The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has announced changes to the legal aid eligibility rules to ensure those receiving cost of living payments are not disadvantaged when applying for legal aid.
The payments which will be disregarded from 10 January 2023 are being made under the:
- Energy Prices Act 2022
- Social Security (Additional Payments) Act 2022
This change means expanding the list of payments to be disregarded when calculating an individual’s financial eligibility for legal aid.
The changes, to include these new disregards, will apply to both the civil and criminal legal aid means test schemes.
The LAA said:
“Making this change now will align this initiative with legal aid eligibility assessments.
The idea is to ensure funds received under this government initiative do not have to be used to pay for legal services.”
Changes have been effective as of 10th January 2023.
