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Income disregard will rise next year |
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People in part time work will be better off as a result of changes to the welfare benefit system — but they must wait a year before the changes will come into effect. |
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Gordon Brown announced in the budget that people who work and claim income support will be able to earn up to £20 a week without affecting their income support. |
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Currently, people who receive income support, can only earn £15 a week before they begin to lose income support pound-for-pound. Once all the income support is gone they lose other benefits such as free dentistry and free prescriptions. |
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For years Mencap and others have urged raising the level to encourage people into part time work. |
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Other changes include a £100 grant for people who move into work after a year’s unemployment, and the suspension (rather than closure) of benefits when they start work so that they can be restored if work proves impractical. |
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The changes take effect in June 2001. |
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Viewpoint May 2000 |
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Leaving Money for People with Learning Disabilities |
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We have just received a copy of the latest Mencap booklet on leaving money by will to people with learning disabilities. If you would like a copy you can contact Mencap direct on freephone telephone number 0500-243-444. Please note Mencap can only provide two copies of the booklet free of charge to the same address. |
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New Deal 50plus |
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The Carers National Association has produced a leaflet on how carers may benefit from New Deal 50plus Scheme. |
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The scheme is seen as being of value to carers who may have been isolated by their caring role and who may have, in consequence, lost confidence in their ability to find paid work; also for those who need to fit work around their caring responsibilities. |
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‘Carers in Employment: New Deal 50plus — how it can work for carers’ is available free from: |
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Carers National Association 20/25 Glasshouse Yard London EC1A 4JT Tel: 020 7490 8818 |
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Tees Valley Briefing - July 2000 |
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Advice Sources |
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We pass on to you sources of valuable advice taken from various publications |
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Samaritans Have New Number |
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The Samaritans who provide a 24-hour helpline for people in distress have changed their phone number. The new number - 0845 7 90 90 90 - comes into effect from 1 August 2000. |
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The change is due to a national phone code change which was introduced in April. Information sheets explaining the new codes for people with special needs are available from BT by ringing Freephone 0800 917 0323, |
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Viewpoint July 2000 |
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Vaccine Damage Payments Increase |
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Regulations were laid on 5 July 2000 to raise Vaccine Damage Payments from £40,000 to £100,000. |
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The new higher payments can be made as soon as they have been debated in both Houses of Parliament, hopefully, before the summer recess. |
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Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Social Security, also confirmed that top-up payments will be made to families of vaccine damaged children who have died since the original payment was made. The new scheme also includes those who received extra-statutory payments before the VDP came into effect in 1979, |
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Any claims currently under consideration will receive the level of payment appropriate to the date the claim was made plus the relevant top-up payment. |
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The disability threshold for eligibility to VDP is reduced from 80% to 60%. |
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The time limit for making a claim will be extended to encompass all children up to 18 years old, or three years after the date of vaccination, whichever is the later. |
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Receipt of a VDP does not exclude a person’s potential eligibility to other DSS benefits. Neither does it prejudice the right of the disabled person to pursue a claim for damages through the courts. |
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Department of Social Security Press Release 5.7.00 |
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Your News & Views |
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If you have any items of news or views you would like to share with our members please feel free to send them into the office for inclusion in our newsletter. |
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However, if it is a cutting from a magazine or newspaper let us know the name of the publication. |