Cancer help lost; Sick miss out on pounds 4m in aid.
Byline: SARA THOMASALMOST 3,000 terminally ill cancer patients in Wales are missing out on pounds 4m of benefit payments as financial help continues to go unclaimed.
Macmillan Cancer Relief, which reveals the figures today, said it was concerned cancer patients were missing out through lack of information, confusion or embarrassment.
More than pounds 126.5min disability benefits is unclaimed by people with terminal cancer in the UK.
And the charity believes more than half of those with cancer who die each year -some 83,000 people in the UK -do not claim their entitled benefits.
In Wales about a third (32%)of those terminal cancer patients entitled are not claiming their benefits.
Macmillan Cancer Relief said it fears perceived stigma of claiming benefits from the state and the complicated claiming process are the main barriers.
The charity's chief executive,Peter Cardy, said: ``Our findings are just the tip of the iceberg.
``Cancer can have an enormous impact on someone's income.''
The research was carried out by the Centre for the Economics of Health at Bangor University.
It relates to unclaimed disability benefits of Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance by people diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Terminally ill cancer patients automatically qualify for both benefits, worth up to almost pounds 100 a week.
And even if patients do not have a terminal diagnosis they may qualify for disability living allowance,attendance allowance,or other housing or council tax benefits, income support of a carer's allowance.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Work and Pensions said: ``The Government is committed to helping terminally ill patients with the extra costs they may face as a result of their illness,and to raising awareness of the benefits available to them.
``Steps to improve and speed up the claim process for AA and DLA include simplified and shorter claim forms and a faster,dedicated claims process for terminally ill customers.
`` We want anyone entitled to a benefit to claim what's theirs. In fact, take up of DLA and AA is well on the increase, with a respective 26% and 12% rise in Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance over the last five years,and 5% and 3% in the last 12 months alone.''
CAPTION(S):
Cancer patient Dave Tattum of Coedpoeth, pictured with his wife Jackie, has been fighting a battle to gain disability living allowance after being refused despite six months of gruelling chemotherapy (seepanel below)
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| Publication: | Daily Post (Liverpool, England) |
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| Date: | Jun 23, 2004 |
| Words: | 404 |
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