DO older people in the Bromsgrove and Droitwich area know that they could be eligible for extra benefits to help them with the spiralling cost of living? Do they also know that if they make a successful claim for pension credit before the beginning of October they can get 12 months back-dated benefit?

Help the Aged estimates that approximately 420,000 older people in the West Midlands are eligible for pension credit, yet 140,840 are not receiving it yet – almost certainly older people in this area will be among them.

We're encouraging older people to find out today if they are entitled to benefits such as pension credit, council tax benefit, or housing benefit. Even if people have made an unsuccessful claim in the past, changing circumstances and changing benefit levels may mean they are now eligible for money that can make a huge difference to their daily lives.

People can find out if they are eligible for benefits by:

  • Calling the Pension Service advice hotline on 0800 991234 or visiting www.pensionservice.gov.uk/pensioncredit;
  • Getting a copy of the Help the Aged benefits advice leaflet, Can You Claim It? from www.helptheaged.org.uk or 020 7239 1845;
  • Calling SeniorLine, the free Help the Aged advice line on 0808 8006565 David Loveridge Regional Development Officer Help the Aged