The purpose of the discretionary support is to provide additional, time-limited financial and non-financial support to beneficiaries and their families in order to address immediate needs.
The needs that are considered are those that have:
- direct effect on an individual’s independence
- have been brought about as a direct result of their infection or its treatment and are otherwise unable to be met
Anyone registered with England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS) can apply and applications are assessed against set criteria. No one automatically qualifies for this support, including beneficiaries who receive financial support from EIBSS.
Applications for all types of discretionary support can be submitted at any time should a beneficiary’s circumstances change. Normally discretionary support payments will only be backdated to the date we receive the application.
We'll aim to provide a decision on all applications within 30 working days. It may take longer if we need to ask you or your doctor for further information.
Child payments
These means-tested payments are to help with the costs of bringing up children of an infected beneficiary.
Dependants are children of an infected beneficiary up to the age of 18 years, or up to 21 if in full-time education.
How to qualify
These payments are available to the primary care provider of the child or children.
Infected beneficiaries may qualify for a child supplement by completing a child payment application form and be assessed as having a household income under £37,900.
Bereaved beneficiaries would need to qualify under the threshold of £28,401.
If you are the primary care provider of a child or children of an infected beneficiary, but not a beneficiary yourself, you may still be entitled to apply for support for the child or children that you are caring for.
This will be means-tested in the same way as bereaved spouses and partners.
Who can apply
To be eligible to apply for a payment for children, the applicant needs to be registered with EIBSS. Everyone registered with EIBSS holds a unique reference number and will be in one of the following groups:
- Someone historically infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C from NHS blood or blood products.
- A bereaved spouse, civil or long-term partner who lived with an infected beneficiary.
- Primary care providers of an infected beneficiary’s biological child or children.
How to apply
To make a claim, you need to download and complete a child payments application form (PDF: 246KB).
We can post an application form to you. To request this, contact us.
Details of income used for this assessment, and the amount that applicants may be eligible for, can be found in the Child Payment Support leaflet (PDF: 146KB).
Winter fuel payments
A one-off winter fuel payment for beneficiaries with HIV and/or hepatitis C will continue to be included in your annual payment schedule and will be paid in December.
A one-off winter fuel payment is available to all bereaved spouses or partners registered with us. The one-off payment of £561 will be made in December.
If the bereaved spouse or partner is already registered for support, they would automatically receive a payment as we hold their bank details.
If the bereaved spouse/partner does not receive any regular payments as part of the scheme, they need to contact us directly.
Prescription Prepayment Certificate (PPC)
A PPC lets you get as many NHS prescriptions as you need.
If you regularly pay prescription charges, you can apply for a PPC through EIBSS if you are an infected beneficiary.
Who can apply
To apply for a 12 month prescription prepayment certificate (PPC), the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
How to apply
To request a PPC, complete the EIBSS Prescription Prepayment Certificate application (PDF: 141KB).
If you already have a PPC, we will automatically renew it for you before your current certificate expires.
Other discretionary payments
Discretionary one-off payments are a form of financial support that beneficiaries and bereaved spouses/partners may apply for to cover the cost of certain essential health-related items or services. Further evidence may be required to demonstrate need.
You must apply for payment before committing to payments of any services or expenditure.
You can find more details about our discretionary payments and the application criteria in the Discretionary Payment Guidance (PDF: 186KB).
Accommodation adaptations
Who can apply
To apply for the accommodation adaptations discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment of up to £2,500 is available every 10 years towards the cost of home adaptations required to prevent serious risk to the health and safety of an infected beneficiary. You may be able to get assistance from your local council or Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the accommodation adaptations payment application form (PDF: 182KB).
Accommodation repairs
Who can apply
To apply for the accommodation repairs discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment of up to £2,500 per rolling 12 month period is available towards repairs to the home that are required to prevent serious risk to the health and safety of an infected beneficiary.
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the accommodation repairs discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 188KB).
Car repairs
Who can apply
To apply for the car repairs discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment of up to £500 per rolling 12 month period is available towards car repairs for an infected beneficiary. This does not cover MOT, service, vehicle tax or insurance costs.
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the car repairs discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 180KB).
Talking therapy
Who can apply
To apply for the talking therapy payment, the applicant must be one of the following:
- An infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
- A bereaved beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
- Family members of an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS or previous schemes.
What you can apply for
The England Infected Blood Support Scheme can provide up to £900 per rolling 12 month period towards counselling and talking therapy costs for private treatments. This is for someone who has been infected by blood products and is also available for their families.
Funding is available for:
- the cost of an assessment with a registered therapist
- the cost of talking therapy sessions
How to apply
Full details on how to apply can be found in the talking therapy support section.
Dental costs
Who can apply
To apply for the dental costs discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment of up to a band three NHS dental treatment charge is available per rolling 12 month period for an infected beneficiary where the dental treatment is deemed necessary following a check-up.
A discretionary payment is not available for the cost of an NHS dental check-up or for a private dental check-up.
A beneficiary can attend a private dental clinic for treatment, however only up to the maximum NHS band 3 dental charge can be claimed.
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the dental costs discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 177KB).
Employment training
Who can apply
To apply for the employment training costs discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be registered with EIBSS and either:
- An infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
- A bereaved beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment can be claimed once per rolling 12 month period towards employment training costs for an infected beneficiary to improve employment opportunities.
This may also be available to bereaved beneficiaries to support them to gain employment following the caring duties of the infected beneficiary.
This payment is not available towards higher education or child education-related costs.
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the employment training costs discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 180KB).
Funeral prepayment plan
Who can apply
To apply for the funeral prepayment plan discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary one-off payment of up to £4,500 is available towards a prepayment funeral plan for an infected beneficiary that has received the hepatitis C Stage 2 payment.
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the funeral prepayment plan discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 175KB).
Hospital travel costs
Who can apply
To apply for hospital travel costs, the applicant must be either an:
- infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS
- intermediate family member of an infected beneficiary who has been hospitalised
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment of up to £1,800 per rolling 12 month period is available towards hospital travel costs. You can claim your travel costs through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) or through EIBSS.
How to apply
Applying through HTCS
You may already be eligible for support for travel costs under HTCS. If you are eligible you may be able to claim travel costs at the hospital on the day of your appointment and will not require you to apply through EIBSS.
You can claim for hospital travel costs through EIBSS if you are not eligible for the HTCS. All applications must be made within 3 months of the date that the charges were paid.
To request this discretionary payment, complete the hospital travel costs discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 191KB).
Mobility aids
Who can apply
To apply for the mobility aids discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment of up to £2,500 per rolling 12 month period is available towards specialist equipment required for an infected beneficiary’s disability, such as a wheelchair, stair-lift, bath-hoists or specialist furniture.
Some specialist centres who provide medical treatment to beneficiaries may be able to provide specialist equipment. If specialist equipment is not available from them, the beneficiary will need to contact their local authority (LA).
The beneficiary’s LA social services department will arrange and an occupational therapist assessment to be undertaken. We will require a copy of the assessment to determine the specialist equipment which will support your needs.
If the beneficiary cannot receive this support from the LA a discretionary payment is available from EIBSS.
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the mobility aids discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 182KB).
Motability deposits
Who can apply
To apply for the Motability deposits discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment up to £500 every 3 years, is available for an infected beneficiary towards the deposit of a car hired on the Motability Scheme.
An application must be made to the Motability Scheme for a Motability Charitable Grant first before applying to EIBSS. If the beneficiary is not able to receive full support from the Motability Charitable Grant, they may apply through EIBSS.
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the motability deposits discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 179KB).
Respite break
Who can apply
To apply for a respite break discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment of up to £750 is available towards the cost of a respite break for an infected beneficiary and their carer (where required). A respite discretionary payment can be applied for once per rolling 12 month period.
The respite break must be recommended by a medical professional, following a period of ill-health as a direct result of the HIV and/or hepatitis C infection or its treatment. If the break is required following treatment for hepatitis C, the treatment start and end dates should be included in the supporting medical letter.
The respite break must be no longer than one week and if travelling abroad, must not be longer than a short-haul flight of up to 3 hours. The quotes for the break must be dated within 3 months of the application date.
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the respite break discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 205KB).
Specialist bed and/or mattress
Who can apply
To apply for a specialist bed and/or mattress discretionary one-off payment, the applicant must be an infected beneficiary registered with EIBSS.
What you can apply for
A discretionary payment of up to £1,500 every 10 years, is available towards the cost of a specialist bed and/or mattress which have been medically recommended and required as a result of the HIV or hepatitis C infection. This can be claimed once in a 10 year period in line with mattress guarantees.
How to apply
To request this discretionary payment, complete the specialist bed and/or mattress discretionary one-off payment application form (PDF: 191KB).