Children's Handbook Scotland | 2021/22Chapter 3: Children in hospital 3. Non-means-tested benefits
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Children's Handbook Scotland | 2022/23

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3. Non-means-tested benefits
Disability living allowance, child disability payment and personal independence payment
Provided your child is under 18 on the day s/he enters hospital as an inpatient, disability living allowance (DLA) (both components) or personal independence payment (PIP) (both components) continue to be paid regardless of how long s/he remains in hospital. DLA (or PIP if 16 or over) can be awarded and paid after a child aged under 18 has gone into hospital.1DLA Regs 8 and 12A SS(DLA) Regs
PIP Reg 29 SS(PIP) Regs
 Child disability payment (CDP) (both components) continues to be paid while your child is in hospital.2Reg 21 DACYP(S) Regs
 
1     DLA Regs 8 and 12A SS(DLA) Regs
PIP Reg 29 SS(PIP) Regs
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2     Reg 21 DACYP(S) Regs »
Carer’s allowance
Provided your child is getting DLA (or CDP) care component middle or highest rate (or PIP daily living component), you can continue to get carer’s allowance (CA) while your child is in hospital, as long as you continue to meet the normal conditions of entitlement – eg, you continue to care for your child for 35 hours or more a week.
Time off from caring
You can still be entitled to CA during temporary breaks from caring. You can have a break from caring of up to four weeks in any period of 26 weeks, or a break of up to 12 weeks if either you or the person for whom you care is receiving treatment in a hospital for at least eight of the 12 weeks.1Reg 4(2) SS(ICA) Regs See here for more on breaks from caring.
 
1     Reg 4(2) SS(ICA) Regs »
Carer element, carer premium and carer addition
The carer element in your universal credit (UC) stops if you no longer have ‘regular and substantial’ caring responsibilities for your child (see here).1Regs 29 and 30 UC Regs You can have a short break from caring and still count as having ‘regular and substantial’ caring responsibilities. This break can last for up to 12 weeks if your child has been in hospital for at least eight of those weeks. If your entitlement to CA stops, the carer premium or carer addition (see here) in your income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, pension credit or housing benefit stops eight weeks later. This rule applies to council tax reduction unless you also get UC, in which case your applicable amount is calculated differently (see here).2IS Sch 2 para 14ZA(3) IS Regs
JSA Sch 1 para 17(3) JSA Regs
ESA Sch 4 para 8(4) ESA Regs
PC Sch 1 Part II para 4(3) SPC Regs
HB Sch 3 para 17(2) HB Regs; Sch 3 para 9(2) HB(SPC) Regs
CTR Reg 23 and Sch 1 para 14(2) CTR(S) Regs; Sch 1 para 10(2) CTR(SPC)(S) Regs
 
1     Regs 29 and 30 UC Regs »
2     IS Sch 2 para 14ZA(3) IS Regs
JSA Sch 1 para 17(3) JSA Regs
ESA Sch 4 para 8(4) ESA Regs
PC Sch 1 Part II para 4(3) SPC Regs
HB Sch 3 para 17(2) HB Regs; Sch 3 para 9(2) HB(SPC) Regs
CTR Reg 23 and Sch 1 para 14(2) CTR(S) Regs; Sch 1 para 10(2) CTR(SPC)(S) Regs
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