After 52 Weeks

Usually you will not lose your Housing Benefit (HB) or Rates Relief (RR) until you have been in hospital for 52 weeks. Short-term hospitalisation has no impact.

However, there are exceptions to this if, for example, you:

• Lose your entitlement to Pension Credit, you would have to reapply for HB and RR
• Claim the severe disability premium or carer’s premium with your HB or RR, you may lose this element of the benefits sooner than 52 weeks

This could happen if you lose your Carer’s Allowance, Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance as you would then no longer be eligible for these premiums. In some cases you may lose your entitlement to RR or HB if you lose these premiums.

Housing Benefit will not be paid once you have been in hospital for more than a year. Rates Relief will usually stop after a year but if your house is unoccupied while you are in hospital, you may be exempt from paying rates altogether.

Couples

If you are part of a couple and one of you is in hospital for more than a year, each of you will be treated as separate claimants. You should claim HB or RR as if you are a single person. In these cases the person remaining in the house may qualify for Lone Pensioner Allowance and possibly other benefits.

There are no linking rules with HB or RR. Therefore, if you are discharged from hospital and then re-admitted, you begin a new period as a patient. Your separate hospital stays are not added together. Therefore, you may again be entitled to HB or RR.

Recipients of HB or RR should inform the Housing Executive or Land and Property Services of changes in circumstances.

You cannot claim Winter Fuel Payments if you have been in hospital for more than 52 weeks.

You cannot apply for Discretionary Support if you are in hospital unless you are due to be discharged within the next two weeks.

Prior to April 2006 State Retirement Pension was down-rated after a hospital stay of 52 weeks. However, this is no longer the case and your State Retirement Pension will be paid in full the whole time that you are in hospital.

Furthermore, if you are deferring your State Retirement Pension, you will continue to receive Extra State Pension or a Lump Sum Payment whilst you stay in hospital and defer your claim.