10 November 2023 , 09:49
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Millions of older Brits may be eligible to claim £400 a month from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if they have one of these 56 medical conditions or disabilities.
Attendance Allowance is a benefit given to those over the State Pension age (66 years) who need help with day-to-day personal care or supervision due to their illness or disability. It also isn't means-tested, which means your income or savings are not taken into consideration when claiming.
Attendance Allowance has been described as being one of the DWP's most underclaimed benefits with around 3.4million people in the UK eligible to claim but not.
The DWP offers claimants up to £441 each month depending on the severity of their situation. For 2023/24, the rates are higher at £101.75 per week and lower at £68.10 per week. More than 1.4 million older people were receiving additional financial support by the end of November 2022.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no set condition which makes you eligible for Attendance Allowance - this is because it is dependent on the care/support you need to manage day-to-day life.
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So if you have arthritis but are able to safely look after yourself then you may not be able to claim, however, if you need someone to help you cook or support you with personal tasks due to the pain you experience then you may be eligible.
According to DWP data, there are 56 health conditions and disabilities which Attendance Allowance claimants most commonly claim for and these include things such as:
- 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 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
- Terminal Illness
If you are terminally ill and not expected to live more than 12 months, then you will be able to claim - there is also a quicker application process for people who are terminally ill and you should receive a decision within two weeks.
You won't be able to claim Attendance Allowance if you already receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), or the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Although if you do claim, then it will not affect any other benefits you get.
To claim, you will need to fill out an Attendance Allowance form and you can access one by either calling the helpline on 0800 731 0122 or downloading it from the Government website, here.