Those of state pension age are entitled to multiple other benefits depending on their situation which could boost their income. One of said benefits is Attendance Allowance, a payment administered by the DWP for some of the country’s most vulnerable people. This support was created to help those with the additional costs that arise from having a long-term health condition or illness.
However, claimants of Attendance Allowance have to report major life changes to the DWP or they could lose around £92.40 a week.
This is because an individual’s circumstances could affect how much they are entitled to from the DWP benefit.
The amount of cash someone gets from Attendance Allowance is dependent on the “severity” of their condition, according to the DWP.
The benefit payment for those of state pension age is paid at two different rates, one higher and the other lower, which are given out how the Government department sees fit.
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Pensioners can claim £92.40 a week if they are eligible for the higher amount or £61.85 if they are entitled to the lower rate.
An individual who is currently dealing with a severe health condition or illness could therefore get up to £369.60 monthly from Attendance Allowance.
The DWP highlights on its website that someone is eligible for the payment if they “have a physical disability, a mental disability (including learning difficulties), or both”.
As well as this, claimants must have needed help for at least six months to be eligible for Attendance Allowance.
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Examples of the type of situations which need to be reported to the DWP as they could change how much someone gets from Attendance Allowance include:
- If the amount of help someone needs or their condition changes
- If someone goes into hospital or a care home
- If an individual leaves the country for more than four weeks
- If a person has to go into prison
- If someone changes your name, address or bank details
- If a person wants to stop receiving your benefit
- If a doctor’s details change
- If an individual’s immigration status changes or they are not a British citizen.
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On its website, the Carers Support Centre outlines hypothetical scenarios for two state pensioners who may be entitled to claim Attendance Allowance.
The service stated: “Maud would like to shower each day but cannot do this by herself. Her carer is only able to help her shower once a week but she needs help every day.
“Andrew lives alone and has dementia. He is at risk of self-neglect and quite often puts himself at risk as a result of his memory problems. He can forget to eat and take his medication.
“He also gets confused and anxious. He needs someone to keep an eye on him all the time and make sure that he is safe, even though he doesn’t actually have this level of support.”
However, if any of the circumstances surrounding these two people were to change they would have to inform the DWP of their new situation.
The Carers Support Centre added: “If the person’s needs increase, e.g. they now need help during the night rather than just during the day, they may be entitled to the higher rate of Attendance Allowance.
“They can ask for the claim to be looked at again to try and get the higher rate. In very rare cases Attendance Allowance could be reduced rather than increased, so seek advice if there are any doubts about this.
“If the person’s needs decrease and they think that they no longer meet the criteria for Attendance Allowance, they will need to notify the Attendance Allowance unit of this too.”
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