Pay carer benefits only for caring for a severely disabled person

changelog.d/2310.fixed.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Pay Carer's Allowance and Carer Support Payment, and count a carer for the Universal Credit carer element, on caring hours only where the new input `cares_for_severely_disabled_person` says the person cared for gets a qualifying disability benefit; it defaults to true, so results change only where a calculation sets it false.

docs/book/programs/gov/dwp/disability-legacy-benefits.md

@@ -94,7 +94,8 @@ annual netting does not represent benefit spells at different weekly rates.
 The focused household tests retain live UC eligibility, disability/carer
 elements and final awards. Legacy receipt and disability-assessment inputs are
 assumptions, not a re-derivation of IB/SDA entitlement. The care-hours interface
-does not identify the person cared for or check their qualifying benefit. No
+does not identify the person cared for, and reads their qualifying benefit only
+from the input `cares_for_severely_disabled_person`, which defaults to true. No
 private-data impact or Axiom parity has been measured.
 
 ## References

policyengine_uk/tests/policy/baseline/finance/benefit/carer_premium.yaml

@@ -19,9 +19,10 @@
 # partners are treated as caring for the same person unless both are entitled
 # with an award: a reported Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment award
 # (carers_allowance_reported carries both), or an entitlement that caring
-# hours do not explain (fewer than 35 a week, or no claim), which was supplied
-# directly. Most cases below with two premiums therefore give both partners a
-# reported award.
+# hours do not explain (fewer than 35 a week, care of someone who isn't
+# severely disabled (cares_for_severely_disabled_person false), or no claim),
+# which an input supplied directly. Most cases below with two premiums
+# therefore give both partners a reported award.
 
 - name: Carer premium for a single claimant entitled to Carer's Allowance
   period: 2026

policyengine_uk/tests/policy/baseline/finance/benefit/family/universal_credit/childcare_element/uc_childcare_work_condition_reg_32.yaml

@@ -128,7 +128,8 @@
     # allowance, so is a "severely disabled person" (SSCBA 1992 s. 70(2)).
     # Sara meets the Carer's Allowance conditions that reg. 30(1)(a)
     # imports, so "both Ben and Sara satisfy the paid work test" (ADM F7013).
-    # The model's is_carer_for_benefits reads only Sara's 40 care hours; it
+    # The model's is_carer_for_benefits reads Sara's 40 care hours and her
+    # cares_for_severely_disabled_person, left at its default of true; it
     # does not check her mother's attendance allowance.
     is_carer_for_benefits: [false, true, false, false]
     uc_childcare_work_condition: [true, false]