Disability / Work Injury Benefit

It may be possible to get benefits for industrial injury if you have an accident at work or a disease that has been caused by work. You can only claim these benefits if your disability/disease was caused by work for an employer or government-approved training schemes – notify you are self-employed.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit is the main industrial injuries benefit. Other allowances that you can get at the same time as, or instead of Disablement Benefit include:

-        Reduced Earnings Allowances

-        Retirement Allowance

-        Constant Attendance Allowance

You might also get benefits for the extra costs of a disability as well as Disablement Benefit, these include:

-        Personal Independence Payment

-        Disability Living Allowance

-        Attendance Allowance

Disablement Benefit

What is Disablement Benefit?

This is for people who are disabled due to an accident at work, or have certain diseases caused by their work. Only industrial diseases qualify, these are diseases caused by chemicals at work or hearing loss caused by work.

 

Who can get Disablement Benefit?

You are entitled to Disablement Benefit if you were a paid employee or a trainee on a government-approved training scheme, at the time you had your accident at work or contracted the disease. You must also be disabled due to the accident or disease. An assessment will be made on the effect the disability has on you. 

The Department for Work and Pensions states the extent of your disablement as a percentage. Usually you must have at least 14% disablement to receive benefits (although there can be exceptions). A medical professional will assess you after you have made the claim. Based on the assessment, the Disablement Benefit will be paid for a fixed period or for life depending on the percentage disablement and your age.

You can receive the Disablement Benefit whether or not you have had time off work. It will not be affected if you go into hospital. You do not need to have paid national insurance contributions to receive Disablement Benefit.

Guideline of amounts paid based on assessed level of disablement

 

 

Diseases covered for claiming Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

 

The scheme covers more than 70 diseases including:

-        Asthma

-        Chronic bronchitis or emphysema - also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

-        Deafness

-        Pneumoconiosis (including silicosis and asbestosis)

-        Osteoarthritis of the knee in coal miners

-        Prescribed disease A11 (previously known as vibration white finger)

-        Diffuse mesothelioma and a number of other asbestos-related diseases such as primary carcinoma of the lung

The scheme also covers asbestos related diseases including:

-        Pneumoconiosis (asbestosis)

-        Diffuse mesothelioma

-        Primary carcinoma of the lung with asbestosis

-        Primary carcinoma of the lung without asbestosis but where there has been extensive occupational exposure to asbestos in specified occupations

-        Unilateral or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening

How to apply for Disablement Benefit?

You can claim Disablement Benefit by phoning the Industrial Injuries Benefit Centre. The number can be found on the GOV UK website. You can also fill in a claim form also found on the GOV UK website.

 

Is there a time limit for claiming Disablement Benefit?

There is no time limit for claiming Disablement Benefit. You can also claim if the accident happened or disease started years ago. If you are refused an earlier claim, you can claim again if your disease of the effect of your accident has got worse.

 

How will Disablement Benefit be paid?

Disablement Benefit is usually paid directly into your bank, building society or Post Office card account. If this is not possible, you can be paid by Simple Payment. The Department of Work and Pensions will provide you with a Simple Payment card which can be used at a PayPoint outlet.

Allowances paid with or instead of Disablement Benefit

There are also other industrial injuries benefits that can be paid with or instead of Disablement Benefit.

 

Reduced Earnings Allowance

This is when your earnings are reduced due to your accident or disease, or if you cannot work at all. You can only get Reduced Earnings Allowances for accidents that happened or diseases that started before 1 October 1990. You may be entitled to this but not Disablement Benefit, or both. This will depend on how much your earnings were reduced. There is a maximum that can be paid each week is £67.88. What you receive is based on how much you earn in your regular employment. It will be paid into your bank, building society or credit union account.

 

Retirement Allowance

This is for people who have been getting Reduced Earnings Allowance and who stop working after they reach state pension age. You will get Retirement Allowance at 25% of the rate of your reduced earnings allowance when you stopped work.

 

Constant Attendance Allowance

This is paid with Disablement Benefit if you need care and attention due to your disability and if you have a 100% disablement assessment. There are four rates of benefit. The amount you will receive will depend on what level of care you need and how often you need it. Normally you must have these needs for at least six months.

There are four different rates of Constant Attendance Allowance. How much you get depends on the extent of your disability and the amount of care you need.

 

 

Benefits for people injured in the Armed Forces

If you are injured while serving in the Armed forces, you may be entitled to financial help from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. This provides for injuries, illnesses or deaths caused by service in the Armed Forces on or after 6 April 2005. You do not need to have fought in a war or seen active service to get financial help from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. The amount you are entitled to will depend on how severely you have been hurt or disabled and how your earnings are affected.

From 8 April 2013, if you have been awarded a Guaranteed Income Payment of 50% or more under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, you will be eligible to claim an Armed Forces Independence Payment instead of Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance.

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