Severe Disablement AllowanceSevere Disablement Allowance is no longer available to new claimants, instead Incapacity Benefit should be claimed.
Young people aged 16 to 19 who are incapacitated may be able to claim Incapacity Benefit without having to satisfy the normal contribution conditions.
Young people aged 20 to 24 may also qualify if they were in education or training for three months immediately before their 20th birthday.
Since 6 April 2001 Severe Disablement Allowance has not been available to new claimants. Instead you may be able to claim Incapacity Benefit.If you are in receipt of SDA you will continue to receive the allowance as long as you satisfy the incapacity or disablement tests.
Permitted Work and Voluntary WorkA customer who is receiving Severe Disablement Allowance may only work in permitted circumstances.
Permitted work introduces more flexible rules for people who want to try paid work while still getting Severe Disablement Allowance because of illness or disability.
You can:
- work for less than 16 hours a week, on average, and earn no more than £88.50 a week for 52 weeks, or
- work for less than 16 hours a week, on average, and earn up to £88.50 a week for as long as your illness or disability is considered sufficiently severe that you meet the threshold of incapacity without undergoing a medical assessment, or
- work and earn up to £20 a week, at any time, for as long as you are on benefit, or
- do supported permitted work and earn no more than £88.50 a week for as long as you are on benefit.
We use supported permitted work to mean work that is supervised by someone who is employed by a public or local authority, or a voluntary organisation, whose job it is to arrange work for people with disabilities. This could be work done in the community or in a sheltered workshop. It also includes work as part of a hospital treatment programme.
You do not need your doctor's approval to start permitted work.
Rates of Severe Disablement Allowance Effective from 10 April 2008
£51.05 Basic benefit.
Age-related addition
£17.75 Under 40 (Higher rate).
£11.40 Aged 40-49 (Middle rate).
£5.70 Aged 50-59 (Lower rate).
Rates of Dependency Increase - Adult
£30.40 Adult Dependency Increase
Since April 2004 where you get an increase of benefit for your partner (other than a partner 60 or over), your partner may be required to take part in a Work Focused Interview with a Personal Adviser.
Dependency Increase - Child
£8.75 Dependent Child Increase (for eldest/only child)
£11.35 Dependent Child Increase (for subsequent dependent children)
Earnings may affect the extra benefit payable for the person's spouse, civil partner or someone looking after children or young persons if the amount earned exceeds a prescribed limit.
Since 6 April 2003 you cannot claim an increase for children. You can however claim Child Tax Credit.
People who are entitled to Severe Disablement Allowance who have worked & paid, or are treated as having paid full rate Class 1 National Insurance Contributions for at least 10% of their working life since 1978, may from 6 April 2002, start to accrue Additional State Pension through State Second Pension. Note, new claims to Severe Disablement Allowance can no longer be made since 6 April 2001. See Retirement Pension for further information. |
