Benefits and other Financial Support
Macmillan Benefits Advice Team | Macmillan Grant | Personal Independence and Attendance Allowance | Claiming benefits If you are terminally ill | Needing to take sick leave from work? | Carers Allowance | Bereavement Benefit | Housing Benefits | Grants for housing repairs or adaptations | Shelter | Homelessness | Age UK | Equity Release | Turn 2 US | Free prescriptions for people with cancer
Firstly it is OK to ask for financial support. It costs you nothing to ask to see if you are entitled to some help and no-one is going to judge you.
Many people who visit the Ipswich Cancer Wellbeing and Information Centre haven’t even considered that they might be entitled to any kind of financial support. There are many different circumstances in which you are able to get help. We will endeavour to signpost you to as many as we can. It is likely that there will be eligibility criteria and assessments for each benefit or support.
Macmillan Benefits Advice Team
If you have been diagnosed with cancer and are receiving treatment and live in the Suffolk area then we suggest your starting point should be to contact :-
Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Macmillan Benefits advice service (based in Ipswich)
Tel: 0345 600 6257, e-mail: macmillanbenefits@suffolk.gov.uk
Available between 9.30 – 4pm Monday to Friday
There is an answerphone for when they are busy or out of working hours
The team can help with issues relating to maximising your income, support you with appeals, tax credits, grants, housing costs and transport concessions.
They can also help with one-off Macmillan Grants (below).
They may suggest a face to face meeting at the Ipswich Cancer Wellbeing and Information Centre on a Monday where they hold booked appointments.
As of 2020 the team is no longer able to help with applying for a Blue Badge. Visit our section on applying for a Blue Badge for further help and information.
The video below gives an overview of the support and guidance available from the Macmillan Benefits Advice Team:
Macmillan Grant
This help is for people with cancer who need a small one off Grant to help with the extra costs that living with cancer can bring. eg:- help with additional energy bills, cost of travel to and from hospital or needing extra clothing due to weight loss or gain.
You will need the support of a Health Care Professional or visit the John le Vay cancer Support and Information centre who will complete the form online with you.
Personal Independence Payment ( or PiP, aged 16 to pensions age)
Attendance Allowance (over pension age)
These benefits are to help with the extra costs of living with a long term health condition or disability. Check out the eligibility for applying; neither of these two benefits are means tested and you can still claim if you are working or not. They do not affect your savings, and both are tax free. There are different levels of payment depending on how your condition affects you.
Claiming benefits if you are terminally ill
If you are terminally ill (that is, not expected to live more than 12 months) then please contact the Macmillan Benefits Team who will ensure your claim is dealt with as efficiency and and as sensitively as possible.
Needing to take sick leave from work?
If you are employed by someone and need to take time off sick, you may be able to claim Statutory Sick Pay. If you are self employed you will not get Sick Pay but might be able to apply for other benefits if your income and savings are low.
Carers Allowance
If you are looking after someone who has a lot of care needs you may be entitled to claim. You need to be over 16 and caring for someone at least 35 hrs a week. The person you care for must be in receipt of certain benefits. To be a carer you don’t have to be related or living with the person and you can be still doing some paid work but under a certain limit
Bereavement Benefit
Is paid to someone whose wife, husband or civil partner has died and needs to be claimed for within 3 months after the death.
Housing Benefits
You might be entitled if you are on a low income, are responsible for paying rent and have under a set amount of savings.
You might be able to get support with mortgage interest payment or help with service charges if you are in receipt of certain benefits.
Grants for housing repairs or adaptations
You may be able to help with a grant if you need to repair, improve or adapt your home for health reasons.
Shelter
Shelter is a national organisation providing information and advice relating to housing. Services provided include:
Free emergency help line 365 days a year - 0808 800 4444
Online advice
Free legal advice
In addition, the website contains lots of useful information relating to issues such as homelessness, private renting, getting on the housing register, tenancy and much more.
Homelessness
If you are living in Suffolk and you are worried about being made homeless or need further advice you can call. If you are the person with cancer then please make them aware of your health needs.
Customer First 0808 8004005 - There is an emergency Duty Team out of hours
Suffolk County Council: Homelessness and Housing Support in Suffolk
Age UK: General Financial Advice and Information
The national charity provides a wealth of information on many areas of general financial support for those over 60.
Age UK: Money and legal section of national website
The local branch, Age UK Suffolk, provided a wide range of services across the county. Unfortunately, in July 2020 the organisation ceased operating. The website states “Older people and their friends and family in the local area can contact Age UK, the national charity, on 0800 169 6565 (8am–7pm, every day of the year) who can provide information and advice, and signpost to alternative services in their area.”
In response to the closure of Age UK Suffolk, the county council published an extensive range of information on alternative sources of support.
Age UK: How to boost your income in retirement
Equity Release
Equity release is a way of releasing cash from your home without you having to move – but it does come with certain risks and is a really big decision to make. You need to take legal advice before making the decision as to whether it would be possible a way of providing you with some additional cash.
Age UK have some information that might help you to think more about whether this would be something for you to look into further.
Turn 2 US: A national charity helping people when times are tough
They provide financial support to help people get back on track.
Search for a grant: You just add you gender, age, area you live and click on the health category. Tick the condition(s) that apply to you, scroll down and press “apply”. Any grants that might be able to help then appear. If you meet the correct criteria, you can complete an application to apply
You can check your benefit entitlement on the website
Free prescriptions for people with cancer
You will need to apply via an exemption form ; this can be supplied to you by your GP or the Oncology department. It will require an official signature, The certificate lasts for five years and can be renewed if you are still eligible.
If you are over 60 or in receipt of certain benefits you may not need to apply as you might already receive free prescriptions.