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Funding for ergonomic furniture

Help with funding - Access to Work

Employers have an onbligation under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his/her employees.
As many people now work at computer workstations, using screen equipment or VDU's, there are regulations aimed at protecting the health of these people. A DSE assessment should be carried out by every employer for every employee using computers and similar equipment. The assessment highlights where problems can be alleviated and where potential problems can be avoided, Productivity can increase and sickness avoided by making people more comfortable at work.
Government funding may be available to help employers pay for recommended equipment for people with disabilities or whose health may be compromised without some specialised equipment.
The government scheme is called Access to Work. and applies to those whose health or disability conditions have a long-term effect on how they can do their job and who is:

in a paid job;
unemployed and about to start a job;
unemployed and about to start a Work Trial; or
self-employed.

We have supplied a little information here about the scheme,including where you can find out more about it.

Access to Work Funding

As at 1 April 2010 the Access to Work (ATW) funding level was revised. The table below summarises our understanding of the funding available:

		Government Funding for:
		New Employee (less than 6 weeks)	Employee for more than 6 weeks
Business Size	Self Employed	100%	100%
	1-9 employees	100%	100%
	10-49 employees	100%	80% of costs over £300
	50-249 employees	100%	80% of costs over £500
	250+ employees	100%	80% of costs over £1,000

Details to confirm this level of funding are reproduced on the following pages from the following Government websites:

www.direct.gov.uk
www.businesslink.gov.uk

Access to Work Information from public services web sites

Access to Work - practical help at work from www.direct.gov.uk.
Access to Work can help you if your health or disability affects the way you do your job. It gives you and your employer advice and support with extra costs which may arise because of your needs.
About Access to Work
Access to Work might pay towards the equipment you need at work, adapting premises to meet your needs, or a support worker. It can also pay towards the cost of getting to work if you cannot use public transport.
If you need a communicator at job interviews, Access to Work may be available, too.
Who can get Access to Work
You may be able to get Access to Work if you are:

in a paid job;
unemployed and about to start a job;
unemployed and about to start a Work Trial;
self-employed; and

and your disability or health condition stops you from being able to do parts of your job.
Your disability or health condition may not have a big effect on what you do each day, but may have a long-term effect on how well you can do your job.
How to contact Access to Work
If you feel that the type of work you do is affected by a disability or health condition that is likely to last for 12 months or more, contact your regional Access to Work contact centre to check whether you can get help.
Alternatively, ask the Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) at your local Jobcentre about Access to Work.
Getting help - the process
If you are likely to be eligible for Access to Work, you will be sent an application form to fill in and send back.
When the completed form has arrived back, an Access to Work adviser will contact you. The adviser will usually speak to you and your employer to reach a decision about the best support for you. In most cases, this can be done over the telephone, but a visit can be arranged if necessary.
Sometimes specialist advice may be needed, which the Access to Work adviser will help to arrange. For example, your adviser may arrange for a specialist organisation to complete an assessment and recommend appropriate support.
In this case, a confidential written report will be sent to the Access to Work adviser, who will use this information to help them decide on the right level of support.
Your employer's responsibilities
Once your adviser has decided on the package of support they feel is appropriate, they will seek formal approval of their recommendations from Jobcentre Plus. You and your employer will then receive a letter informing you of the approved level of support and the grant available.
It is the responsibility of your employer (or you, if you are self-employed) to arrange the agreed support and buy the necessary equipment. Your employer can then claim repayment of the approved costs from Access to Work.
Your Access to Work grant
The amount of help which you may receive from Access to Work will vary depending on how long you have been employed, what support you need and whether you are self-employed.

Access to Work can pay up to 100 per cent of the approved costs if you are:

unemployed and starting a new job;
self-employed; or
working for an employer and have been in the job for less than six weeks .

Whatever your employment status, Access to Work will also pay up to 100 per cent of the approved costs of help with:

support workers ;
fares to work;
communicator support at interview.

Access to Work pays a proportion of the costs of support if all of the following apply to you:

you're working for an employer;
you've been in the job for six weeks or more ;
you need special equipment or adaptations to premises .

The precise level of cost sharing is determined as follows:

employers with 1 to 9 employees will not be expected to share costs ;
employers with 10 to 49 employees will pay the first £300 and 20 per cent of costs up to £10,000 ;
employers with 50 to 249 employees will pay the first £500 and 20 per cent of costs up to £10,000; and
large employers with 250 or more employees will pay the first £1,000 and 20 per cent of costs up to £10,000.

Access to Work information from Business Link

Lots of help is available on the web site www.businesslink.gov.uk.

Support if you employ someone who is disabled
Access to Work is a government-run programme delivered by Jobcentre Plus to help overcome barriers that disabled people come across in getting or keeping work. The programme helps by providing advice, an assessment of your employee's disability needs in the workplace and if required, a financial grant towards the cost of any necessary support.
Access to Work enables disabled people to contribute to the success of your business.

Who is Access to Work for?
Access to Work can provide a grant towards the additional employment costs resulting from an employee's disability that an employer would not normally be expected to provide.
To be eligible for Access to Work the applicant must be:

in a paid job ;
unemployed and about to start a job ;
unemployed and about to start a work trial ;
self-employed ; or
on permitted work

The person's disability or health condition must stop them from being able to do parts of their job, and this must be likely to last for 12 months or more.
Access to Work can pay towards specialist equipment an employee needs, adapting premises to meet their needs, or a support worker. It can also pay towards the cost of getting to and from work if the employee is unable to use public transport.
The programme is broken down into six elements, each offering a specific type of help:

adaptation to premises and equipment;
communicator support at interview;
travel within work ;
special aids and equipment ;
support worker; and
travel to work.

Depending on your employee's circumstances, Jobcentre Plus may provide support under more than one of these elements.

Applying for Access to Work
If your employee is eligible for support under the Access to Work programme, they will need to submit an application. Applications are taken by telephone and a form is sent to the employee for them to sign and return. Once returned, the application will be allocated to an adviser in your area.
The Access to Work adviser will then contact the employee and conduct an appraisal of their needs. The adviser will also need to speak to the employee's line manager. In most cases, this can be done by telephone, but a visit may be necessary and can be arranged if requested by you.
Specialist advice may be required in some circumstances and the Access to Work adviser will help to arrange this. For example, the adviser may arrange for a specialist organisation to complete a technical or work station assessment in order to recommend appropriate support.
In these cases, a confidential written report will be sent to the Access to Work adviser, which will help inform them of the required level of support.
The level of support your employee will receive
Access to Work can pay up to 100 per cent of the approved costs if your employee is:

unemployed and starting a new job; or
in employment, but has been working for you for less than six weeks

Access to Work will pay a proportion of the costs of support if all of the following apply to your employee:

they've been in the job for six weeks or more and ;
they need special equipment or adaptations to premises

The precise level of cost sharing is determined as follows:

employers with 1-9 employees will not attract a cost share ;
employers with between 10-49 employees will pay the first £300 and 20 per cent of costs up to £10,000 ;
employers with between 50-249 employees will pay the first £500 and 20 per cent of costs up to £10,000 ; and
large employers with over 250 employees will pay the first £1,000 and 20 per cent of costs up to £10,000 .

Access to Work will review your employee's circumstances and the support they are receiving on an annual basis.

Lundia/Access to Work testimonial

"It’s amazing how over the years you come to take things for granted. Like thousands of others I spend too long at my desk staring at a PC in a chair that seemed liked a good idea ten years ago. The resultant neck, shoulder and lower back pain I attributed to anno domini and not observing a New Year’s resolution to go to the gym.

When my physiotherapist suggested a change of chair might improve matters, I was doubtful, and deterred by the relatively high cost of an orthopedically designed chair. Three things changed my mind:

the tremendous quality of the RH range of chairs;
the depth of understanding and help from Lundia staff; and
a grant from Access to Work for the full reimbursement of costs.

Three months down the track I can honestly report a marked reduction in the aches and pains described above. I am conscious of improved posture and feel comfortable at my desk. I can’t be certain, but I feel this positively influences my work. Even if I had had to pay for the chair, I feel it would have been an excellent investment. " PL York

Access to Work Contacts

Here are the contact details of the three regional contact centres that deal with claims for Access to Work.
Contact the centre covering the area where you work by telephone, textphone, fax, email or by post. Please note that there are no walk-in facilities; these are postal addresses only.
Glasgow
Contact this centre if you work in:

Scotland;
North West England;
North East England; or
Yorkshire and Humberside.

Jobcentre Plus
Access to Work Operational Support Unit
Anniesland JCP
Baird Street
Glasgow G90 8AN

Telephone: 0141 950 5327
Textphone: 0845 6025850
Fax: 0141 950 5265

Email: atwosu.glasgow@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

London
Contact this centre if you work in:

South East England;
London; or
East of England.

Jobcentre Plus
Access to Work Operational Support Unit
Nine Elms Lane
London SW95 9BH

Telephone: 020 8426 3110
Textphone: 020 8426 3133
Fax: 020 8426 3134

Email: atwosu.london@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

Cardiff
Contact this centre if you work in:

South West England;
Wales;
West Midlands; or
East Midlands.

Jobcentre Plus
Access to Work Operational Support Unit
Alexandra House
377 Cowbridge Road East
Cardiff CF5 1WU

Telephone: 02920 423 291
Textphone: 02920 644 886
Fax: 02920 423 342

Email: atwosu.cardiff@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

Disabled Students' Allowances

Similarly, Disabled Students' Allowances are grants to help with the extra costs a student may face as the direct result of a disability (including an ongoing health condition, mental health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia).
Find out more at www.direct.gov.uk.