People with various physical and mental health issues, some people who care for loved ones and people of particular ages (from students through to retired people) are entitled to receive certain benefits in Scotland, some from the UK government, administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and some from the Scottish Government, administered by Social Security Scotland. There are also other grant and financial support options for people who receive certain government benefits, for things like respite breaks for carers, household energy improvements, Council Tax reductions and more.
The benefits landscape can be complex, especially if somebody has multiple health conditions or they are also a carer for somebody else and so on.
KCB is not able to provide benefits advice or support to apply for benefits, but help is available in Fife:
• Fife Council has an online benefit checker which anybody can complete - it is kept up to date with the latest changes in benefits and eligibility. The website page contains a lot of information about benefits;
• Citizens Advice and Rights Fife (CARF) employ specialist benefits advisors who can support you identify eligibile benefits and apply for them;
• Fife Voluntary Action manages grants for unpaid carers to access a wide range of short breaks, regardless of the benefits you may or may not receive.