One DWP benefit could be worth thousands to pensioners who have a health condition severe enough that they need someone to help look after them
Pensioners with health conditions may be able to get extra money from the DWP(Image: Getty Images/E+)
Pensioners with health conditions could be eligible for extra financial help from the Government. And three common conditions in particular could qualify you for thousands of pounds a year.
The money could come through Attendance Allowance, a benefit delivered by the DWP to people of State Pension age who have a disability or health condition severe enough that they need someone to help look after them. It’s paid at two different rates and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need because of your condition.
However, hundreds of thousands of older people miss out on Attendance Allowance despite being eligible. And families are being encouraged to help pensioners check if they could be eligible for the support.
It can be worth £3,842.80 or £5,644 a year, potentially making a huge difference to someone’s living standards. Three common conditions which will qualify in most cases are arthritis, heart disease and dementia.
The benefit is not means-tested, so income and savings are irrelevant to someone’s ability to claim. This is an important point as some people may think they are too wealthy, or have too much in savings to get extra help.
A massive 1.1 million people are thought to be missing out on the payments, reports BirminghamLive. Money saving expert Martin Lewis has been leading a campaign on Attendance Allowance in a bid to increase awareness.
He said: “For many older people who are ill or start to face mental or physical disability, life doesn’t just get tougher, it gets costlier too. That’s why 18 months ago we launched our Attendance Allowance guide and awareness campaign, and successes have flooded in since. Yet it remains massively underclaimed.”
The higher rate of Attendance Allowance is worth £110.40 a week, while the lower rate provides £73.90 a week. The payments are designed to support medical costs, but it’s up to claimants to decide how the money is spent.
Who is eligible for Attendance Allowance
You can get Attendance Allowance if you’ve reached State Pension age and the following apply:
you have a physical disability (including sensory disability, for example blindness), a mental disability (including learning difficulties), or a health conditionyour disability or health condition is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or someone to supervise you, for your own or someone else’s safetyyou have needed that help for at least six months
You must also:
be in Great Britain when you claim – there are some exceptions, such as members and family members of the armed forceshave been in Great Britain for at least 2 of the last 3 years (this does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islandsnot be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant)not get Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP) or Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA)
This benefit does not cover mobility needs. And you do not have to have someone caring for you in order to claim. Here is more information.