The national charity for older people in Wales, Age Cymru, is urging pensioners to learn more about the thousands of pounds of support they are entitled to, but not claiming. In the UK, £3bn of state benefits a year goes unclaimed, and in Wales over £100m of that is on unclaimed pension credits alone.
The charity has launched its annual More Money in Your Pocket guide, which sets out all of the financial support that older people are entitled to. Crucially, some of the financial support is not means tested, meaning it is available to far more people than is typically thought – something the charity says has been a key barrier to people accessing the support.
The guide is split into three sections:
Pensions – Covering the State Pension and Pension Credit, potentially worth hundreds of pounds a week
Home – Covering everything from Council Tax Reduction schemes, to Winter Fuel Payments and the Warm Home Discount
Wellbeing – Covering a range of support, including Carer’s Allowance, Attendance Allowance and help with health costs, such as NHS dental treatment or glasses and contact lenses.
CEO of Age Cymru, Victoria Lloyd, said it was more crucial now than ever that people access the support they are entitled to: “The cost of living crisis is hitting everyone, but older people in Wales are particularly vulnerable with 78% of older workers who responded to our survey changing retirement plans due to financial concerns.
“One of the factors that people are telling us after learning of the support available, is that they simply didn’t know they were entitled to it. Many older people have not claimed benefits or support before, often believing that they won’t be eligible.
“However, the fact is that today we are veering from one financial crisis to the next, be that cost of living or a fuel and energy crisis; even those who previously would have been relatively comfortable are having to choose between heating or eating some days.
“Financial security is at the heart of so many issues affecting older people, from being able to heat their homes, to avoiding isolation and accessing key services and support. I’d urge people to read and share our guide with their friends and family, so that people can access the funding they are entitled to.”
One example of this misunderstanding in regard to eligibility criteria for certain benefits can be seen with John*, who contacted Age Cymru’s advice line after reading the guide. John, a former HGV driver who had spent part of his career delivering aid to conflict zones overseas had never claimed a benefit, believing he’d not qualify for support.
After starting to feel the pressure of being on a fixed income with rising bills and living costs, as well as suffering from a number of medical conditions, John sought support.
John said: “When you have never claimed anything in your life, you don’t know what the procedure is – I didn’t know whether I would be entitled to anything or not. It turns out I wasn’t claiming a number of benefits and entitlements I qualified for, including Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit, Carer’s Allowance, Winter Fuel Payment, a Warm Home Discount and a few other things.
“Between my wife and I we had been missing out on just under £10,000 of support every year – which has made an enormous difference to our everyday lives! I wish I had learned about it sooner and I’d encourage everyone to read the guide or give Age Cymru a call!”.
For more information, to read the guide, or to check your benefit entitlement, you can go to www.agecymru.wales/information-advice/more-money-in-your-pocket/, or call 0300 303 44 98.
