Changes to your Condition

If you are receiving any of the payments from WIBSS and you receive treatment so that your Hepatitis C is now undetectable, you are still eligible for the WIBSS payments and therefore do not need to notify us of any improvements in your condition.

If there is any deterioration to your current mental or physical health, you may be entitled to either enhanced stage 1+ or Stage 2. Please click on the drop downs below for more information.

Enhanced Stage 1+

From 2018 an Enhanced Payment Scheme for those beneficiaries with Chronic Hepatitis C stage I, who are experiencing significant mental health issues or post-traumatic stress (PTS) was introduced. If the application was successful, the payment rate would increase to the rate of a Stage 2 beneficiary.

If beneficiaries are suffering from any mental health issues or post-traumatic stress; feel these issues are related to their infection from contaminated blood or blood products; and the symptoms are affecting their ability to carry out day to day activities, they are available to apply to these payments. There will be no need for further assessment because the person has already been diagnosed with hepatitis C infection from infected blood or blood products and should already be receiving Hepatitis C Stage 1 payments.

If you wish to apply please contact WIBSS for an application form, or please click Here for the application form. For payment rates please click Here.

Stage 2 Hepatitis C

As a current Hepatitis C Stage 1 or Enhanced Stage WIBSS beneficiary, if there is a deterioration to your physical health, you may qualify to receive Advanced Stage 2 Hepatitis C support if you have or have had any of the following:

Cirrhosis of the liver
Primary liver cancer
B cell non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
If you have received or are on the waiting list for a liver transplant

To claim this funding, you should complete the Advanced Stage 2 Hepatitis C application form – available here and relevant guidance can be found here.

Once you have completed your sections of the form, you should pass this to a relevant doctor who will need to provide some clinical information to confirm you have one of the conditions specified above. This could be a Hepatitis C clinical specialist (either a hepatologist or an infectious diseases consultant) or it could be another consultant if they are involved in treating your illness.

Once your form has been considered by WIBSS, if it is confirmed you are eligible for Advanced Hepatitis C support, you will receive your additional lump sum payment and your regular payment will start as soon as possible. The higher rate will be backdated to the date WIBSS received your application.

WIBSS will aim to provide a decision on all applications within 25 working days, although it may take longer if we need to ask you or your doctor for any additional information.

Please contact WIBSS if you have any queries; are not sure which form to complete; or would like help with completing the forms. If you require a hard copy of the form, please contact WIBSS and one will be sent to you in the post.

Any changes to your personal information or if you would like to change your contact preferences then please complete the appropriate forms here.