Change of circumstances: hospital admission

Most benefits are affected at some point when a person receives free in-patient treatment in a HS hospital or a HS contractual bed in a private hospital.

Therefore admission into hospital by a customer, partner/(adult dependant) or dependent child must be notified immediately.

Similarly discharge from hospital must also be notified.

Any periods of home leave given to a hospital in-patient should also be notified because they can affect the amount of benefit payable.

Consideration must be given to the appointment of an Appointee if the customer cannot manage their own affairs, or an agent if the customer can manage their own affairs but cannot collect the benefit.

If the patient is discharged from hospital but is re-admitted within 28 days the periods are added together to calculate the date from which benefit is to be adjusted. This is known as the linking period.

If the customer's benefit or other income is reduced because of their or their partner's admission into hospital they may be entitled to Income Support . Help may also be available with fares to and from hospital as an in-patient, when the patient is discharged, and for relatives visiting hospital providing Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based) is in payment to the relative.

• Read more on Income Support

If the patient is expected to remain in hospital for a long time AND it is likely that they will have a degree of disability when discharged, consideration should be given to making a claim for Disability Living Allowance. Although the care component/mobility component will not be payable whilst the patient is in hospital if it is awarded it will be payable immediately on discharge.

• Read more on Disability Living Allowance (people with disabilities section)

In this section...

• Hospital admission - Attendance Allowance
• Hospital admission - Bereavement Allowance
• Hospital admission - Carer's Allowance
• Hospital admission - Constant Attendance Allowance
• Hospital admission - Disability Living Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance - What to do if your circumstances change
• Hospital admission - Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance
• Hospital admission - Housing Benefit (Rent)
• Hospital admission - Housing Benefit (Rates)
• Hospital admission - Incapacity Benefit
• Hospital admission - Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance (Income based)
• Hospital admission - Industrial Death Benefit
• Hospital admission - Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Hospital admission - Jobseeker's Allowance (Contribution based)
• Hospital admission - Maternity Allowance
• Hospital admission - Over 80s Pension
• Hospital admission - Pneumoconiosis, Byssinosis & Misc. Disease Scheme Benefits
• Hospital admission - Reduced Earnings Allowance
• Hospital admission - Retirement Allowance
• Hospital admission - Severe Disablement Allowance
• Hospital admission - State Pension
• Hospital admission - Statutory Maternity Pay
• Hospital admission - Statutory Sick Pay
• Hospital admission - War Pension
• Hospital admission - Widowed Mother's Allowance
• Hospital admission - Widowed Parent's Allowance
• Hospital admission - Widow's Pension
• Hospital admission - Workmen's Compensation (Supplementation) Scheme