A grant designed to help vulnerable families keep warm during the winter has been shaken up this year, with almost 300,000 disability benefit claimants no longer able to get the rebate automatically.
However, the Government says the change will mean an extra 750,000 struggling households will receive the Warm Homes Discount Scheme payment, which has been increased by £10 to £150 for winter 2022/3. This increase in eligibility is mainly down to a change which permits those claiming housing benefit to get the payment for the first time.
But people with disabilities who only claim personal independence payments, attendance allowance or disability living allowance, which are not means-tested, will no longer get the warm home discount automatically - affecting 290,000 existing claimants. To keep getting the rebate, you'll need to have high energy bills AND be eligible for one of the qualifying means-tested benefits. However, it is thought that around 62% of PIP and DLA claimants would still be able to claim as they will fit the low-income criteria.
