CAG and Unite Retired Members help pensioners claim over £1 million
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Clydebank Asbestos Group and Unite Retired Members have helped local pensioners claim over £1 million in in life-changing disability benefits.
On Friday 7th August, a civic reception hosted by Provost Karen Murray Conaghan was held at the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel to celebrate the success of the project as we have reached an impressive milestone in claiming over £1 million for pensioners. The event (named “The Big Milestone Celebration”) was a triumph, and it was very moving to hear personal testimonies about the difference that the benefits had made in the midst of a cost-of living crisis.
Background to the project
The project has centred on assisting people to apply for a benefit called Pension-Age Disability payment (previously known as Attendance Allowance.) Pension-age Disability Payment (PADP) is a benefit available to people in Scotland of pension age. Its purpose is to help with the additional costs that come with having a long-term health condition or disability. The benefit is tax-tree and non-means tested – it doesn’t matter what pensions you get or how much you have in savings. However, many eligible pensioners don’t apply.
In 2023, a report published by Policy in Practice and Money Saving Expert estimated that there are potentially over 133,000 pensioners in Scotland who are eligible for disability benefits, but who are not claiming them.[1] There are many possible reasons why so much welfare support goes unclaimed. It could be a reluctance to fill in lengthy benefit forms or a fear of sharing personal information. It could be that people don’t know where to get support with applying for benefits. For many, they simply do not know what benefits are available and they do not realise that they qualify. It was this particular issue that kickstarted the whole project.
The origins of the project
It was 2022 when Sammy Morris, a committed member of the Unite Retired Members’ Branch was in hospital, and he was visited by his friend of 40 years Tommy Gorman who was a volunteer at Clydebank Asbestos Group (CAG). Tommy asked Sammy if he got Attendance Allowance. Sammy replied that since he had both a state and a work pension, he assumed he would not qualify. Tommy pointed out that Attendance Allowance is not means tested and is tax exempt. He supported Sammy to apply. When Sammy received the higher rate of the benefit, he was amazed. It made an enormous difference.
Being a staunch trade unionist, Sammy entreated Unite Retired Members Glasgow and Renfrewshire Branch to learn more about the entitlement and to let the members know about it. The branch took up Sammy’s call. They invited CAG to lead training sessions about the benefit, allowing a team of people from both organisations to become proficient in filling out the forms.
From there, the word about the benefit was spread to branch members through letters, emails and phone calls and the team started helping people to apply. Branch members who initially thought they would never qualify for the benefit were amazed when their application was successful and the money appeared in their bank accounts! The project has also helped people out with the branch as people have told family and friends about the benefit they have received and encouraged them to apply too.
In 2025, Attendance Allowance became the responsibility of the Scottish Government and was renamed “Pension Age Disability Payment”. The team were quick to adapt to the changes and soon became familiar with the filling out the new, lengthier form.
The outcomes
Since starting the project, we have kept a careful record of the financial gains for the pensioners we’ve helped. As the total figure crept up, we had a million pounds in our sights and knew that would be a really significant milestone to reach. To date, we’ve helped a total of 163 people with claims and had financial gains of £1,025,800.
The event on Friday was inspirational and was a powerful testament to the power of friendship, solidarity and volunteering. We have now reached the £1 million milestone, but we have no plans to stop. Watch this space!
[1] Charlesworth Z. Ghelani D. 2023. People of pension age may be missing out on £5.2 billion. Policy in Practice and Money Saving Expert. Page 6. Unclaimed-Attendance-Allowance_report-by-Policy-in-Practice-for-MSE_Dec23_compressed.phttps://policyinpractice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Unclaimed-Attendance-Allowance_report-by-Policy-in-Practice-for-MSE_Dec23_compressed.pdfdf
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