Attendance Allowance for UK pensioners, Digi Mart USA News: Money-saving expert Martin Lewis has urged pensioners to check whether they are missing out on thousands of pounds a year through an “underclaimed” state benefit that is not means-tested.
Attendance Allowance is designed for people aged 66 and over with disabilities or serious health conditions requiring regular care. It is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The benefit is paid at two rates, £76.70 or £114.60 per week, depending on the level of care required, potentially delivering an extra £3,988.40 or £5,959.20 each year.
Crucially, eligibility is not determined by income or savings, so all qualifying claimants receive the payment regardless of their financial circumstances. Lewis said that 1.1 million people in the UK may be missing out on the benefit.
He noted that this figure came from himself and his team, and that Policy in Practice had worked it out, and that it is not a government figure.
Lewis said the payment is meant to provide extra money for people who need help and support. “It’s pretty binary: you either qualify for it or you don’t qualify for it,” he said.
Lewis cautioned that people entitled to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance cannot receive both, and that those benefits tend to be better for them. To qualify, claimants need help or supervision for six months.
Help means help with daily living, and supervision means avoiding dangers to oneself. Claimants do not have to be receiving the help, only need it.
Lewis also cited a definition from Lord Denning, Master of the Rolls in 1981, describing help with bodily functions including breathing, hearing, seeing, eating, drinking, walking, sitting, sleeping, getting in or out of bed, dressing, undressing and eliminating waste products.
A wide variety of common health conditions may make people eligible, including arthritis, vision problems, heart conditions, Parkinson’s disease and breathing difficulties such as asthma. Lewis’s figures show arthritis as the most common condition among entitled claimants, with 533,990, followed by dementia at 213,742 and heart disease at 135,639.
Applications can be made online or by post. Applicants need their National Insurance number, address and contact details, details of the disability or health condition, details of their GP surgery or medical centre, and details of any care home, hospital or hospice where they currently stay.
Claimants receive a text or letter within three weeks explaining when a decision can be expected, followed by a letter with the outcome. A different claim route applies in Northern Ireland for people nearing the end of life.
The DWP confirms that while the benefit is designed to help with care costs, recipients have complete freedom over how the money is spent.
