matthecool

Hello,

I have a question about somebody I know;
She lives in Spain and has been here for over 10 years. She does not have a job and has a mental illness which prohibits her from getting any sort of job.

Because she is British, is she able to claim anything from the Spanish Government in terms of benefits?

She has been living off an inheritance fund and this is slowly running out. So we need to find out the options.

Thanks for your help.

Matt

Rosemary

There is no real benefit system for Spanish people so I would have thought that the chances of your friend gaining anything from the government here is very slim or highly unlikely.

Rosemary

matthecool

Thanks Rosemary, so what are Spanish people with mental health issues doing? There must be some sort of support?

Rosemary

I do not know what is available for them but in general the government does not hand out money. Normally the family takes on the burden with most things.

Rosemary

cricketman

While this is true, you can get tax relief and disability pension payments based on what percentage disability somebody has. There is very much a welfare system in Spain, it just doesnt work like the UK system, and is usually nowhere near as generous

I do not know what qualifies someone for these payments, for that, your friend or her carer should go and talk to the relevant government department.

Moses2013

When you say mental illness, do you mean she would qualify in the UK for disability allowance. If that is the case you might be able to take disability allowance to other EU countries.




The European Court of Justice decided in October 2007 that certain disability and carers benefits are sickness benefits. This means they may be paid to people who leave the UK to live elsewhere in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
Affected benefits


The decision affects:

• Disability Living Allowance (care component only)
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance

The mobility component of Disability Living Allowance has not been affected by this judgement.

• Disability Living Allowance

• Attendance Allowance (general money, tax and benefits section)

• Carer's Allowance (general money, tax and benefits section)

Who can continue to get the benefits

Youmay continue to receive these benefits if you move from the UKto live in another EEA state or Switzerland.The EEA consists of the 27 member states of the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.


DLA is now PIP in the UK

Be happy

Hi I am a benefit adviser in uk. I think you will find you need to have lived here and meet eligibility criteria and claimed here prior to any move abroad (EEA). Even British nationals who return to uk after a certain period abroad need to meet eligibility criteria which for DLA / PIP / AA and it is i believe 2 years in the last 3.

Be happy

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-spain
This link may help

bob_bob

Hi there BH, I stopped volunteering with Age Concern (as it was then known) a few years ago so I'm very rusty these days, how does the 'new' PIP system work and could payments be exported?

My wife is a senior mental health nurse and a lot of her patients have suffered due to the cutbacks in UK benefit payments

bobd22

I would have thought for Spain to pay for your friends benefits etc they would have needed to pay into the Spanish system? Has she worked in Spain and paid any sort of contribution? Has she paid taxes in Spain as you mention living from an inheritance ? If not I would think any claim from Spain may open up a can of worms. Just a thought as not sure what entitlement she may have.

CapnBilly

She may qualify for a non contributory disability pension, providing her level of disability has been assessed at more than 65% under the Spanish system. The additional qualifying criteria are that she is under 65, has lived here legally for at least 5 years, and her income level is below €5,150.

Details can be found here, and the disability assessment process here. If she is over 65 then she may qualify for a non- contributory pension, which are similar criteria except for the disability.