Who benefits?

A huge range of different health-related tax credits and benefits are available, which can be bewildering at first. To qualify, much depends on your situation and individual needs. However, it can be boiled down to three basic scenarios:

·         If you have difficulty moving around, or need special care for day-to-day living;

·         If you're unable to work at all;

·         If you've been injured at work, or have an illness related to your work.

What can I claim?

Here's our at-a-glance guide to the main benefits:

Working Tax Credit

Who qualifies? A range of different credits are available to help people on low incomes, or who work at least 16 hours a week. It also caters for people with a disability.

In the 2011/12 tax year, on top of basic Working Tax Credit, you can get:

·         £2,650 per year if you qualify for extra payments because you've got a disability

·         £1,130 per year if you have a severe disability

·         £3,780 per year if you qualify for both lots of extra payments

What's involved? Much depends on your income, and may affect other benefits you claim, such as Housing Benefit.

Find out more: HM Revenue & Customs

Statutory Sick Pay

Who qualifies? If you cannot do your job because you're permanently or temporarily sick or disabled, you may qualify for Statutory Sick Pay. Other rules apply.

What's involved? £81.60 usually paid for first 28 weeks of sickness (2011/12). Just be aware that you will not receive Statutory Sick Pay for the first three days that you are off work.

Find out more: Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Who qualifies? A single person under the age of 25 could receive up to £53.45 per week. Other rules apply.

What's involved? ESA was introduced in October 2008 and replaces Incapacity Benefit and Income Support. However, anyone who received these benefits before this date will continue to do so in the same way.  When you make a claim for ESA, you will usually have a Work Capability Assessment (which used to be known as the Personal Capability Assessment) and you may also have to have a medical assessment.

Find out more: JobCentre Plus or Direct Gov

Income Support

Who qualifies? Anyone aged 16 to 25 who works less than 16 hours a week.

What's involved?  Much like Working Tax Credit, Income Support is designed to supplement your income rather than replace it. In some cases, for example if you're only able to work an hour or so per week, you may be able to claim Income Support as well as Statutory Sick Pay or Incapacity Benefit.

Find out more: JobCentre Plus or Direct Gov

Disability Living Allowance

Who qualifies? Anyone under 65 who needs financial help to pay for personal care and the cost of getting around. Other rules apply.

What's involved? 

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is in two parts; the care component and the mobility component. You may be able to get just one component or both. Each is paid at different rates, depending on your circumstances.

The care component rates are £19.55, £49.50, and £73.60 per week. The mobility component rates are £19.55 and £51.40 (2011/12).

DLA doesn't count as income, which means you are still entitled to other income-related benefits.

Find out more: JobCentre Plus or Direct Gov

Disablement Benefit

Who qualifies? This is the main benefit to claim if you've suffered an industrial injury. There are many payment rates, depending on your circumstances, up to a maximum of £150.30 per week (18 or over) or £892.10 (If you're under 18). Other rules apply.

How does it work? There are other industrial allowances that you may qualify for at the same time, such as Reduced Earnings Allowance, Retirement Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance.  

Find out more: JobCentre Plus or Direct Gov

Do I qualify?

If you think you may be entitled to a health benefit, The Department for Work and Pensions run a telephone helpline providing information on benefits for the sick and disabled. The Benefits Enquiry Line on 0800 882200 (0800 220674 in Northern Ireland) or Minicom 0800 243355 also provides help in filling out claim forms.

A call to the helpline will help pinpoint what's on offer, and whether it's worthwhile making an application. If it is, you can apply using the Department of Work and Pension's Services and Benefits Online website.

Changes to health benefits

As part of ongoing cuts to the welfare system, assessments for ESA and existing Incapacity Benefit claims are becoming stricter. Additionally the government is proposing to introduce a new medical assessment for Disability Living Allowance, although this won't actually start until 2013.

 If your benefits claim is rejected - don't panic! You've got the right to appeal and, in the case of ESA for example, about 40% of appeals are successful. Fill in form GLA24 at the back of the leaflet 'If you think our decision is wrong' - you should get a copy of this with the decision letter.

If you're unhappy with the service provided by Atos Healthcare who usually carry out the medical assessments, speak to them as soon as possible. You can also request their leaflet about customer care which explains how to make a complaint.

For further help claiming benefits, you can contact Turn2us or get advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Universal Credit

Think you've finally got your head around it all? Well think again. Currently the benefit system is undergoing a dramatic makeover and many changes are being made.

The grand plan is to combine benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance, working tax credits, housing benefit and income support into one personal allowance called universal credit. To add to the confusion, it's not actually 'universal' at all as it won't replace disability living allowance, child benefit, statutory sick pay, maternity pay, or maternity allowance.

The government claim the move to universal credit will not affect the amount of money benefit claimants receive, rather how it's delivered. But the exact figures and policy are still being discussed, and we at TheSite.org will provide you with the gritty detail as and when we get it.

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Updated: 17/02/2012