An award of benefit is decided upon the degree of disability caused by the accident or disease. It is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
You don't need to have paid National Insurance contributions to get benefit, and it isn't affected by your savings or any other income. You can qualify if you're still working or not.
Benefit is assessed separately from any compensation claim you may have against your employer. It can also be paid alongside National Insurance contribution-based benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance or State Retirement Pension.
Industrial Injuries Benefits are not taxable. Some of them count as income for some means-tested benefits but not for Tax Credits.
Who an employee is
You must be an 'employed earner' - your benefit is not based on how much NI you have paid. You may also qualify under special rules if you're working on a low wage, or if you're an apprentice or an agency worker, or you do particular types of job (such as rescue worker, special constable, minister of religion, taxi driver, office cleaner, member of aircrew, mariner).
You do not have to be in any special type of 'industrial' work. The scheme covers employees of many sorts.
You may not count as an employee if you work for your spouse or civil partner or a close relative. Seek advice.
Personal injury
This could be physical or psychological. It may also apply if an existing problem has been made worse, but you may have to show that the problem has been made substantially worse.
Accident
An accident can be unexpected, or can arise from dangerous situations or the actions of another person.
An industrial accident is something which arises 'out of and in the course of your employment'. This may count even if you're on your employer's premises or private property even if you haven't yet reported your presence, and probably during breaks when you remain on the premises.
If a problem has built up over a long period, it may not be seen as an 'accident'. But seek advice, because a sequence of events over time (usually a short period) may be accepted as a series of accidents.
If an accident happens when you are not on work premises (at home, off sick, travelling) or in some cases you have done something that is against your employer's instructions it may still count, but you should seek advice. The details of your contract of employment will be helpful in deciding questions like this.
Disease
To count, a disease must be a 'prescribed industrial disease'. Other illnesses arising from a prescribed disease may also count towards your assessment of disability.
In law, there is a list of industrial diseases which include industrial deafness, lung diseases, liver or kidney diseases and skin problems and types of job likely to cause the problems.
Getting benefit will depend upon the DWP accepting that the disease was caused by your work.
'Loss of faculty' and disability
You need to show that you've suffered 'loss of faculty' (damage or impairment to body or mind) and that you're 'disabled' because of that loss and that this is linked to your work.
Extent of disablement
Your assessment for benefit will also include an assessment of the extent of your disability, expressed as a percentage. Your situation is compared with someone of the same age and sex whose physical and mental health is 'normal'.
You must usually be assessed as at least 14% disabled but there are some exceptions.
Some conditions mean that you are regarded as 100% disabled, but in most cases an assessment will be needed, which may include seeing a healthcare professional whose medical opinion will be passed to the DWP for a decision to be made.
When a decision is made, it will also set the length of time for which you are expected to be affected by the injury or disease. You may need to go through a reassessment at a later date.
Benefits you can claim
You may be able to claim the following benefits.
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB)
IIDB is payable according to the percentage of disability, with 20% disability attracting the lowest payment and 100% disablement the highest.
Assessed level of disablement and weekly amount
| Assessed level of disablement | Weekly amount |
|---|
| 100% |
£182.90 |
| 90% |
£164.61 |
| 80% |
£146.32 |
| 70% |
£128.03 |
| 60% |
£109.74 |
| 50% |
£91.45 |
| 40% |
£73.16 |
| 30% |
£54.87 |
| 20% |
£36.58 |
Constant Attendance Allowance (CAA)
CAA is payable if you are entitled to IIDB for 100% disablement and you require constant care and attention because of your 'loss of faculty'. CAA is considered automatically so you don't need to apply.
It is paid at one of 4 rates which depend on the level of care needed:
- £146.40 exceptional rate
- £109.80 intermediate rate
- £73.20 normal maximum
- £36.60 part time rate
CAA does not count as income for means-tested benefits.
If you qualify for CAA at the same time as Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance or Armed Forces Independence Payment, the other benefit will be reduced by the amount of CAA that you get.
Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance
Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance is payable at a weekly rate of £73.20 if you get CAA at the 'intermediate' or 'exceptional' rate and you are likely to remain disabled permanently. ESDA is considered automatically so you don't need to apply. It does not count as income for means-tested benefits.
For claims that applied before 1 October 1990 you may also be able to apply for (or continue to get):
- Reduced Earnings Allowance (REA)
- Retirement Allowance
REA is payable where there is a disability from an accident or disease which arose before 1 October 1990 which means that your earnings are now less than in your previous regular occupation.
Retirement Allowance is a reduced rate of REA payable when you are over pension age, and you have given up regular employment (whichever is later) and you were entitled to REA immediately before that.
It may be possible to claim Reduced Earnings Allowance even now. Seek advice.
How to claim
You'll usually need to make a written claim - form BI100A for accident claims and form BI100PD for industrial disease claims.
Contact us:
The claim is in your name only, you cannot claim for anyone else.
There is no age limit upon claiming.
When you should claim
Seek advice as soon as you know there is a problem. Claims may be backdated, but not in all cases, so the sooner the DWP has your claim the better.
For Industrial Injuries Benefit, 90 days (not including Sundays) must have passed since the accident or the onset of the disease before benefit is payable.
You may be able to claim benefit even if a long time has passed since an industrial disease arose but there are some time limits. For instance there is a 10-year time limit for claiming industrial asthma, and for some claims you must have worked in the particular job for a set minimum time.
How benefit is paid
Benefit is usually paid in to a bank account or via the 'Payment Exceptions' scheme for people who cannot open or manage an account. It's possible for someone to be paid benefit on your behalf - an 'appointee'. Seek advice if you think this would help you.
Disputing a decision
DWP Decision Makers decide your claim, and you may dispute their decisions through requesting Mandatory Reconsideration of the decision. A Mandatory Reconsideration decision may be appealed to an independent tribunal.
It isn't possible to appeal Constant Attendance Allowance or Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance decisions but you should seek advice if you're not satisfied with the decision.
Change of circumstances
If your circumstances change (for instance a change of name or address, or if you're leaving the country) tell the DWP.
It's especially important to report changes in your health which may affect the amount of benefit that is payable to you.
Lump-sum compensation schemes available via Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus may pay you a lump sum if you have one of the following diseases (caused by your employment) and you have not taken any court action or received compensation in respect of the disease:
- pneumoconiosis
- byssinosis
- diffuse mesothelioma
- bilateral diffuse pleural thickening
- primary carcinoma of the lung when accompanied by asbestosis or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening
You must be getting Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for one of the listed diseases. And you must claim within 12 months of the decision awarding you Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
You may be able to make a claim if you're the dependant of someone who suffered from a relevant disease but who has died. A claim must be made within 12 months of their death.
If you suffer Diffuse Mesothelioma (exposure to asbestos which occurred in the United Kingdom) and you're not entitled to a payment under the scheme and you haven't received compensation via other schemes, you may be able to claim a one-off lump sum payment if you came into contact with asbestos from a relative. For example, by washing their clothes or if your exposure to asbestos was while you were self-employed.