Attendance Allowance: Millions of pensioners missing out – check whether you can get £4,66 | Personal Finance | Finance
Nearly three and a half million more pensioners could be claiming Attendance Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The extra financial help is available to pensioners who are physically or mentally disabled, to help them pay for a carer.
Attendance Allowance is a payment to help pensioners with a severe disability or condition pay for someone to look after them.
It’s paid by the DWP at two different rates depending on the level of care someone needs.
Britons will receive either £60 or £89.60 a week if they are physically or mentally disabled and have reached the state pension age of 66.
But with 3.4 million pensioners estimated to be missing out, campaigners like poverty charity Turn2Us are concerned that not everyone knows about this benefit.
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When it comes to qualifying for Attendance Allowance, eligibility assessments aren’t usually requested like they are for Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
The DWP says that people will only need to attend an assessment if it’s unclear how their illness or disability affects them.
It’s always worth trying again if an individual has been turned down before.
Age UK said: “Your circumstances may have changed since the last time you applied, especially if it was a while ago.
So it’s definitely worth checking someone’s entitlement on the Government website.
What other benefits could I be entitled to?
As well as qualifying for Attendance Allowance, people could also be entitled to Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or a Council Tax reduction.
So it’s definitely worth checking someone’s entitlement on the government website.
Individuals will not be eligible for Attendance Allowance if they already get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
Most people who suffer with a mental health condition or physical disability will be entitled to PIP which is replacing the DLA for many UK residents over 16 and could amount to £608 a month.
Meanwhile, the rules are slightly different if a person is terminally ill and not expected to live for more than six months.
In these circumstances, there is no qualifying period for how long someone has been ill and a person will automatically get the higher rate of Attendance Allowance.
Care home residents won’t usually be entitled to Attendance Allowance because their care is paid for by their local authority.
However, they’ll still be able to claim Attendance Allowance if they pay for all their own care home costs.
