“I can’t thank you enough, you are a miracle worker.”
Gareth is 75 and lives in Caerphilly with his wife Elaine. They are both retired and in receipt of State Pension. Gareth also receives a work pension and Elaine receives Personal Independence Payment (PIP) due to ongoing health problems.
Gareth also suffers from several long-term health issues including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and leg and shoulder pains.
Gareth came to see one of our advisers working on our Let’s Talk Money project as he needed help completing an application for Attendance Allowance (AA).
Our adviser helped Gareth to complete the application forms and to submit them on time. They also explained to Gareth that if he was awarded AA he may be eligible for further benefits and that we would be able to help with this.
A few weeks after his appointment Gareth contacted our adviser to inform them that he had been awarded the higher rate of Attendance Allowance. This increased his income by £5,291 a year.
This award also meant that the couple now qualified for a Severe Disability Premium (SDP) which enabled them to receive a full Council Tax Reduction. This was also backdated which left the couple in credit with their Council Tax bill.
The couple were also now eligible to apply for Pension Credit. Our adviser helped Gareth to apply and this was also awarded which further increased the couple’s income.
Gareth and Elaine thanked our adviser for all of their help. Gareth said: “I can’t thank you enough, you are a miracle worker.”