Rent allowance/medical card

D

DizzyCandy

Guest
Hi All,

I am on an invalidity pension and am now in a position where I need to apply for rent allowance and a medical card. The rent currently comes out of my boyfriends bank account. I have to go and see a welfare officer but I'm worried that if I tell them that I live with my boyfriend they will count him as a spouse and means test him as well. We have been living together for almost 6 years. Does anyone know how this will work as I can't find anything on the government sites? Also how do I prove my rental payments on these forms?

thanks all!
 
DizzyCandy, yes that is how the Social Welfare works, If you live with a partner they are treated as a spouse for welfare purposes. You will be means tested and their income taken into account. After all, your partner could be a millionaire having won the lotto, or whatever. It would not be fair on the tax payers to have to fund your rent if you are being maintained by someone. Why will your partner not continue to pay the rent if he still lives with you? Has he still got an income?
 
I think you've misunderstood me. My partner does not pay my rent it just comes out of his account as we pay by the month and invalidty pension comes weekly. It came out of my account for the first 4 years but I was not paying his rent. He is not wealthy, however we would be just above the means tested level from what I can gather.
 
DizzyCandy, O,K. but if the money comes from your partners account then in effect he is paying your rent. Regardless of how the money got to his account in the first place. If you want to keep your finances separate then use your own account to pay all your own bills.
But you are in fact being maintained by your partner to a degree, and definitely as far as social welfare are concerned. They will take into account his income when you make a claim, but as you say if he has not got much coming in then maybe you will come in at the level whereby you can make a claim.
Did you mean that you pay half the rent, your share. If this is the case then you do need to speak to the welfare officer. The best thing to do is make a claim anyway and see what happens but you will have to declare that you are living as a couple. Good luck.
 
Just to note,

community welfare officers do not make decisions on medical cards - those decisions are made by staff in your local health office.

If you apply for a medical card, you may qualify for one on the basis of your income, or on the basis of your inability to provide for your own medical care (hardship).

While social welfare payments are assessed as income for medical card purposes, given the payment you are on (Invalidity Pension) it would seem to me that you are below the income guidelines and would probably qualify for a medical card.

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