Cost of living payments worth up to £500 available to thousands living with specific illness

PEOPLE living with a specific illness are eligible for a whopping £500 worth of cost of living payments.

The MND Association – a charity which supports people affected by motor neurone disease – has announced that the value of its Cost of Living Support Fund is increasing to a maximum of £500 from £350.

This is an uplift of £150.

MND affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.

The fund can be applied for by those with a confirmed diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of MND or Kennedy’s disease.

The scheme was set up in 2023 for those who are struggling with household bills, food or shopping costs.

It’s not means tested, so you will not be required to provide proof of income, and no quotes or receipts are required as part of
the application process.

With many people living with MND experiencing their bills rise, the charity made the changes to the fund on 1 November.

It was partly in response to the latest survey from the charity which revealed that over 80% of carers of people with MND have used savings or retirement plans to cover household costs.

Furthermore, research in 2023 found households affected by MND spend an average of £14,500 a year on costs associated with living and managing the condition – a clear indication that the financial impact of the disease has never been higher.

Those who have already received the previous amount can still apply for the difference, should they need to.

Sally Hughes, director of services and partnerships at the MND Association, said: “We know many people living with and affected by MND will be anxious and worried as household costs continue to rise. 

“As we head into the colder months, we want to ease the financial burden on people with MND. People shouldn’t have to worry about whether to eat, heat their home or turn on vital equipment. 

“It is once again another example of charities stepping up where statutory services have failed to do so.  

“What we really need is for the Government to do more to help vulnerable people rather than take away support, as they have with the recent changes to the Winter Fuel Payment.”

How can I apply?

If you would like to apply, a simple form asks you to outline why the Cost of Living fund is required and how it will be used.

You can download the application form from The MND Association’s website.

Once you have completed the form, you will need to email it to support.services@mndassociation.org and your application will be considered.

If you are awarded the fund, the MND Association will arrange for the payment to be made to you.

What other cost of living payments are available?

The current economic climate is seeing more charities step in to fill the gap left by a lack of support from the Government and statutory services. 

For those living with cancer, Macmillan’s Financial Grants Scheme was established to help support those who are struggling to cover essential living costs.

So anyone living with cancer and who needs help with bills and other essentials can apply for the grant.

It’s worth up to £350 and is a one-off payment and can be used to help with things like:

• Energy bills
• Home adaptions
• The cost of travel to and from hospital
• Any extra costs you might have because of cancer

However, unlike the MND Association fund, it is means-tested.

This means both the following need to apply to become eligible:

You must have no more than £6,000 in savings for a household of one person or no more than £8,000 for a household of two or more people

You must have a weekly income of no more than £323 per week for a household of one person or no more than £442 per week for a household of two or more people.

Benefits like personal independence payments (PIP), disability living allowance (DLA) or attendance allowance (AA) do not count towards income for this.

To apply you can call 0808 808 00 00 or you can speak to one of your healthcare team, like a district nurse or Macmillan nurse, care professional or benefits adviser who can fill in the form with you online.

The British Legion has also set up a Cost of Living grant, which can be applied for here using the Lightning Reach portal.

You can also find out what grants may be available to you using Turn2Us’s grant search on the charity website.

There are a huge range of grants available for different people – including those who are bereaved, disabled, unemployed, redundant, ill, a carer, veteran, young person or old person.

What is the Household Support Fund?

You may also be eligible for up to £500 worth of cost of living payments from the government’s Household Support Fund (HSF) which is worth £421 million in total.

It’s available to support those who are struggling to afford household basics including food, energy, wider essentials, and exceptional costs.

The fund has been split up between councils in England who are in charge of distributing their allocation.

It was set up in 2021, however, it has been extended by the UK government a number of times. 

How much you are eligible for is usually based on what benefits you already receive and your financial circumstances. 

To be eligible for help, you usually have to be in receipt of a council tax reduction or show proof of being in financial difficulty.

Each council has a different application process – so you’ll have to ask your local authority or find out via your council’s website.

To find out how to contact your local authority, use the gov.uk authority tool checker.

In the last round of funding, some residents received their share automatically, while others had to apply.

For example, Haringey London Council is issuing automatic payments to eligible residents, as well as a support fund which can be applied to.

It is also issuing payments to schools, which means they can distribute free school vouchers.