Financial support for terminally ill to be extended
Support will be provided to those given 12 months to live instead of six
Last updated 30th Jun 2021
The Communities Minister has announced plans to extend terminal illness provision in social security benefit.
The current rules provide an automatic entitlement to certain benefits and fast-tracked financial support where “death is reasonably expected within six-months”.
The applicant is also required to go through, what has been described as “distressing disability assessments”.
Deirdre Hargey said today (Wednesday) the six-months’ timeframe and the assessments will be scrapped.
Instead, financial support will be fast-tracked where death is “reasonably expected within 12 months”.
The Minister said: “The changes I will make will apply to all of the five social security benefits to which the special rules apply.
“This is an important step forward that will mean more people who find themselves in the devastating position of being terminally ill will benefit from fast-tracked access to financial support through social security benefits.
“They will not have to go through assessments and will get automatic access to benefits earlier.”
The Minister continued: “I will keep these provisions under review and consider further options for reform in the future. This will include monitoring international best practice, reviewing the definition of special rules and looking at a clinically led model in the time ahead.
“I am committed to making real change to the status quo in order to put in place a system that lessens the stress and anxiety for people during the most difficult times.”
Craig Harrison, Policy and Public Affairs Manager for Marie Curie NI, told Downtown and Cool Fm that the charity is delighted with the news.
He said: “Marie Curie warmly welcomes that announcement after a years long campaign to make the benefits system fairer for terminally ill people in Northern Ireland.
“These changes mean that a dying person won’t have to prove that they have a life expectancy of six months or less to get fast track access to welfare support.
“That life expectancy criteria has been extended to 12 months and this is going to ensure so many more terminally ill people can get access to the support that they need.
“Without going through distressing disability assessments extensive paperwork or long delays.
“The six-month rule is cruel, and it forces many dying people to go through distressing assessments and bureaucracy to get the money that they’re entitled to.
“So that’s why we’re absolutely delighted that the Minister has announced her plans to put that system right.”
However, he has warned that time is running out for these changes to be legislated for before the end of this Assembly’s mandate.
He added: “Now we are dealing with a short number of months left in this Assembly mandate so its really important that the legislation can progress as quickly as possible.
“Our campaign has been supported by every party in the Northern Ireland Assembly up to now.
“So, we’re going to be calling on all of those parties again to continue to back us and to help us get this change over the line.”
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