Welfare benefits and brain injury
A brain injury is likely to have an effect on a family's finances, and claiming benefits can help to ease the pressure. The system is complex and can be confusing, so it is important to get professional advice and to apply as soon as possible so you don't lose money.
You can quickly check what benefits you might be entitled to on our 'Welfare Benefits Checklist', available to download from the factsheets page.
There is a guide to filling in the Disability Living Allowance claim form on our factsheet 'A Guide to Completing the Disability Living Allowance Claim Form', which you can download on the factsheets page.
A description of all the available benefits is available on the Direct.gov.uk website, along with a lot of other useful information.
You can also get benefits advice from the Benefits Enquiry Line on 0800 882200. Your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Disability Information and Advice Line (DIAL) may be able to help, either directly or by giving you details of a welfare rights officer in your area.
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Introduced on the 27th October 2008, the ESA replaces Incapacity Benefit and Income Support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claimants. People already claiming Incapacity Benefit or Income Support will continue to receive these benefits, and will be moved over to ESA at some point between 2009 and 2013.
The aim of ESA is to help people back into work and avoid categorising people as either capable or incapable of work.
When you claim ESA, you will undergo a 'work capability assessment'. If your capacity for work is found to be limited, you will be placed in a 'support group' where you receive benefit without attending work-focused interviews.
If, however, you are found to have some capability for work, you will be placed in the 'work-related activity group'. In this group you must attend 'work-focused interviews', which aim to identify the type of work you can undertake, and support you in getting a suitable job.
There are different types of ESA which depend on your income/savings or whether you have paid enough National Insurance contributions, but the claim process is the same.
You can make a claim for ESA over the phone, with no initial forms to complete - telephone: 0800 055 6688.
If you have already contacted the ESA Centre and wish to report a change in your circumstances, or provide any additional information - telephone: 0845 602 7301
If you are unable to claim by phone you can claim via a representative or interpreter, by completing a printed claim form or through your local Jobs and Benefits/Social Security Office, where a claim may be made face to face.
Use the links below to find out more about ESA.