DWP confirms temporary carer’s allowance easements in response to coronavirus outbreak

New edition of Touchbase highlights continued entitlement during coronavirus related breaks in caring, and that providing emotional support will count towards 35 hour a week care threshold

The DWP has confirmed the introduction of two temporary carer's allowance easements in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

In a new edition of Touchbase focusing on coronavirus-related issues, the DWP sets out the following measures designed to 'help unpaid carers through the current emergency' -

• carers will be able to continue to claim carer’s allowance if they have a temporary break in caring, because they or the person they care for gets coronavirus, or if they have to isolate because of it; and
• the provision of emotional support to a disabled person will now count towards the carer’s allowance threshold of 35 hours of care a week.

NB - the retention of entitlement to carer's allowance during breaks in caring as a result of the coronavirus was introduced by the Social Security (Coronavirus) (Further Measures) Regulations 2020 (SI.No.371/2020).

For more information, see Touchbase: Coronavirus Special from gov.uk