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Social Work vocabulary · Welfare and Benefits

Entitlement

Meaning in social work, with examples

/ɪnˈtaɪtlmənt/nounCommon term

In social work, entitlement means: Something, such as a payment or service, that a person has a legal right to receive if they meet the conditions.

In Turkish: hak, yararlanma hakkı, hak ediş

How it is used

Workers often do an entitlement check, or benefits check, to make sure clients receive everything they are due. The adjective is entitled: be entitled to a benefit. In everyday speech a 'sense of entitlement' is negative, meaning someone expects special treatment.

Example sentences

  1. An entitlement check showed she was missing out on two benefits.

  2. Free school meals are an entitlement for children in families on certain benefits.

Common collocations

  • entitlement check
  • benefit entitlement
  • statutory entitlement
  • be entitled to
  • eligibilityMeeting the conditions, such as age, income, need or residence, that are required to receive a service or payment.
  • benefitsMoney or other support paid by the state to people who are unemployed, ill, disabled, caring for someone or on a low income.
  • claimantA person who applies for or receives a state benefit; in law, also a person who brings a claim against someone in court.
  • allowanceA regular sum of money paid by the state or an organisation for a particular purpose, such as caring, disability or education.

More terms: Welfare and Benefits

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