic, but only if he can persuade them not to rush in and move in together before Florence's AA and severe disability addition was sorted.听

• For if a single Florence on Pension Credit moved in with听a single Dougal on ESA,听 they wouldn't be able to claim Pension Credit, but they might be able to听 claim "legacy benefits" where the sums as a couple are very similar to be as near as makes no difference.听as a couple on ESA.听
• This only works if Florence has got her AA awarded and a new听 severe disability addition sorted听 in her PC and Dougal has a severe disability premium in his Income-related ESA. 听These amounts prevent them from claiming Universal credit - for now - and so they would claim Income-related ESA as a couple instead.听
• And that ESA sum would be just the same as the PC one above except that additions are called premiums and the rather basic couple amount of ESA of only 拢116.80 is topped up to the 拢265.20 of Pension Credit by a "pensioner premium" of 拢148.40. The result is the same except they end up with 拢40 Income-related ESA rather than 拢40.00 Pension Credit

However if they had rashly rushed in before Florence's AA听 and severe disability addition was sorted, then they would have had to claim Universal Credit instead:

• UC does not have either a pensioner element nor any equivalents to the severe disability premium听
• their maximum UC at a weekly equivalent would amount to 拢290.79 plus an amount for rent in their new cottage with rose's round the door. Nothing like 拢474.10 + Housing Benefit for the rent听
• Their Advisor will be crossing fingers that they did not apply at that point,听听and wracking brains if they have

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1. Ok, OK, so how do I claim. I bet it鈥檚 complicated?

It can be a bit tedious and daft but not too complicated, especially with the help of one of our Benefits Advisors

• You can make a claim for Pension Credit on a paper form or by telephone. See the links below for the details.听
• The form is relatively straightforward in plain English and some 12 short pages long听
• PC claims can be backdated for up to 3 months. So, if you have missed out you can go back a little way.听
• Or if you know you are only going to qualify after claiming a disability benefit, you have time to get that e.g. Attendance Allowance decision and still backdate PC to the start date of that disability benefit claim.听

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If your PC is hanging on a disability benefit claim

Sometimes though the answer comes back as a "No"听from disability benefits. The general rule of thumb is don't take "No"听听for an answer - at least not without talking to an Advisor first as some 60% to 75% of disability benefit appeals are successful.

However, that can take time, and so there might be a need to protect that potential Pension Credit听听while the disability benefit is sorted out. This is much simpler if you are already on PC now, as any extra that becomes due in from additions from a successful AA appeal听can simply be backdated along with the disability benefit itself after a successful appeal.

If you would not currently be entitled to PC , then there is a way of protecting that potential PC in case. 听This involves making a claim sandwich! You basically:

• put in a PC claim now, knowing that they will answer No without asay a severe disability addition in your sums
• You then make make the claim for Attendance Allowance , and persist through any refusal . You might first ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration,听then if needs be, go on to an independent appeal. Eventually you get that AA backdated to the first day that you claimed it.听
• You then go back to PC and make a new claim that can be linked back to the first PC claim . You are now entitled, and you can get any PC paid all the way back to the date of that first claim.

This extra hassle arises because there is no provision to just simply look again at the original PC claim and redo the sums with additions included. Nor can they just leave the claim undecided until your AA claim is sorted out. Common sense would suggest allowing either of these options to make make life easier all round.

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5 Summary of this Benefits, Cancer and 听Pension Age series

Cancer can bring with it real additional costs: fares to specialist regional centres or further afield, extra warmth, different clothing, extra fuel costs staying at home more and feeling the cold, special foods and complementary medicines . And just making the most of good days and having some well-earned treatments and benefits can help. Your income may be fixed and perhaps you may not face the same drops in income directly as those having to take time off work, but you may still feel听听some change.

5.1. Looking back over these blogs

Benefits then can make a real difference, to free you from financial worries and help meet some of those extra costs

• In Part 1 - we looked at how the benefits system works, some basic terminology , what is happening with pension age and where benefits over pension age sit in this age of change and welfare reform
• In Part 2 鈥� we looked at how the traditional State Retirement Pension 听works and how it has evolved over time. This may be of interest as your main benefit and as the biggest benefit of all . But your State Retirement Pension is paid at the same rate in sickness and in health, so it won鈥檛 change as the result of听听cancer coming crashing into your life. However, this may be different for occupational and private听听pension schemes whether you are in the run up to pension age or have retired, but still have Pension Choices open to you.
• In Part 3 鈥� we looked at the new State Retirement Pension that will affect those who reach pension age after April 2016, but also how it connects with the old scheme, which may still remain very important for new pensioners for quite听 a time yet.
• In Part 4 鈥� we started looking at the extra help that is available in the event of a cancer diagnosis in general. Some -听听such as disability benefits - are available regardless of your income and savings, while听听others such as Pension Credit is aimed at those on lower incomes, but steps up a gear for those experiencing health issues or who are carers.
• Here in Part 5 ,听听we have seen, how Pension Credit works in practise with the help of some carousel chums 鈥� Pension Credit then has no savings limit and can stretch a lot further up the income scale than you might at first think. Even the basic levels are higher than people imagine, but with the additions - that may well be relevant to people affected by cancer - many more people can become entitled to PC. As a result, and not counting any disability benefit income, a single person with an income of 拢260 a week or a couple nearing 拢450 could still get some Pension credit.听

5.2 The Attendance Allowance effect

Many over pension age who get a cancer diagnosis - regardless of income and savings - can apply for a 鈥渄isability benefit" - such as听Attendance Allowance(AA). However, Age UK estimate that only 50% of people who 听could be entitled to AA actually claim it and many forms are never returned.

Please then, don鈥檛 be put off by antiquated names such as Attendance Allowance nor the long forms - you can be very much walking wounded and fiercely independent and still qualify. Do find out more - e.g. from the blog听听- and if in doubt do get advice from your nearest Maggie鈥檚 Centre.

An award of a disability benefit can mean extra money for a carer, but there is a potential warning if they were to actually receive that听Carers Allowance.听An award of CA can sometimes adversely affect the benefit of the person you look after. However, where both people are over 鈥減ension age鈥� then Retirement Pension can knock that worry on the head. If in doubt, do get advice

5.3 The Pension Credit difference听

Pension Credit听is there to top up the low income of anyone over 64 and 2/3 at the time of writing 鈥� becoming the standard pension age of 65 鈥� for both PC and State Retirement Pension for men and women in November 2018. Thereafter that common equal pension age will start rising to 66 at December 2020 where it will stay for a bit.

Mixed age couples: If you are one of a couple, it was the is the age of the older partner that determines if you can claim Pension Credit. That meant a younger partner whether just a few months or some years under 鈥減ension age鈥� could come under a joint Pension Credit claim. But since 15th May 2019, both partners have to be over pension age, If not, the younger partner who may have to lead on a joint Universal Credit claim instead. All such mixed age couples will be 拢148.80 听a week worse off and disabled couples up to 拢270 a week worse off.听

Savings and PC :听There is no upper savings limit for Pension Credit听听though they will affect the totals you might receive. So, depending on the gap between your income and your PC 鈥渁ppropriate amount鈥�, you might have quite听听significant lifetime savings and still qualify for some PC

It's more than just the PC:听Even if you only end up with a very small award of PC, as in the case of Zebedee, that can trigger full help with rent and council tax, and full access to health costs (e.g. fares to hospital and dental and optical charges). And it will get you over any savings limits within these other income-related benefits, taking you from no help at all with any rent or council tax to the maximum help the schemes allow.

Only some 60 to 70%听听of people who are entitled to a Pension Credit claim it, so don鈥檛 be one of the far too many who miss out. Even if you were not entitled to PC in the past, extra entitlements linked indirectly to a cancer diagnosis may mean that you may well now be. If you have claimed PC and receive some you may very well now be entitled to more.

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5.4 Walking through the steps

A lot of maximising your entitlement to Pension Credit hinges on the even more under-claimed disability benefits so do look at these as well, as your entitlement will be based purely on the limiting effects of your cancer or other health conditions. These are dealt with in another separate series of blogs as they are very important to all age s who may be affected by cancer: childhood, working age and pension age alike.

In all the examples there is a walk through the steps we looked at in Part 1:

• Step 1 鈥� Retirement Pension is very much a given with few problems to report, but you may have some queries or there may be some issues for say a younger partner yet to come of pension age.
• Step 2 鈥� can you get some immediate help from Pension Credit and other means tested benefits right now? You may have been missing out for some years even before cancer came a calling. Or might you get some help in the future after a hop to Step 3
• Step 3 鈥� regardless of income or savings you may very well be entitled to a disability benefit such as Attendance Allowance (AA)

And as in the Sound of Music steps there may be some gentle hopping back again after an award under Step 3:

• back at Step 1: does that award trigger some claims for Carers Allowance/Assistance
• back at Step 2: does that award trigger extra entitlements in Pension Credit that either increases an existing award or allow you to claim Pension credit for the first time听

So, whether or not they are thinking steps or humming do-re-mi, that鈥檚 what your friendly welcoming Benefits Advisor will be doing with you at your local Maggie鈥檚 Centre. 听

And that鈥檚 why if you wander to your local Maggie鈥檚 centre on the off chance of some help with the often substantial costs of frequent travel to this hospital, you may emerge a little dazed but delighted with a cunning plan that might not only sort out those travel costs, but sometimes double your income too.!

Do then get your benefits checked out with the Benefits Advisor at your nearest Maggie鈥檚 Centre or elsewhere. You can do beautiful Pension Credit sums together, along with a full benefits check.

This does involve spending some time with forms, but at least in pension age things are a whole lot simpler and there is more of a tendency to treat people with some respect and less of that 鈥渨orking age鈥� hostile environment thing going on. Forms are much shorter to do the same thing and you are more likely to be believed in 鈥減ension age鈥� . Your Benefits Advisor will help you every step of the way and you may rather get to enjoy your time together even if the basic task can feel a bit daft and tiresome at times.

And you may also find a whole raft of support in other ways, a place to call in to and call your own on future trips to hospital and a whole group of friends not met yet. New friends who know what it鈥檚 like living with cancer in your life and with whom you don鈥檛 have to pretend and can feel freer to laugh, cry and if all else fails eat cake鈥μ�

Best wishes,

罢辞尘听

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Links and further information

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Finding individual help from an advisor:

• Visit your local 欧美无码 Centre听 and talk with one of our benefits advisors.听Find your local centre here
• See if there is a Macmillan advice service near you听
• Find your local Citizens Advice office: in England & Wales -听.听In Scotland -听

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External links

• Details of how to claim Pension Credit usually by phone but you can ask for a PC1 claim form听- see听.
• You can see what a PC application form looks like - along with all the guidance notes - available
• Copy of a PC 10 form 鈥� to have a severe disability addition added to your sums - see听- 听

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Other blogs in this series听

• Part 1: Introduction - when is pension age? welfare reform in pension age, steps to maximum entitlement - available
• Part 2: State retirement Pension - the pre-april 2016 sytem - history and what makes up your entitlement -听available
• Part 3: State retirement Pension: the new post April 2016 scheme and how your entitlement is still largely governed by the old rules -听available
• Part 4 . Extra help after a cancer diagnosis in general and Pension Credit in particular -听available

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Other useful blogs

• 听
• Disability Benefits 1:听AA, DLA, PIP and Cancer - available