Old Age Pension Benefits in Jersey

The rates from 1st October 2009 are as follows:-

Full Personal Pension £178.01 per week. Increase for wife or dependant £117.53. Persons in receipt of a Jersey Old Age Pension are entitled to receive a Christmas Bonus (£95 in 2009). If you are in receipt of UK pension you can apply to the Social Security Department to receive from them, the difference between the UK and Jersey Christmas Bonus.

An Old Age Pension starts at age 65. Receiving a full pension depends upon your contribution record. However, if you are a woman who has been registered for Social Security purposes in Jersey prior to 1 January 1975 you will be entitled to claim an Old Age Pension on your own contribution record at age 60. To receive a full pension you must have a contribution record of 45 years or more.

Full details are set out in the States of Jersey Social Security Booklet SSD10 available from the Social Security Department or Citizens Advice Bureau.

Jersey Health Assist 65+ Plan

In order to be eligible applicants must be over 65 and resident in the Island for five years. Any assets applicants have must not be greater than £20,000 in the case of a single person and £30,000 for a couple. This figure does not include the home or main residence. Applicants income must be below the current tax threshold [2009] Single Person £14,110 per annum; Married Couple (joint income) £23,220 per annum.

If you meet the above criteria you may be eligible for this scheme. You should complete and return an application form which is to be found in the booklet produced by the Social Security Department.This form enables the Social Security Department to verify income details with the Income Tax Department.

Once the information is verified  the application form is passed to Westfield Health Scheme who administer the scheme. Westfield will confirm membership of the scheme and send details of how to submit a claim.





Benefits

How to make a claim
Visit dentist, chiropodist or optician
.
Receive treatment
Pay for the treatment
.

Obtain a receipt (credit card receipts are not acceptable)

Forward receipt plus the completed claim form to Westfield.
(Westfield normally expect to process claims within 2 - 5 working days).

Income Support
Income Support is a benefit to provide assistance to households whose income is not enough to cover their basic needs.

For a single adult aged 65 or over, capital of £13,053 is disregarded and for a couple aged 65 or over, capital of £21,636.

The first £32.69 of weekly pension is also disregarded. If there is an additional pension recipient in the household there is a further disregard of £20.37 per week.

Income Support - Special Payments
As well as providing weekly benefit, Income Support can provide a one off payment in a variety of circumstances.  This one off payment is called "Special Payment".

The claimant's household must be in urgent need of the item or service requested, and claims can only be made if the household has no other way of meeting the cost of the item or service.

Special Payments will be available to:

• Households in receipt of Income Support

• Households that are just outside the normal Income Support eligibility conditions
• Households that satisfy the income condition and the work condition but the claimant has only been in Jersey for four and a half years
• Households that satisfy the work condition and the residence condition but the income of the household is above the limit for Income Support by up to 10%.

The items covered by Special Payment are:
• Esential household furniture or equipment
• Rental deposit - but there must be a reason for the household to move
• Removal expenses - but there must be a reason for the household to move
• Expenses involved in taking up paid employment i.e. clothing, tools, etc.
• Medical and similar expenses - mainly dental or optical
• The cost of work necessary to prevent a serious risk to health, safety or welfare - this includes essential repairs to maintain a property wind and watertight
• Funeral expenses for a member of the household - including repatriation of the body
• Repatriation of the claimant or a member of the household from Jersey to another country.

Cold Weather Payments Income Support-Special Payments[Cold Weather Payments] Jersey Regulations
These Regulations enable the Social Security Department to make a special payment for such of the months from October until April in which the average daily temperature for each day falls below 15.5 degrees Celsius and the amount by which the total for the month exceeds 90.

Payments will be made monthly in arrears to households who, during the prievious month, qualified for Income Support Benefit, and includes a member of the household who is aged 65 or above.

Food Costs [Offset of average GST] Bonus
Available to people who do not pay income tax nor receive income support benefit. At least one adult in the household must have been resident in Jersey for 5 years immediately preceding the date of application for the Bonus.

The rate of bonus for 2010 is £150 per household. The bonus can be claimed, after the 1st March, from the Social Security Department.

Energy Efficiency Service
Any private sector household, registered on the Jersey Health 65+Plan, or in receipt of income support benefit, can apply to the Planning and Environment Department, Energy Efficiency Service, telephone 441662, for assistance to improve the comfort of their home.

The type of work which will be eligible for a 100% grant include:-
Loft insulation
Cavity Wall Insulation
Draught Proofing
Tank and Pipework Insulation
Heating Controls
Low Energy Lighting
Energy Assessments/Inspections and Audits

The Planning and Environment Department's Energy Efficiency Service [EES] will match eligible applicants with approved contractors who will carry out the appropriate work. The EES does not cost the applicant anything. This includes both the property assessment as well as the completion of works that may be required.

Legal Aid
Legal Aid is a service provided by the legal profession in Jersey at their expense under which people who can not afford a lawyer or are unable to obtain one, can do so.

The lawyer appointed to act for you will request you to provide a statement of your financial circumstances in order to assess what would be a reasonable fee.

Details on how to apply for Legal Aid are available from the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Senior Citizen Concessionary Bus Pass
This bus pass is currently available to those Jersey residents in receipt of a Jersey old age pension as follows:-
Male-65 years [or if elected to receive a pension at age 63-65]. Female- 60 years if registered with Social Security Department before 1/1/75 or Jersey born before 1959. Otherwise age 65.

UK pensioners are unable to use their concessionary passes on Connex buses.

Application forms for bus passes can be obtained from Parish Halls or the Liberation Bus Station.

T.V. Licence
Persons living in homes or sheltered housing are able to apply for a T.V. Licence at a reduced cost of £5 per annum. Jersey residents are entitled to a free licence if they are over the age of 75 and their income is less than £14,638 for a single person or £23,748 for a couple. An application form for a free licence can be obtained from the Social Security Department or the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Fort Regent Leisure Centre and Les Quennevais Sports Centre
Senior Citizens do not have to pay a joining fee when applying for an Active card. They also pay reduced membership fees of £25 per month or £255 for a full year. Pensioners without Active cards will be charged £1 if they wish to swim at Les Quennevais Sports Centre.

Arts Centre
Reduced membership for persons of pensionable age and 15% off all tickets for promotions/shows organised by the Arts Centre.

Opera House
Discounts given for some performances.Check with Box Office before booking.

Arts Centre
Reduced single membership rate of £11 [full price £19] and £19 for a couple [full price £31].

Cineworld
Discounted ticket price of £4.80 [normally £6.70].

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Entry price currently £10.50 for persons of pensionable age (full price £12.90) on production of Social Security Pension Card or Bus Pass.

Jersey Heritage Trust
Free entry to Hamptonne Country Life Museum, Elizabeth Castle, Mount Orgueil Castle, La Hougue Bie, Maritime Museum and Jersey Museum for Jersey residents aged 60+ on production of Gold Card, obtainable from Jersey Museum and most other Jersey Heritage Trust sites.

Hotels
The following hotel offers 10% discount off tariff rates to people over the age of 55. Portelet Hotel, Le Chemin du Portelet, La Route de Noirmont, St Brelade

Ferries
Condor's Frequent Traveller Card costs £40 for people over the age of 60, rather than £75.

SHOPS
B&Q Queens Road, St Helier have an over 60's concession card entitling the holder to 10% discount on Wednesdays.



Specsavers Opticians
Over 60's concession 1-3 Beresford Street, St Helier and 6 Centre Point, St Brelade. From Monday- Friday if you buy any pair of glasses costing £75 or over you will get 30% off the price of one complete set of glasses.

JFTU-Town & Country
La Grande Route de St Jean, Trinity
10% discount on all stock excluding gas, coal and garden machinery.

Checkers Red Houses & St Saviour and Safeway
These stores offer 10% discount on the second  and last Wednesday of every month to Senior Citizens on production of proof of age.

Jeff Le Marquand
Bath Street 10% discount for senior citizens.

Hair Designs
David Place 10% discount on Wednesday afternoons.

GARAGES
La Motte Ford have an over 60's concession card entitling the holder to 10% discount on servicing, spares and accessories. 

TELEPHONE Jersey Telecom
Prime Talk - Exclusively designed for Senior Citizens [ male age 65, female age 60 if living alone] Prime Talk offers a very low monthly rental and local calls for only 5 pence. All prices exclude GST which will be added at time of billing. 

New connection  £79.99                         Includes connection and/or fitting of master socket 
Re-connection  £49.99                            No engineering visit required  Monthly line rental  £1.76   
Calls to Jersey Telecom landlines      5p  Per call - unlimited time 
National calls                                                Standard rates
Calling Jersey Telecom Mobiles          Standard rates