Financial Support

If you have inflammatory arthritis, you may find that you need extra help to get about or care for yourself. These needs may lead to extra expenses. Your inflammatory arthritis might mean you are unable to work, or that you may need support to stay in work. However, there is help available.

You may be eligible for an Access to Work grant to pay for practical support to help you start work, stay in work or move into self-employment.

An access to work grant can cover such costs as:

• special aids or equipment for employment
• adaptations to the equipment you already use
• help with travel to and from work if you can’t use public transport
• a support worker to provide help in the workplace

Northern Ireland has its own version of Access to Work

Income support is available to limited groups of people, including carers and lone parents with very young children. Income support is a means-tested benefit designed to provide a basic income. You can receive income support on its own if you have no other income, or can top up other benefits, like Carer’s Allowance.

If you have a low income, whether or not you are working, and need help paying your rent, you can claim Housing Benefit. If you are claiming Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, ESA or Pension Credit, you can claim housing benefit at the same time, otherwise you can get claim forms from your local council.

It's important to check if you are in a Universal Credit full-service area, as you won't be able to claim housing benefit – you will need to claim Universal Credit instead.

If you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone who is ill or disabled, you may be eligible for carer’s allowance. Carer’s allowance is a weekly taxable, non-means-tested benefit.

Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for help with NHS costs. These may include:

• prescriptions
• vouchers for glasses or contact lenses
• hospital travel fares

Disabled Facilities Grants are means-tested grants available to help meet the cost of adjusting your home to suit your physical needs. Disabled facility grants are available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Disabled facilities grants can cover a variety of adaptations, including those to:

• allow you access to and from the house (for example, widening doors for wheelchair access and installing ramps)
• make the house safe for you
• allow you access to a room used or usable as a living room
• allow you access to, or providing, an appropriate bedroom
• help you to prepare and cook food
• facilitate access and movement around the home to allow you to care for someone dependent on you who also lives there

• Pension credits
• Tax credits
• Attendance allowance
• Disability living allowance
• Employment and support allowance
• Personal independence payment