The Income Support (General) Regulations 1987

Additional condition for the Higher Pensioner and Disability PremiumsE+W+S

12.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2) and paragraph 7 the additional condition referred to in paragraphs 10 and 11 is that either—

(a)the claimant or, as the case may be, his partner—

(i)is in receipt of one or more of the following benefits: attendance allowance, [F1disability living allowance, [F2the disability element or the severe disability element of working tax credit as specified in regulation 20(1)(b) and (f) of the Working Tax Credit (Entitlement and Maximum Rate) Regulations 2002]], mobility supplement, [F3long-term incapacity benefit] under [F4Part II of the Contributions and Benefits Act or severe disablement allowance under Part III of that Act] [F5but, in the case of [F3long-term incapacity benefit] or severe disablement allowance only where it is paid in respect of him]; or

(ii)is provided by the Secretary of State with an invalid carriage or other vehicle under section 5(2) of the National Health Service Act 1977 F6 (other services) or, in Scotland, under section 46 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 F7 (provision of vehicles) or receives payments by way of grant from the Secretary of State under paragraph 2 of Schedule 2 to that 1977 Act (additional provisions as to vehicles) or, in Scotland, under that section 46; or

(iii)is registered as blind in a register compiled by a local authority under section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948 F8 (welfare services) or, in Scotland, has been certified as blind and in consequence he is registered as blind in a register maintained by or on behalf of a regional or islands council; or

[F9(b) the claimant—

(i)is entitled to statutory sick pay or [F10is, or is treated as, incapable of work,] in accordance with the provisions of Part XIIA of the Contributions and Benefits Act and the regulations made thereunder (incapacity for work), and

(ii)has been so entitled or so incapable[F11, or has been treated as so incapable,] for a continuous period of not less than—

(aa)196 days in the case of a claimant who is terminally ill within the meaning of section 30B(4) of the Contributions and Benefits Act; or

(bb)[F12subject to [F13paragraph 2A] of Schedule 7,] 364 days in any other case;

and for these purposes any two or more periods of entitlement or incapacity separated by a break of not more than 56 days shall be treated as one continuous period; or; and]

[F14(c)the claimant’s partner was in receipt of long-term incapacity benefit under Part II of the Contributions and Benefits Act when entitlement to that benefit ceased on account of the payment of a retirement pension under that Act and—

(i)the claimant has since remained continuously entitled to income support;

(ii)the higher pensioner premium or disability premium has been applicable to the claimant; and

(iii)the partner is still alive;

(d)except where paragraph [F152A F16...] of Schedule 7 (patients) applies, the claimant or, as the case may be, his partner was in receipt of attendance allowance or disability living allowance—

(i)but payment of that benefit has been suspended under the [F17Social Security (Attendance Allowance) Regulations 1991 or the Social Security (Disability Living Allowance) Regulations 1991] or otherwise abated as a consequence of the claimant or his partner becoming a patient within the meaning of regulation 21(3); and

(ii)a higher pensioner premium or disability premium has been applicable to the claimant.]

[F18(1A) In the case of a claimant who is a welfare to work beneficiary, the reference in sub-paragraph (1)(b) to a period of 56 days shall be treated as a reference to a period of [F19104 weeks].]

(2) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(a)(iii), a person who has ceased to be registered as blind on regaining his eyesight shall nevertheless be treated as blind and as satisfying the additional condition set out in that sub-paragraph for a period of 28 weeks following the date on which he ceased to be so registered.

F20(3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4) For the purpose of [F21sub-paragraph (1)(c) and (d)], once the higher pensioner premium is applicable to the claimant by virtue of his satisfying the condition specified in that provision, if he then ceases, for a period of eight weeks or less, to be entitled to income support, he shall on again becoming so entitled to income support, immediately thereafter be treated as satisfying the condition in [F21sub-paragraph (1)(c) and (d)].

[F22(5) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(b), once the disability premium is applicable to a claimant by virtue of his satisfying the additional condition specified in that provision, he shall continue to be treated as satisfying that condition for any period spent by him in undertaking a course of training provided under section 2 of the Employment and Training Act 1973 [F23or for any period during which he is in receipt of a training allowance].]

[F24(6) For the purposes of [F25sub-paragraph (1)(a)(i) and (c)], a reference to a person in receipt of long-term incapacity benefit includes a person in receipt of short-term incapacity benefit at a rate equal to the long-term rate by virtue of section 30B(4)(a) of the Contributions and Benefits Act (short-term incapacity benefit for a person who is terminally ill), or who would be or would have been in receipt of short-term incapacity benefit at such a rate but for the fact that the rate of short-term incapacity benefit already payable to him is or was equal to or greater than the long-term rate.]

F26(7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Textual Amendments

F2Words in Sch. 2 para. 12(1)(a)(i) substituted (for specified purposes and with effect in accordance with reg. 1(5)(a) of the amending S.I.) by The Social Security (Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/455), Sch. 1 para. 20(b)

F4Words in Sch. 2 para. 12(1)(a)(i) substituted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the amending S.I.) by The Income-related Benefits Schemes (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.5) Regulations 1994 (S.I. 1994/2139), regs. 1(1)(a), 30(2)

F5Words in Sch. 2 para. 12(1)(a)(i) inserted (11.4.1988) by The Income Support (General) Amendment Regulations 1988 (S.I. 1988/663), regs. 1(1), 29(c)(i)

F61977 c. 49; section 5(2) amended and subsection (2A) added by section 1 of the Public Health Laboratory Service Act 1979 (c. 23) and subsection (2B) added by section 9 of the Health and Social Security Act 1984 (c. 48).

F81948 c. 29; section 29 was amended by section 1(2) of the National Assistance (Amendment) Act 1959 (c. 30); the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1960 (c. 61) sections 113 and 114 and Schedule 4; the Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) Schedule 23 paragraph 2; the Employment and Training Act 1973 (c. 50) Schedule 3 paragraph 3; the National Health Service Act 1977 (c. 49) Schedule 15 paragraph 6; and the Health and Social Services and Social Security Adjudications Act 1983 (c. 41) Schedule 10 Part I.

F12Words in Sch. 2 Pt. III para. 12(1)(b)(ii)(bb) inserted (for specified purposes and with effect in accordance with reg. 1(c) of the amending S.I.) by The Social Security (Hospital In-Patients) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3360), reg. 4(3)(a)

F13Words in Sch. 2 para. 12(1)(b)(ii)(bb) substituted (coming into force in accordance with reg. 1(7) of the amending S.I.) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/719), regs. 1(6), 2(7)(d)(i)

F15Words in Sch. 2 Pt. III para. 12(1)(d) substituted (for specified purposes and with effect in accordance with reg. 1(c) of the amending S.I.) by The Social Security (Hospital In-Patients) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3360), reg. 4(3)(b)

F16Words in Sch. 2 para. 12(1)(d) omitted (coming into force in accordance with reg. 1(7) of the amending S.I.) by virtue of The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/719), regs. 1(6), 2(7)(d)(ii)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

Commencement Information

I1Sch. 2 para. 12 in force at 11.4.1988, see reg. 1