Expert benefits & money advice
Last year our Benefits and Money Clinic helped 178 members of our community claim over £450,000!
Benefits and Money Clinic
We've partnered with Citizens Advice Rushmoor to offer specialist benefits and money advice to people affected by brain tumours.
Our Benefits and Money Clinic helps people affected by a brain tumour access the financial support they're entitled to, as well as advice on how to make the most of their money.
Benefits and Money Clinic opening hours
Telephone appointments are available from 9.30am to 4.00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Expert benefits advice
Many people affected by a brain tumour have to give up working full-time and find it more difficult to earn a steady income.
For those with a brain tumour diagnosis, this might be because of symptoms and side-effects caused by their tumour or treatment - such as fatigue or cognitive difficulties. Carers may need to stop working because they now need to provide care throughout the day.
Our experienced advisors can answer your questions about claiming benefits and help explain what financial support, unemployment benefits or disability benefits you might be entitled to, such as Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), Attendance Allowance (AA) or the Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
They can also assist with:
- the benefits application process
- the benefits appeal process
- benefits eligibility criteria
- general benefits enquiries.
We know how much of a difference The Brain Tumour Charity makes to the lives of people living with a brain tumour, and we hope the free, confidential and impartial advice we can offer on more practical matters will supplement this so that together, we can reduce the suffering of those living with this devastating disease.
Financial guidance you can trust
Our clinic is operated by experienced Citizens Advice advisors who can offer a wide range of advice on financial issues, as well as helping to guide you through the benefits system.
Below are some of the topics you might want more information about.
We believe that making sure nobody loses their family home because of their diagnosis is essential to achieving our goal of halving the harm done by brain tumours. Our advisors can now offer expert guidance on:
- renegotiating payments with your mortgage provider
- taking a payment holiday
- making a claim against any insurances or critical illness cover.
Depending on the grade of your tumour, receiving a brain tumour diagnosis may mean you're able to retire on ill health grounds and make an early claim on your pension. We can help you examine your current pension provisions and explore the options available to you. You can also get a direct referral to the Citizens Advice Bureau's Pension Wise service, which offers appointments across the UK.
We can provide information on the various schemes that provide support with utility bills and services, including:
- warm home discount schemes
- the Priority Service Register (a free service that ensures vulnerable customers are prioritised if there are interruptions to supply and, most importantly, ensures their energy supply cannot be disconnected)
- potentially having water bills capped if a diagnosis mean you need to use extra water
- ensuring you get the best deal available from your existing energy supplier and helping you switch to a new provider if necessary.
Everybody is entitled to a free assessment from their local council’s social services department to identify:
- their care needs at home
- whether they may need hospice care
- the needs of the person caring for them.
Based on the assessment, you may be entitled to use social care services, be eligible for financial assistance or qualify for free care equipment. If you're living with long-term complex health needs, you may qualify for free social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS. This is known as NHS continuing care.
We can help you self-refer for this assessment (if you haven't been offered one already) and support you through the process
If you have a child who's living with a brain tumour, we can advise on the help and support that's available. Often, they'll be eligible for help and support from Children’s Services. As their parent or carer, you may also be entitled to support to help alleviate some of the stresses associated with caring for a seriously ill child.
We can provide general advice on setting up a Power of Attorney for health and financial issues. The necessary forms are available online but can seem a bit daunting, so we're here to guide you through the process and hopefully save you the costs associated with appointing a solicitor.
Making sure a Power of Attorney is in place sooner rather than later can have huge cost savings, as it negates the need to apply for a Court of Protection or Receivership at a later date, should a loved one lose capacity.
Book a benefits and money clinic appointment
Please note, we're only able to offer appointments to people living in the UK as we're a UK based charity.
Telephone appointments are available from 9.30am to 4.00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
If you are unable to make an appointment after booking, please let us know so that we can cancel it and make the slot available to someone else.
If you need any help, please contact our Information and Support team by emailing support@thebraintumourcharity.org or calling 0808 800 0004 (Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm)