The Housing Benefit Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006

Extended payments (severe disablement allowance and incapacity benefit)

71.—(1) Paragraph (2) shall apply where—

(a) a person ceases to be entitled to housing benefit—

(i) in accordance with regulation 76, and

(ii) the condition referred to in paragraph 1 of Schedule 9 is satisfied in his case; or

(b) a person ceases to be entitled to housing benefit because he has vacated the dwelling which he occupied as his home and the day on which he did so was either in the week in which he took up employment as an employed or self-employed earner, or in the preceding week, and—

(i) he ceased to be entitled to severe disablement allowance or incapacity benefit by reason of taking up employment as an employed or self-employed earner;

(ii) he had been entitled to and in receipt of severe disablement allowance, incapacity benefit or a combination of severe disablement allowance and incapacity benefit for a continuous period of at least 26 weeks;

(iii) he was not entitled to and in receipt of income support, and

(iv) the condition referred to in paragraph 1 of Schedule 9 is satisfied in his case.

(2) A person to whom paragraph (1) applies shall be treated as having made a claim under this regulation and his housing benefit shall be determined in accordance with Schedule 9 and any award so determined shall be referred to in these Regulations as an “extended payment (severe disablement allowance and incapacity benefit)”.

(3) For the purposes of any payment pursuant to this regulation—

(a) except in a case to which sub-paragraph (b) applies the maximum housing benefit of any person mentioned in paragraph (1) shall be that which was applicable to him in the last week of the award of housing benefit which has ceased as mentioned in paragraph (1);

(b) the maximum housing benefit of any person the amount of whose extended payment (severe disablement allowance and incapacity benefit) is calculated in accordance with paragraph 6(b)(i) of Schedule 9 shall be determined in accordance with paragraph 7 of that Schedule;

(c) except in a case to which sub-paragraph (d) applies, any person who meets the requirements of paragraph (1) shall be treated as possessing the same amounts of income and capital as they possessed in the last week of the award of housing benefit which has ceased as mentioned in paragraph (1); and

(d) any person whose maximum housing benefit is determined in accordance with paragraph 7 of Schedule 9 shall be treated as possessing no income or capital.

(4) Regulations 80, 81 and 82 shall not apply to a claim pursuant to this regulation and, subject to regulation 78(7), Part IX shall not apply to any payment under it.

(5) In paragraph (1), references to a “person” include references to a person’s partner and references to taking up employment include receiving remuneration for employment or an increased amount of remuneration for employment or engaging in employment for an increased number of hours.

(6) In a case where payment has been made under this regulation—

(a) the beneficiary shall be treated for the purpose of these Regulations as though he were entitled to and in receipt of housing benefit—

(i) during the 4 weeks immediately following the last day of his entitlement to housing benefit, or

(ii) until the date on which his liability for rent or rates or both ends,

whichever occurs first; and

(b) any claim for housing benefit made by the beneficiary within the period which under sub-paragraph (a) applies in his case or the 4 weeks thereafter shall be treated as having been made in respect of a period beginning immediately after the end of his previous award of housing benefit.

(7) In paragraph (6), “these Regulations” includes the Regulations as modified by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 3 to the Consequential Provisions Regulations.