THOUSANDS over state pension age could be eligible for extra benefits if they suffer from a medical condition.
The help comes through the attendance allowance, which is designed to help with extra costs if you have a disability severe enough you need someone to look after you.
Brits over state pension age could be eligible for extra benefits if they suffer from a medial condition
Attendance allowance can be paid at two different rates, depending on the care you need. Both are paid weekly.
The lower rate is £61.85, which you get if you receive frequent help or constant supervision during the day or supervision at night.
The higher rate is £92.40, which you get if you need help or supervision throughout both day and night, or a medical professional has told you you might have six months or less to live.
Over a whole year, the higher rate benefit adds up to just over £4,800 – so putting in a claim could be worth your while.
What you get may go up or down if your circumstances change though, and any changes should be reported to the Department for Work and Pensions.
You could also get extra pension credit, housing benefit or a council tax reduction if you get attendance allowance as well.
Here we explain who’s eligible and how to claim.
Am I eligible for attendance allowance?
You can claim attendance allowance if you’re over state pension age (currently 66) and you have one of a number of ailments. They are listed below.
You also need to have been receiving help for at least six months, although if you’re terminally ill you can make a claim straightaway.
The full list of health conditions that help you qualify for attendance allowance are:
- 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
- Parkinsons 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 Nutrition
- 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
There are 57 categories of medical conditions you can claim with, but the most common ones are arthritis and dementia.
You can also claim for mental health conditions and learning difficulties.
Attendance allowance will not cover mobility needs.
To make a successful claim, you must be in Great Britain at the time of the claim, although there are some exceptions, and you must also have been in Great Britain for at least two of the preceding three years.
This second rule does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status.
You must be “habitually present”, or physically present, in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Island and can’t be subject to immigration control, unless you’re a sponsored immigrant.
You might be able to get attendance allowance if you’re a UK national living in or moving to the EU, European Economic Area or Switzerland.
For more details, you should read the government’s guidance.
If you live in a care home which is paid for by the local authority, you won’t be eligible for the attendance allowance.
However, if you pay for your care costs you will be eligible.
How do I claim attendance allowance?
To claim, you simply have to fill in the attendance allowance claim form to apply by post.
You should address the form to “Freepost DWP Attendance Allowance”. You don’t need a postcode or a stamp.
If you want a copy of the form or are having difficulties filling out the claim, you can call the attendance allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122.
The phone line is open from Monday to Friday 8am – 6pm
Attendance allowance can be backdated to the date you made your claim.
This will usually be the date your form is received, or the date you call the inquiry line.
But you have to have returned the claim form within six weeks to get the backdated payments.
How to check if you’re getting what you’re entitled to
Anyone can check if they are eligible for benefits using a simple calculator tool.
Entitledto’s free calculator works out whether you qualify for various benefits, including attendance allowance.
If you run out of time to complete the form in one go you can save your results and come back later but you will need to sign in or register.
You can do this using Facebook, Google or by setting up an Entitledto account.
If you don’t want to register, consumer group MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data that let you save your results without logging in.
Instead, you’re provided with a unique code to note down and use when you want to revisit the questionnaire.
You will also find benefit calculators from Turn2Us and Policy in Practice.
Any calculator you use will give you an idea of what you could get, but you’ll then have to make a claim for the benefit itself.
What other benefits can I claim with attendance allowance?
Just because you’re receiving attendance allowance, that doesn’t mean you can’t get extra benefits on top.
You might be able to get help with your council tax, even if you’re already getting a reduction.
Your local council can check what Council Tax Reduction you should be getting.
If you don’t know who your local council is, you can use the government’s locator tool.
You might also be able to apply for Pension Credit or Universal Credit if you live with a partner under State Pension age as well.
Nor will you be affected by the Benefit Cap if you or your partner get Attendance Allowance.
The benefit cap limits what households can claim per year.
If you want to know whether your specific benefits will be affected by receiving Attendance Allowance, you should contact the office dealing with that benefit.
They will then assess you to see what other help you might be entitled to.
One thing to note is that you might need to send them a copy of your Attendance Allowance decision letter.
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