A1/2025: The Social Security (Infected Blood Capital Disregard) (Amendment) Regulations 2024
Published 10 February 2025
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Who should read
All Housing Benefit colleagues and wider if appropriate.
Action
For information.
Subject
The Social Security (Infected Blood Capital Disregard) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.
Guidance Manual
The information in this circular does affect the content of the Housing Benefit Guidance Manual. Please annotate this circular number against paragraph BW1.80 of Chapter BW1 and paragraph BP1.181 of Chapter BP1.
Queries
You can get extra copies of this circular/copies of previous circulars.
If you want to ask about the technical content of this circular, contact: housing.policyenquiries@dwp.gov.uk.
If you want to ask about the distribution of this circular, contact: lawelfare.correspondence@dwp.gov.uk.
Crown Copyright 2025
Recipients may freely reproduce this circular.
The Social Security (Infected Blood Capital Disregard) (Amendment) Regulations 2024
Introduction
1. This circular gives guidance on the Social Security (Infected Blood Capital Disregard) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/964. These changes took effect from 10 October 2024.
Background
2. SI 2024/964 amends the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/213) and the Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for State Pension Credit) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/214), by adding a new disregard to allow certain payments from an estate of a deceased infected person to be disregarded.
3. The disregard applies to payments derived from a payment made from an approved blood scheme, or the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme to the estate of the person for having been infected.
Capital disregard
4. These regulations provide that for Housing Benefit (HB) any payment out of the estate of a person, which derives from a payment made under or by:
- an approved blood scheme, or
- the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme
to the estate of the person as a result of that person having been infected from contaminated blood products is disregarded indefinitely. See the following example:
Example
Stephen is claiming HB. Stephen receives a payment of £20,000 from the estate of his late uncle. This money was originally paid directly to the estate of Stephen’s uncle from an approved blood scheme as a result of being infected from contaminated blood products. As the payment from the estate of Stephen’s uncle was derived from a payment made under an approved blood scheme, this payment can be disregarded indefinitely.