The second cost of living payment is due to start being paid out from 8 November. This will be £324, making the total payment £650. If you are eligible, you should receive your payment by 23 November. If you haven’t received your payment by this date, you should contact the office that pays your benefit or tax credits or report your missing payment here.
With the cost of living rising at nearly the fastest rate in 40 years, many households are facing a challenging time. The cost of household bills can be even more worrying if you, or a loved one, receive home care services or have an illness or disability.
Whilst it’s a challenging time for many people, those living with additional needs are ultimately being left behind in terms of the support available. The charity Scope has reported a significant rise in calls to their helpline from disabled people who are worried about paying bills and making ends meet. Statistics also show that 42% of disabled adults are spending less on food and other essentials because of the cost of living crisis, and 23% say that they have had to borrow money or use more credit in the last month than this time last year.
Life has always been inevitably but unfairly more expensive for disabled people. It’s estimated that a disabled person pays around £600 per month in additional costs compared to a non-disabled counterpart, and this is being further heightened by the cost of living crisis. These additional costs are often due to equipment, including mobility aids, breathing equipment and hoists, things that are essential to maintain a person’s health and quality of life, sometimes even preserving their life, and require power to run.
These costs, along with the rising price of fuel, an increase to our weekly food shops and inflation reaching an all-time high, mean that for many disabled people, there is nothing else to cut back on.
To help navigate through the cost of living crisis as best you can, it’s important to be aware of the support available to help you or a loved one cover the cost of essential bills.
Energy Bills Support Scheme discount
For winter 2022, the government is offering a £400 discount to the majority of households to help with their energy bills. All households in England, Wales and Scotland are eligible and this doesn’t need to be re-paid.
The discount will be automatically applied to your monthly household electricity bill for 6 months from October 2022. You don’t need to make an application.
The payment schedule is expected to be as follows:
- £66 in October and November
- £67 in December, January, February and March
The government are expected to ensure that households in Northern Ireland will get the equivalent of this support.
On top of this, the government are offering a £150 Cost of Living Payment. This will be paid in a lump sum and is being rolled out from 20 September.
You may be eligible if you receive any of the following benefits:
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance for adults
- Disability Living Allowance for children
- Personal Independence Payment
- Adult Disability Payment (in Scotland)
- Child Disability Payment (in Scotland)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- War Pension Mobility Supplement
Other payments being offered to help with the cost of living include:
- Households on means tested benefits will receive a £650 Cost of Living Payment.
- People of pension age will receive a £300 Cost of Living Payment, which will be paid alongside the Winter Fuel Payment.
Priority Services Register
Every energy company has its own Priority Services Register. This register allows them to offer additional support to people in potentially vulnerable situations.
You may be eligible if you:
- Have reached your state pension age
- Are disabled or have a long-term medical condition
- Are recovering from an injury
- Have a hearing or sight condition
- Have a mental health condition
- Are pregnant or have young children
- Have extra communication needs (such as if you don’t speak or read English well)
Being on the Priority Services Register will provide you with extra support such as:
- Advance notice of planned power cuts. If you rely on your energy supply for medical reasons your network operator can tell you about planned power cuts. For example, when they plan engineering work.
- Priority support in an emergency. Network operators could provide heating and cooking facilities if your supply is cut off.
- Identification and password scheme. This could include arranging a password or agreed on picture cards if callers need to visit or contact you. This way you can feel confident they are genuine.
- Nominee scheme. You can nominate someone to receive communications and bills from your supplier. For example, a family member, carer or someone you trust.
- Help with prepayment meter access. For example, moving a meter if you can’t safely get to it to top up.
- Regular meter reading services. For example, if nobody can read your meter.
- Accessible information. For example, account info and bills in large print or braille.
Affordable Warmth Obligation
The Affordable Warmth Obligation provides financial help towards energy-saving improvements to your home. This includes home insulation work and repairing or replacing your boiler, for example.
This scheme isn’t specific to people with an illness or a disability, but it can help to reduce your household costs.
To qualify you will need to be:
- Living in social housing
or
- Be living in private housing and be claiming at least one of the following benefits:
- Child Tax Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Universal Credit
- Pension Guarantee Credit (Pension Savings Credit does not qualify)
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
If you are renting from a private landlord, you will need to get permission before any work is carried out.
Other financial support available
Winter Fuel Payment
Winter Fuel Payment is an annual lump sum given to help you to heat your home in the winter. The payment is between £250 and £600, depending on your age, who you live with and if you receive Pension Credit, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or Income Support.
You can read more about Winter Fuel Payment and how to apply in our article here.
Cold Weather Payment
Cold Weather Payment is paid during the winter months to help towards the cost of heating your home or other essentials. You will receive £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March.
You may be eligible for Cold Weather Payment if you receive the following benefits:
- Pension Credit
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit
- Support for Mortgage Interest
After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should get a payment within 14 working days. This is paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments.
This year’s Cold Weather Payment scheme will start on 1 November 2022.
Eco Scheme
The Eco Scheme works under the government’s Energy Company Obligation (ECO). Now in its fourth stage, referred to as ECO4, the scheme aims to help low-income households cover the cost of energy efficient home improvements.
If you claim the following benefits, you may be eligible for ECO4:
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support (IS)
- Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
- Working Tax Credit (WTC)
- Child Tax Credits (CTC)
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Housing Benefit (new qualifying benefit for ECO4)
- Pension Credit Savings Credit (new qualifying benefit for ECO4)
For the fourth stage of the scheme, some benefits have been removed from the criteria including Disability Living Allowance and Severe Disablement Allowance. If you have previously benefited from the Eco Scheme, please double check to see if you are still eligible.
Local councils are also able to expand the eligibility, this is referred to as ‘flexible eligibility’ and means that different places in the country may make different decisions. To find out more see here.
Fuel Direct Scheme
The Fuel Direct Scheme, also sometimes referred to as third party deductions, allows a person receiving benefits to agree to some of their bills being paid directly out of these benefits payments.
This means that if you struggle with budgeting or understanding different bill payments, you can rely on the government to pay towards your bills via the benefits you are entitled to. It is also beneficial if you have fallen behind on bills as this money can be used to pay towards any accumulated debt, although please bear in mind that these payments may not cover the total of your bills.
To be eligible for fuel direct scheme, you will need to receive one of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Income based
- Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support or Pension Credit
Diversability
As we mentioned above, if you have an illness or a disability, life can be more expensive. Whether it’s mobility aids, travel expenses, specialist equipment, or even insurance, the cost of living with an impairment quickly adds up and this can affect household bills too.
The Diversability card, due to launch soon, will offer discounted prices for disabled people with a number of enlisted retailers. Their aim is to bridge the gap between businesses and disabled people, both helping businesses to understand the revenue they are missing by not being inclusive of disabled customers whilst simultaneously helping to reduce the increased costs people with disabilities face on a daily basis.
You’ll be eligible for a Diversability Card if you:
- Receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
- Receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Are blind or partially sighted
- Are deaf or have hearing loss
- Have epilepsy
- Receive Attendance Allowance or Severe Disablement Allowance
- Receive War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement
- Receive War or Service Disablement Pension for 80% or more disability
- Buy or lease a vehicle through the Motability scheme
- Have a Blue Badge
As the Diversability Card has not been officially rolled out yet, it’s unclear whether energy companies will be included on the list of retailers offering discounted prices. However, there is expected to be a wide range of different retailers included.
To find out more or to join the waiting list, visit the Diversability website.
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