Special Rules for Terminal Illness (SRTI)

This chapter is about Carer Support Special Rules for Terminal Illness (SRTI). It covers situations where a Carer Support client is terminally ill or where the person they care for is terminally ill, including any additional cared for person they have requested Carer Additional Person Payment for.

SRTI rules for Carer Support are relevant only to rules around residence and presence criteria, in that clients can be exempt from the past presence test, and SRTI can affect payment frequency. Other eligibility rules for Carer Support would still apply, such as providing 35 hours of care per week.

The Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 regulations (referred to throughout as ‘the principal regulations’) provide that an individual is considered to have a terminal illness for the purposes of Carer Support where they are entitled to one of the benefits listed in the regulations (1. The Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 regulation 6(7)) under SRTI rules for devolved Scottish Benefits, or Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) rules for benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or Northern Irish Department for Communities (NIDfC).

The principal regulations also provide that different rules can apply to a carer where they are caring for someone who is entitled to one of the benefits listed in the regulations (The Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 regulation 6(6)) under SRTI rules for devolved Scottish Benefits, or Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) rules for benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or Northern Irish Department for Communities (NIDfC).

This means that either the carer or cared for person (including any additional cared for person they have requested Carer Additional Person Payment for) must already be getting another benefit under special rules due to their terminal illness to be treated under SRTI for Carer Support.

The supporting information required as evidence to apply SRTI in Carer Support cases is under the Supporting Information for SRTI section in this guidance.