People with cancer urged to check if they’re eligible for disability benefits

Social Security Scotland has joined forces with Cancer Card Scotland to urge people with cancer to check if they are eligible for disability benefits.

Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment are available in Scotland to help cover the extra costs of being disabled, having a long-term health condition or being terminally ill.

Neither payment is means tested and we don’t take a person’s income and savings into account when assessing if they are eligible. The most important factor is how the disability or long-term health condition affects the person’s everyday life.

Jen Hardy MBE was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2017. She founded Cancer Card Scotland in 2021. The charity directs people with cancer to online help and support from a wide range or other charities and organisations.

We spoke to Jen to hear more about her cancer story, how Adult Disability Payment has helped her and the support she received with filling in her application form.

Jen said:

“Having cancer is expensive. Some of our service users have told us that they’ve been forced to decide whether to get the bus to their treatment session or eat that day. That’s horrendous.

“When I was diagnosed, I thought I had a couple of years to live. I was thinking, ‘We’ll have to sell our house’, and then I found out about Adult Disability Payment.

“I started my application for Adult Disability Payment at the beginning of 2018. I couldn’t have done it myself. I was so overwhelmed with cancer and if I was going to live or not.

“I went to the Advice Shop on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and there was a section there funded by Macmillan who helped me. Social Security Scotland has a team of advisers in every local authority who provide the same support.

“They will go into people’s homes. They’ll meet people in the library or the hospital, wherever the person feels most comfortable, and help them with their application. That’s game changing when you’re absolutely shattered.

“The team of specialist advisers in your community know what you’re entitled to. They will make sure that when you submit your form it will be the best it can be. That’s huge.

“It’s okay to apply for Child Disability Payment or Adult Disability Payment if you have cancer. There is a perception that a disability is a physical disability and something that you have all the time. When I was filling in the form I was thinking, ‘Sometimes I can actually walk a wee bit,’ but once I’ve had my chemo or my treatment, I can’t do anything for four days. And in those four days I absolutely need to preserve my energy.

“Every three weeks I have an infusion of life extending Herceptin which takes three or four hours. It’s exhausting. My worry is being is being stuck somewhere when I’m so tired I can’t move. I have a Blue Badge. It’s my life saver. I couldn’t do half the things I do without my Blue Badge and my Adult Disability Payment.

“Cancer very much impacts people on a day-to-day basis. The side effects of the treatment are often just as bad as the disease. We have many people, including a lot of young women, who are going into clinical menopause because of their cancer treatment. The constant nausea and fatigue is such a big issue.

“But just because we don’t feel like that every day doesn’t mean we might not be entitled to benefits. It’s about your overall level of needs. We live in a fantastic country and people want to help. Let’s accept this amazing support and not feel bad about applying.”

We fast track applications for disability payments from people who are terminally ill. A decision can take as little as 48 hours but this needs a Special Rules for Terminal Illness application form to have been completed.

Also, a registered nurse, or registered medical practitioner, needs to confirm to that the person is terminally ill using a Benefits Assessment for Special Rules in Scotland (BASRiS) form.

For people with cancer, who are applying under the standard rules, there is a qualifying period before they can be eligible.

To find out more about disability benefits and apply online, over the phone or book an appointment to apply in-person, visit mygov.scot/benefits or call us free on 0800 182 2222.

Cancer Card Scotland is an online directory of help and support for people who have cancer, their partners, family, friends and employers. Its goal is to help people find the support they need when cancer affects their life. The services available include: help with money, benefits, transport, complementary therapies and free gifts and experiences.

Cancer Card Scotland also offers a free digital helpline and digital devices for people in the UK with cancer. Call 0345 222 0333 and mention ‘Cancer Card’ to use the service. The phone line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.