SDA (with a top-up?)

The client services team of an LA is controlling one of our customer’s benefits and they’ve have said that he gets £85 per week of SDA and DLA (middle care rate). The DWP have advised them that ‘the award rates are higher with SDA and DLA’ (compared to ESA). I don’t know much about SDA, but I’m struggling to work out how he’s better off on SDA if he’s only getting £85 per week. Shouldn’t they be claiming an Income Support top-up for him as well? Or can he get a top-up of ESA instead of IS?

I’ve just realised that he is already at Pension Credit age. If he had been receiving IS or ESA I guess he would have already been transferred to PC by now. But I’m not sure what should have happened/should happen in light of him still having an SDA claim. Can he get a top-up of PC or should he just transfer to PC and end the SDA claim?

He reaches state pension age next June.

I think he can claim PC as a top-up in the usual way, he doesn’t have to give up the SDA claim and may even continue to get SDA after pension age if the SDA level exceeds RP entitlement.

The amount of £85 sounds odd, as basic SDA is £71.80 and there is an addition according to the age the person was when they claimed - if under 40, that would be £10.70 and the total would be £82.50 SDA alone.

This is a bit like benefits archaeology (just used 2006 CPAG) but I think this is right.

My mistake, I’ve just realised that the email I received says that he gets £80.85 per week of SDA, not £85. Does £80.85 make any sense?

Yes, it’s £74.65 with £6.20 age addition for claiming after age 40.

the figures I gave above were from 2013/14 CPAG. Having old CPAGs around is good, but not when one is trying to quote 2015/16 figures!

Thanks!

So, client services need to claim a PC top-up for him? At the moment his only income is SDA and DLA.

Yes, I think so.