Unemployability Supplement
- Conditions of entitlement
- How to claim
- The decision on your claim
- How much benefit you will get
- How you are paid
- If your circumstances change
Conditions of entitlement
From 6 April 1987, Unemployability Supplement (UNSUPP) was abolished as an increase of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. People in receipt of Unemployability Supplement on 6 April 1987 were allowed to continue to receive it providing they satisfied the benefit criteria.
Claims for Unemployability Supplement can, however, continue to be made under the following schemes:
- Pneumoconiosis, Byssinosis and Miscellaneous Diseases Benefit Scheme
- Workmen’s Compensation (Supplementation) Scheme.
Renewals for existing recipients will continue as long as they fulfil the qualifying conditions.
Unemployability Supplement can only be awarded if you are:
- receiving an allowance under the PB&MDB scheme or Workmen’s Compensation scheme
- and incapable of any work as a result of the loss of faculty for which the allowance or compensation has been awarded
- and likely to be permanently incapable of any work.
You can be treated as permanently incapable of work if the relevant loss of faculty is likely to prevent you from earning more in a year than the prescribed amount specified in Schedule 7 of the Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.
You can earn more than the equivalent proportion for part of the year, provided that you are incapable of earning more than the prescribed amount during the whole year.
As well as personal benefit, people receiving Unemployability Supplement can also get:
- allowance for dependants
- age of onset allowance
- age addition.
Only one increase can be paid for:
- an adult dependant
- each child.
Dependants
Dependants may include:
- a spouse or civil partner
- a person looking after a child or children for you
- children.
The amount payable for dependants is reduced by any dependency allowance payable:
- with Unemployability Supplement with a War Pension
- by Guardian’s Allowance.
A dependency increase is not payable if you are receiving a training allowance, as that allowance contains an additional allowance for dependants.
If your dependant receives any personal benefits in their own right, there are overlapping benefit provisions.
If your dependant’s income changes, the dependency increase is looked at again to determine whether it is still appropriate.
An age addition is not payable for dependants.
Age of onset allowance
The amount of an age of onset allowance depends on your age when your incapacity began.
Age of onset allowance extinguishes or reduces Invalidity Allowance.
Age addition
The age addition is payable if you are over 80, and are not receiving the addition with any other benefit.
The amount is the same as the addition paid with Retirement Pension.
An age addition is not payable for a dependant.
How to claim
- For a claim form write to or phone Industrial Injuries Unit Pneumoconiosis and Workmen’s Compensation Section.
Send your completed claim form to this address also.
Do not delay claiming. If you do you may lose some benefits.
This is because Unemployability Supplement cannot be paid for a period more than 3 months before the date of your claim.
When we receive your claim we will send you an acknowledgement. [Legislation (127)]
The decision on your claim
Your claim will be decided by a decision maker. The decision maker will consider all the evidence and may ask for medical advice.
We will write to tell you the decision on your claim, the amount of any benefit you will get (current rates can be found in Social Security Benefit Rates (BRA5DWP)) and the period for which you will get benefit.
If you disagree with the decision
How much benefit you will get
Unemployability Supplement can only be awarded for a period when you are receiving an allowance under the PB&MDB scheme or a date from which Workmen’s Compensation was awarded.
Normally Unemployability Supplement is awarded for between 6 months and 2 years.
If Unemployability Supplement overlaps with any of the following benefits it reduces or extinguishes payments of:
- Incapacity Benefit
- Carer’s Allowance
- Invalidity Benefit
- Retirement Pension
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Widow’s Benefits.
How you are paid
Unemployability Supplement is paid together with your Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, PB&MDB or WC (Supp).
If your circumstances change
A decision can be looked at again at any time if your condition has changed.
- If you want us to have another look at the decision, write or telephone the Industrial Injuries Unit Pneumoconiosis and Workmen’s Compensation Section
You must also tell us if you:
- marry, remarry or form a civil partnership and change your name
- change your address
- leave the country
- go into prison
- go into hospital or similar accommodation.
- If any of these apply, you must tell the Industrial Injuries Unit Pneumo and Workmen’s Compensation straight away. [Legislation (128)]
If you die, someone should let us know straight away. If you have an order book, they should send it back straight away. They should not cash it.
You must also tell us if you are claiming an increase for a dependant and their circumstances change.