State pension age Britons with diabetes could get extra £92 per week – check now | Personal Finance | Finance
Many state pensioners are unaware they could be entitled to Attendance Allowance. This is a payment designed for people above retirement age who are living with a disability or health condition.
The benefit is designed to help with extra costs if someone needs a person to look after them.
Individuals do not have to have a carer, but the payment could provide important support.
One condition which could make a person eligible for this kind of help is diabetes.
It is thought more than 4.9million people in the UK currently have diabetes, according to the organisation Diabetes UK.
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This is due to the fact it may have a “substantial, long term, negative impact’ on a person’s day to day life and the ability to carry out activities.
In a similar sense, many people who have type 2 diabetes may also fit into this definition.
For an Attendance Allowance payment to be issued, the condition will need to have an impact on a person’s life.
Some people with diabetes will need care to help them carry out tasks such as personal hygiene, or monitoring for safety and health reasons.
Attendance Allowance is paid weekly at two different rates, and the one a person gets depends on the level of help they need.
For this reason, individuals must report any changes of circumstances to the DWP.
However, the standard sum for Attendance Allowance may not be all the support a person can receive.
Those who are eligible could get help with extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or council tax reduction.
To find out more, individuals will need to check with the helpline or office dealing with their benefit.
Britons will need to use the Attendance Allowance claim form to apply by post.
The document comes with notes telling a person how to fill it in.
The payment can be backdated to the date of a claim, which is usually the date the form is received, or the date the enquiry line is called as long as the claim pack is returned within six weeks.
