GL12(IOM) - Going into Hospital ? - Isle of Man Government

GL12 (IOM)
September 2004
SOCIAL SECURITY
SOCIAL SECURITY
Going into
Hospital?
A basic guide to benefits you may be
able to get, and effects on benefits
you already get
For the Benefit of the Nation ~ Cour Foays yn Ashoon
For the Benefit of the Nation ~ Cour Foays yn Ashoon
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY
Rheynn Slaynt as Shickyrys Y Theay
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY
Rheynn Slaynt as Shickyrys Y Theay

This leaflet tells you about the benefits you may
be able to get whilst in hospital and the way
benefits may be affected by stays in hospital.
Contents
Page
It is a general guide only and should not be
taken as a full and authoritative statement of
the law.
We have made every effort to ensure that the
information in this leaflet is correct at the date
shown on the cover. However, changes in the
law may make the leaflet become gradually
less accurate.
Introduction 4
Benefits you may be able to get 5
if you are going into hospital
What happens to benefits when 7
you go into hospital?
Help with travelling costs to and 13
from hospital
Benefits you may be able to get 14
when you leave hospital
3

Introduction
This leaflet tells you about the social security
benefits you may be able to get if you, or a
member of your family, has to go into hospital.
Benefits you may be able to get if
you are going into hospital
Incapacity Benefit
You may be able to get this benefit if
It also tells you how any benefits you may already
✓ you have paid enough National Insurance
be getting will be affected if you, or someone you
(N.I.) contributions in recent years (special
claim extra benefit for, goes into hospital.
rules apply to young people who have
4 recently left full-time education), and
5
Most social security benefits are paid to help
with day-to-day needs or special needs because
of a disability. If you go into hospital, or
someone you claim for goes into hospital, the
National Health Service (N.H.S.) takes over
responsibility for some of these needs. This
means the amount of benefit you get may go
down during a stay in hospital.
If you are getting any benefits, the most
important thing is to let us know if you, or
someone you claim extra benefit for, are going
into or coming out of hospital.
If after reading this leaflet you want more
information or advice, please get in touch with
us. You can find the address, opening hours
and telephone number for each of our offices
inside the back cover of this leaflet.
✓ you have been off sick for four or more days in
a row (including weekends and bank holidays).
You cannot get Incapacity Benefit if you were
over state pension age (currently 60 for a
woman, 65 for a man) when you became sick.
To claim Incapacity Benefit, ask for form SC1 at
any social security office. You will not need a
doctor’s certificate for the first seven days of
your claim. But if you are sick for longer than
that you will need to get a medical certificate
from you doctor, or a certificate from the
hospital for the period of your stay.
If you are entitled to Incapacity Benefit, you will
be paid at the short-term lower rate for the first
28 weeks of your claim. After that, you will be
paid at the short-term higher rate. If you are
still sick after 52 weeks you will be paid at the
long-term rate. The current rates of allowance
are shown in leaflet NI196 (IOM) - Social
Security Benefit Rates, which you can get at any
social security office.
You can find out more about Incapacity Benefit in
leaflet IB1 (IOM) - A guide to Incapacity Benefit,
which you can also get at any social security office.
You must claim Incapacity Benefit within 3
months of the date you first became sick. If you
delay claiming you could lose money.

6
Income Support
You may be able to get Income Support if
✓ you are aged 16 or over, and
✓ you have no income or savings, or the
income and savings you have are below set
levels, and
✓ you are not working or work for less than 16
hours a week on average.
If you have a partner who lives with you, their
income and savings will be taken into account.
You cannot get Income Support if your partner
works for 24 hours a week or more on average.
You may be able to get Income Support in
addition to Incapacity Benefit, if you have no
other income or your other income is only of a
low amount. You can also get Income Support if
you haven’t paid enough National Insurance (N.I.)
contributions to qualify for Incapacity Benefit.
What happens to benefits when you
go into hospital?
You must tell us as soon as you go into and
come out of hospital.
You must also tell us if someone you get extra
benefit for (for example, your partner or child)
goes into or comes out of hospital.
Most benefits reduce after you have been in
hospital for a certain number of weeks. More
information about the effect of going into
hospital on different social security benefits is
given below.
When we work out the date from which your
benefit should reduce, we will count spells in
hospital with four weeks or less between them as
one spell. If you want more advice on this
contact your local social security office.
Jobseeker’s Allowance
7
To find out more about Income Support, ask for
leaflet A1 (IOM) - A guide to Income Support,
available from any social security office.
Generally speaking, Income Support can only be
awarded from the date on which it is claimed.
Therefore, it is important that you claim it as
soon as you can. If you delay claiming, you
could lose money. You must also submit a claim
for Incapacity Benefit at the same time as, or
before, claiming Income Support.
If you get Jobseeker’s Allowance (J.S.A.) you
may be able to continue to get your benefit for
up to 14 days whilst you are sick. But if you
are sick for more than 14 days your J.S.A. will
stop and you should claim Incapacity Benefit. If
you are getting an income-based J.S.A. you
should also claim Income Support.
If you are getting an income-based J.S.A. and you
have a partner living with you, any disability
premium you get in respect of your partner will
stop after they have been in hospital for 4 weeks.

Income Support
After 6 weeks
If you or your partner (if you have one) goes
into hospital, there is normally no change to
your Income Support straight away.
For Income Support purposes “partner” means
someone you are married to or a person you are
living with as if you are married to them.
Any allowance you have been getting towards a
residential or nursing home fee will stop.
However you will still get your full rate of
Retirement Pension or similar benefit for the first
52 weeks of your stay in hospital.
After 52 weeks
. If you do not have a partner, your Income
8
But if you go into hospital from a residential
home which is operated by the D.H.S.S. Social
Services Division, your Income Support will
normally go down straight away.
If you live in a nursing or residential home which
is not operated by the Social Services Division,
the amount which you normally get towards the
residential home fee will be reduced by 20%, or
to the actual “retainer” fee charged by the home
if this is less.
If any children you claim for go into hospital, the
allowance you get for them in your Income
Support will not be affected as long as you
continue to get Child Benefit for them.
If at any time it becomes likely that you will be in
hospital for substantially more than 52 weeks :-
. any allowance made towards your housing
costs will stop immediately;
. if you have a partner, for Income Support
purposes you will no longer be treated as a
couple and your partner will need to make a
new claim for Income Support for him/herself
and any dependent children you have.
After 4 weeks
If you get an attendance premium, a disability
premium or a mobility premium, your income
support may go down if you or your partner are
in hospital.
Support will be reduced to the hospital
personal expenses rate. If you have been
receiving an allowance towards your housing
costs, this may continue but only for a short
period of time.
. If you have a partner and until now you have
been paid Income Support as a couple, then
unless we decide to pay you a reduced rate of
Income Support (as a couple), you will need
to make separate claims for Income Support.
. If you are a lone parent and you are still
responsible for your children even though you
are in hospital, your personal allowance will be
reduced to the hospital personal expenses rate.
You will still get the full allowances for your
children. If you have been receiving an
allowance towards your housing costs, this may
continue but only for a short period of time.
. If you are a lone parent but are no longer
responsible for your children because you are
in hospital, your personal allowance will be
reduced to the hospital personal expenses
rate. If you have been receiving an allowance
towards your housing costs, this may
continue but only for a short period of time.
Attendance Allowance
Constant Attendance Allowance
These benefits will usually stop when you have
been in hospital for 4 weeks.
9

Disability Living Allowance (D.L.A.)
After 4 weeks
.
If you are aged 16 or over, it will usually stop.
But if you benefit from the Motability
scheme, the part of your D.L.A. that allows
you to get Motability may continue until
your Motability agreement ends.
After 12 weeks
10
After 12 weeks
D.L.A. which is paid for a child under 16 will
usually stop.
Carer’s Allowance (C.A.)
You must contact the Child Benefit Unit
(telephone 685107) or your local social security
office if your child is likely to be in hospital for
more than 12 weeks. But your benefit will not
go down at this point.
After 20 weeks
If the child normally lives with you, your Child
Benefit or Guardian’s Allowance can continue as
long as you still regularly spend money on the
child for things like toys, gifts and visits while
they are in hospital.
11
C.A. may stop as soon as you or the person you
look after go into hospital. But in certain
circumstances it may continue for 12 weeks
(contact the Disability Benefits Unit on 685104
for more information).
If you are getting Attendance Allowance, Disability
Living Allowance or Carer’s Allowance and you or
the person you look after (if you get C.A.) go into
hospital, get in touch with the Disability Benefits
Unit straight away (telephone 685104) or contact
your local social security office.
If you are getting a Constant Attendance
Allowance paid with Industrial Injuries Benefit
contact the General Benefits Section on 685103,
or if it is paid with a War Pension contact the
War Pensioners Welfare Office on 687047.
If the child does not normally live with you, but you
get Child Benefit or Guardian’s Allowance because
you pay to support them, this can continue as long
as you continue to support the child.
If you stop spending money on the child you
must let us know (contact the Child Benefit Unit
on 685107 or your local social security office).
Your Child Benefit or Guardian’s Allowance will
usually stop.
Retirement Pension
Old Person’s Pension
Incapacity Benefit
Severe Disablement Allowance
Bereavement Allowance
Widowed Parent’s Allowance
. Nothing will usually happen to your benefit
for the first 12 weeks you are in hospital.
. But if you go into hospital from a residential
home operated by the Social Services
Division, your benefit will usually go down as
soon as you go into hospital.
Child Benefit/Guardian’s Allowance
If a child for whom you get Child Benefit or
Guardian’s Allowance goes into hospital nothing
will happen to those benefits straight away.

12
. If you get extra money for someone who
looks after children for you, and that person
goes into hospital, the extra money may
stop straight away.
After 12 weeks
. If you get extra money for a child and they
are in hospital, the extra money may stop.
The extra money may continue if you
regularly spend money on them for things
like toys, gifts and visits while they are
in hospital.
After 52 weeks
. Your benefit will reduce.
. Your benefit may not reduce by as much if
you are married.
. If you get extra money for your husband or
wife and they are in hospital, the extra
money you get for them will reduce.
Help with travelling costs to and from
hospital
You may be able to get help with travelling costs
to and from hospital if you, or your partner, are
getting Income Support or income-based
Jobseeker’s Allowance.
You may be able to get help with
. the cost of your fares or petrol when you go into
hospital for N.H.S. treatment and when you
come out of hospital
. the cost of your fares or petrol when you go to
and from hospital as an out-patient for
N.H.S. treatment
. the cost of someone else’s fares, if you need
them to travel with you.
For more information contact the Health Services
Division by telephoning 642619 or call at
Crookall House, Demesne Road, Douglas.
13
It is not possible to say in this leaflet how much
your benefit may reduce by. For more
information about this contact the section
dealing with your benefit claim. You can find
their telephone number in the Phone Book under
Isle of Man Government and on the page called
“Most Useful Government Telephone Numbers” -
Social Security.
Industrial Death Benefit
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Reduced Earnings Allowance
Retirement Allowance
These benefits are not reduced however long you
are in hospital.

14
Benefits you may be able to get when
you leave hospital
If you are still unfit for work when you leave
hospital, you should claim Incapacity Benefit (if
you have not already done so). You may also
want to claim Income Support. You can find
more information about these benefits on pages
5 and 6 of this booklet.
If you are under pension age and you are likely
to need help with personal care or with getting
around for several months or more, you may
want to ask about claiming Disability Living
Allowance (D.L.A.).
If you are of pension age and you are likely to
need help with personal care when you leave
hospital, you may want to ask about claiming
Attendance Allowance (A.A.).
To get more information about D.L.A. and A.A.
contact the Disability Benefits Unit by
telephoning 685104 or ask at any social
security office.
Social Security Offices
The address, opening hours and telephone
number of each of the social security offices
on the Isle of Man are shown below:
Head Office, Douglas
Markwell House, Market Street, Douglas
telephone 685685
Monday to Thursday
Friday
9.15 am – 5.00 pm
9.15 am – 4.30 pm
Ramsey
Cummal Mooar, Queens Promenade, Ramsey
telephone 812138
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
9.15 am – 1.00 pm and
2.15 pm – 5.00 pm
CLOSED
9.15 am – 1.00 pm and
2.15 pm – 5.00 pm
9.15 am – 1.00 pm
9.15 am – 1.00 pm and
2.15 pm – 4.30 pm
Castletown
Old Customs House, The Quay, Castletown
telephone 822300
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday & Thursday
Friday
Port Erin
Southlands, Castletown Road, Port Erin
telephone 833146
CLOSED
9.15 am – 1.00 pm and
2.15 pm – 5.00 pm
CLOSED
9.15 am – 12.45 pm
Monday
9.15 am – 1.00 pm and
2.15 pm – 5.00 pm
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday CLOSED
Friday
2.15 pm – 4.30 pm