The Government has introduced a range of measures to provide financial assistance to those who are self-isolating or facing financial hardship.
If you are instructed to self-isolate, you are under a legal obligation to do so. To assist, the Government has introduced a £500 support payment for those on the lowest incomes. More details and the application form for the grant can be found at https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/coronavirus/isolation-payments.aspx
If you do not meet the criteria of the Self-Isolation Support Payment but are still in financial difficulty, you might qualify for a Discretionary Payment from the local authority of up to £500.
Changes to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and the Benefit system also remain in place:
Extend Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) to those who are self-isolating in line with Government health guidance.
Adjust the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC) rules to ensure you are entitled to money from day 1, and those who are self-employed are supported, including in the gig-economy, to receive welfare payments for periods of self-isolation.
This change helps to provide certainty that (if eligible) you are entitled to receive Statutory Sick Pay if you are following UK Government advice in relation to coronavirus.
If you are on a zero hours contract, you may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay. This will depend how many hours you have worked regularly and income received, but you should contact your employer directly to find out more.
These changes will ensure that if you are affected by Coronavirus, work search and work availability requirements within Universal Credit are switched off. They will also provide access to other support within Universal Credit, such as a work allowance and childcare support for if you have a partner who is still able to work.
If you are self-employed, you will also not have a Minimum Income Floor (an assumed level of income) applied for a period of time within Universal Credit. Universal Credit payments have been increased by £20 per week. The MIF will be gradually reintroduced from August, at which time Work Coaches will be given discretion to further suspend the MIF to ensure that those claimants who continue to be severely affected by Covid-19 restrictions can be supported on a case-by-case basis.
