The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have revealed that millions of people in the UK are missing out on benefits by not claiming Attendance Allowance.
The DWP benefit is paid monthly for eligible claimants, reports North Wales Live. People could benefit from this scheme, but it is dependent on their individual circumstances.
The benefit could see their incomes increase up to £4,804.80 a year. Attendance Allowance is known to have a broad eligibility criteria, but 3.4 million pensioners UK-wide are still missing out on the money.
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David Samson, welfare benefit specialist at charity Turn2us said: “Unclaimed benefits are a huge issue in the UK. Whether it is because of an overly complicated system, societal stigma or simply not knowing, there are many reasons why people miss out on their benefits.
“We urge anyone who is unsure of what they are entitled to, to do a benefit calculation to see if there is anything they can claim.”
All the available information on Attendance Allowance is listed below.
Who can claim Attendance Allowance?
Claimants over the State Pension age must have a type of disability or illness. This can include sight or hearing impairments, mobility issues such as arthritis, learning difficulties, or mental health issues such as dementia or psychosis.
The full list of those eligible for Attendance Allowance are as follows:
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
If a person is terminally ill
How do I apply?
In order to apply, people must make it clear that they would benefit from help with personal care, such as getting washed or dressed, eating and drinking, or needing supervision to keep them safe during the day or night. It is also required that people will have needed help up to six months prior to applying for support - however if a person is terminally ill, they can gain help straight away.
A diagnosis is not needed either as long as the claimant has needed help or supervision, or have had difficulties for six months because of their condition, they can claim Attendance Allowance.
People cannot claim the benefits if they are already getting Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), or the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
How much money is available on Attendance Allowance?
The amount is dependent on the person, and is calculated based on how much help is required. However, the funds do not need to be spent on care - it can be spent on things like energy bills.
Attendance Allowance comes in a lower rate and higher rate. The lower rate applies to people who need help during the day or at night and amounts to £61.85 per week.
The higher rate goes to those who need help both during the day and at night, or if they are terminally ill - and they will receive £92.40 a week. Attendance Allowance isn’t a means-tested benefit, meaning current savings or income won’t affect the claim, nor will it impact other benefits received.
Applying for Attendance Allowance can also open doors to other benefits, such as Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, or Council Tax Reduction. Claimants are also eligible for the Government’s “Christmas Bonus”, which is awarded to people on certain benefits during the qualifying week, which is usually the first full week of December.
The Christmas Bonus is a one-off, tax-free, automatic £10 payment made just before Christmas. To pick up an Attendance Allowance form, claimants can either call the helpline on 0800 731 0122 or download the form from the Government website, here .
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