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Focus on Disability

Where to go to get Advice about
Benefit and Social Security Matters
The Gateway to Services in the UK
 
  Citizens Advice Bureau
You should have a local Citizens Advice Bureau. They can help you with advice about benefits and other problems you may have. Apart from advice you can get application forms and leaflets from them. If you have a problem or are facing an appeal they may be able to represent you. If they cannot help they will try and direct you to an organisation in your area that may be able to help. As well as the CAB there may be other independent advice centres in your area providing services similar to the CAB. Link to CAB page

Welfare rights services are sometimes available through local councils and if your council
doesn’t have one you could ask them if they have a list of local advice centres.

A local DIAL group or other disablement advice centre may be able to offer advice and, in some cases, be willing to represent you. Link to DIAL UK page

The Disability Alliance publish a handbook called Disability Rights Handbook that has comprehensive information on your rights as a disabled person.

Available from: Disability Alliance
Universal House
88-94 Wentworth Street
London E1 7SA 
Web: http://www.disabilityalliance.org 

Angela Maxwell - State pensions and benefits consultant - for all benefit enquiries tailored to meet the demands of both employers and employees, retired or early retired people and non waged for whatever reason.
Web: http://www.angelamaxwell.com

 Free Legal Help         

It is best to contact your local CAB or other advice centre initially when you have a problem with benefits or social security. However, some firms of solicitors employ welfare rights specialists
who can provide help with benefit matters.

Law centres  can give advice about benefits as well as help in other areas of the law such as housing and employment. Many CAB’s have volunteer lawyers and can refer you to one. Many trade unions also offer free legal advice to their members. Link to Law Centres

Even if there is no free legal advice in your area you may still be able to get advice from a solicitor. In England and Wales under the Community Legal Scheme (CLS)  anyone who receives income support or income-based jobseeker’s allowance automatically qualifies for free legal advice if
their capital is below the set limit. You also qualify if you get a maximum award of working families tax credit or disabled person’s tax credit or have less than £70 a week taken of the maximum.
Other people, in or out of work, may also qualify if their savings and income are low.

Not all solicitors are members of the scheme, only those who are contracted with the Legal Services Commission. Look in the CLS directory in your local library or ask your local CAB or the local Law Society for solicitors’ firms in your area who offer free legal help, or you can call
0845 608 1122 (minicom 0845 609 6677)

In Scotland, there is a different scheme of Legal Advice and Assistance (the ‘Pink Form’ scheme). To qualify you must be getting income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, working families tax credit or disabled person’s tax credit or your income is low, and in each case your capital is below set limits.

The CLS Legal Help (or Legal Advice and Assistance) scheme can cover the cost of preparing
for a tribunal eg writing letters, getting a medical report, advising you on the law, preparing a written submission for you to hand to the tribunal. However it does not cover actual
representation at a social security tribunal hearing.

Injured in an accident
If you have been injured in an accident, you can arrange for a free legal consultation with a local solicitor specialising in injury claims, by phoning The Accident Line
(web:http://www.accidentlinedirect.co.uk) on Freephone 0800 19 29 39.
Or your union may be able to arrange a solicitor for you.

Making a will:

The free CLS Legal Help Scheme only covers making a will for specific groups of people,
including most people with disabilities, people aged 70 or over, a parent of a disabled person
who wants to provide for that person in the will, and a lone parent wishing to appoint a testamentary guardian.