Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA) was a United Kingdom state benefit intended for those below the state pension age who cannot work because of illness or disability. It was replaced by

Incapacity Benefit Incapacity Benefit was a British social security benefit that was paid to people facing extra barriers to work because of their long-term illness or their disability. It replaced Invalidity Benefit in 1995. The government began to phase out Inc ...

in April 2001, which itself was replaced by

Employment and Support Allowance Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group o ...

. However, although it is no longer possible to make a claim for SDA, individuals who are already receiving the benefit have continued to do so. The benefit is administered by

Jobcentre Plus Jobcentre Plus ( cy, Canolfan byd Gwaith; gd, Ionad Obrach is Eile) is a brand used by the Department for Work and Pensions in the United Kingdom. From 2002 to 2011, Jobcentre Plus was an executive agency which reported directly to the Mini ...

(an executive agency of the

Department for Work and Pensions , type = Department , seal = , logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg , logo_width = 166px , formed = , preceding1 = , jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom , headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...

Eligibility

An individual could have been eligible for Severe Disablement Allowance if: *they were assessed as being at least 80 per cent disabled and: **they were incapable of work because of illness or disability for at least 28 weeks in a row **they were between 16 and 64 years old It was also possible for claimants of Severe Disablement Allowance to receive a 'top-up' of

Income Support Income Support is an income-related benefit in the United Kingdom for some people who are on a low income, but have a reason for not actively seeking work. Claimants of Income Support may be entitled to certain other benefits, for example, Housi ...

payments before that benefit was discontinued. SDA is now being withdrawn and those claimants are being asked to claim ESA instead which requires a fresh application for benefit.

External links

Government Website for SDA

Directgov factsheet about Severe Disablement Allowance (1)

Directgov factsheet about Severe Disablement Allowance (2)

Severe Disablement Allowance information at DWP

Social security in the United Kingdom Disability in the United Kingdom {{UK benefits