Britons with respiratory conditions could get benefit worth up to £5,300 a year

State pensioners with respiratory conditions such as asthma are urged to check if they qualify to claim Attendance Allowance, which can pay up to £5,291 a year.

Attendance Allowance is a benefit distributed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to people of state pension age (currently 66) or over and happens to be significantly underclaimed.

The eligibility criteria to receive the benefit are broad and many common health conditions can qualify a person for the support.

Some of the most claimed-for conditions are respiratory-related and these currently make up the top five medical conditions to qualify, according to data extracted from the DWP’s stat explorer. As of November 2022, up to 89,789 were claiming for respiratory conditions, which made up 5.68 percent of claims.

Respiratory conditions can range from asthma to cystic fibrosis and according to the NHS, impact one if five people in the UK, making it likely that even more people may qualify for the benefit than the number that are already claiming.

Who is eligible to claim Attendance Allowance?

People must be of or over the state pension age (66) and be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands to claim Attendance Allowance.

The claimant must also be in Great Britain (England, Scotland, or Wales) to claim – they also must have also been in Great Britain for the last two years.

Britons must also have a type of disability or illness which is severe enough that support or supervision is required to help with personal care. People may also be eligible if they have difficulties with smaller, personal tasks, experience pain or need physical help.

People must have needed help or had difficulties for the past six months. Britons also don’t need to have had a diagnosis for their condition to apply.

However, it should be noted, Britons won’t be able to claim Attendance Allowance if they already receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), or the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

Attendance Allowance rates 2023

The amount of Attendance Allowance paid will depend on how much help is needed, but the money doesn’t need to be put towards care. There are two rates of Attendance Allowance offered, the lower rate and the higher rate.

The lower rate applies to people who need help during the day or at night and currently amounts to £68.10 per week.

The higher rate is aimed at those who need help during both the day and at night or have a terminal illness. This rate is currently paid at £101.75 per week.

Attendance Allowance isn’t a means-tested benefit, which means current savings or income will not bear any impact on a claim, nor will it impact other benefits a person may get.

To claim, people need to fill out a form clearly outlining the help they do need, as well as the help they don’t. Claimants are suggested to include how many times a day help is needed and be as detailed as possible.

To pick up the form, people can either call the helpline on 0800 731 0122 or download it from the Government website.