It is one of the most under claimed DWP benefits, despite its wide eligibility criteria.
Around 3.4 million Britons are thought to be missing out on the support while living costs remain high.
Pensioners are being increasingly urged to check if they’re eligible for extra help.
At its highest rate, Attendance Allowance can provide eligible state pensioners with up to £441 a month, which equates to £5,291 per year.
It’s paid at two different rates and how much someone gets depends on the level of care that they need because of their disability.
The lower and higher payment rates are as follows:
- Lower rate: £68.10 per week
- Higher rate: £101.75 per week
People could get £68.10 or £101.75 a week to help with personal support if they’re both:
- Physically or mentally disabled
- State pension age or older
It should be noted that it does not cover mobility needs.
People can get Attendance Allowance if they’ve reached state pension age and the following apply (unless you might have 12 months or less to live):
- They have a physical disability (including sensory disability, for example blindness), a mental disability (including learning difficulties), or both
- Their disability is severe enough for them to need help caring for themselves or someone to supervise them, for their own or someone else’s safety
- They have needed that help for at least six months
If an individual’s circumstances change, they could get a different rate. They must report a change of circumstances or they risk a penalty.
Claimants could get extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction if they get Attendance Allowance.
They can check with the helpline or office dealing with their benefit.
All benefits are paid into one’s bank, building society or credit union account.
To claim, people need to fill out an Attendance Allowance form and clearly outline the help they do need, as well as the help they don’t.
People can get access to a form by either calling the helpline on 0800 731 0122 or downloading it from the Government website.
The full list of conditions that can qualify for Attendance Allowance include:
- Arthritis
- Spondylosis
- Back Pain – other/precise diagnosis not specified
- Disease of the muscles, bones or joints
- Trauma to limbs
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Heart disease
- Chest disease
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Epilepsy
- Neurological diseases
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Motor neurone disease
- Chronic pain syndromes
- Diabetes mellitus
- Metabolic disease
- Traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia
- Major trauma other than traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia
- Learning difficulties
- Psychosis
- Psychoneurosis
- Personality disorder
- Dementia
- Behavioural disorder
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Hyperkinetic syndrome
- Renal disorders
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Bowel and stomach disease
- Blood disorders
- Haemophilia
- Multi-system disorders
- Multiple allergy syndrome
- Skin disease
- Malignant disease
- Severely mentally impaired
- Double amputee
- Deaf/blind
- Haemodialysis
- Frailty
- Total parenteral autrition
- AIDS
- Infectious diseases: Viral disease – coronavirus Covid-19
- Infectious diseases: Viral disease – precise diagnosis not specified
- Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease – tuberculosis
- Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease – precise diagnosis not specified
- Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease – malaria
- Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease – other/precise diagnosis not specified
- Infectious diseases – other/precise diagnosis not specified
- Cognitive disorder – other/precise diagnosis not specified
- Terminally ill
