Britons may be eligible for £92 a week via Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance: Age UK helps man claim benefit

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Claimants can get either £81.85 or £92.40 a week with the amount paid every four weeks, at £247.40 or £369.60 respectively. The benefit is not means tested and does not depend on a person’s income or savings.

An applicant may find it difficult to fill in the Attendance Allowance form as there are some quite personal questions.

The form is also quite long and can be time-consuming to complete, but groups like Citizens Advice and Age UK can help people complete the paperwork.

It’s important to read the notes that come with the Attendance Allowance claim form before filling it in.

A person will need to provide their National Insurance number, their GP’s details and a list of any medication they take.

The DWP uses the information provided in the form to decide what support the person needs.

They want to find out what difficulties a person has, how much help they need and how often they have problems.

How to answer questions about personal tasks

Questions 27-43 on the form ask about a person’s care needs when it comes to personal tasks.

An applicant should provide as much detail as possible about if they:

• Have difficulty or need someone to with personal tasks at least three times during the day
• Have difficulty or need supervision throughout the day, such as if a person has seizures or blackouts
• Have difficulty or need someone to help them with personal tasks repeatedly during the night, or just once if it’s for 20 minutes. This could be getting out of bed or changing sheets
• Need someone to watch over them or supervise them during the night to make sure they are safe – at least three times or just once if it’s for 20 minutes or more.

Keeping a diary

It is worth keeping a diary of one’s needs for at least a week before they fill in the form – Citizens Advice has a diary template that a person can download for free here.

The diary will help the person understand their ‘care needs’, which is help they need to complete personal tasks.

Help with personal tasks does not include things like housework, gardening or general tasks around the home.

Personal tasks can include:

• Getting in or out of bed
• Having a bath or shower
• Getting dressed
• Being reminded or encouraged to eat or drink.

Citizens Advice also recommends including any help a person needs during the night too, and writing how many times they need help with tasks.

If a person is getting help to fill in the form from their nearest Citizens Advice or Age UK, they can take their diary with them.

Tips for filling in the form

Applicants should provide as many details as they can about the help they need.

People don’t need to be receiving help at the moment in order to claim Attendance Allowance – the important thing is that a person needs the support and they can demonstrate this in the form.

Write in the blank boxes

It’s really important to elaborate on the help or supervision that is needed in the blank boxes for Q27-43.

A person should avoid just ticking the boxes or writing how many times they need help or supervision.

They should also not assume the person who considers their application will know about their condition.

The person who decides on their application will not be a medical expert so it’s important to give as much detail as possible so they understand.

No detail of a person’s condition is too small to include, for example, they should tell them if doing the tasks:

• is painful for them
• takes them a long time
• puts them or someone else in danger
• makes them feel breathless
• makes them unsteady.

It’s important to explain how many times a person has difficulties. For example if they need help or have difficulty getting to and from the toilet, they should write the total amount for the day.

It’s fine to repeat oneself in different answers

There is no issue with writing the same thing again if it’s relevant to more than one question.

For example, a person with mobility problems who has difficulty getting to the toilet should explain this in Q28: ‘Do you usually have difficulty or do you need help with your toilet needs?’.

They should also mention their difficulty getting to the toilet in Q31: ‘Do you usually have difficulty or do you need help with moving around indoors?’.

Q25 asks the applicant to write down the adaptations they use: “Please list any aids or adaptations you use,” but they should also write about them in the relevant ‘care needs’ questions.

For example, a person who uses a grab rail to get in and out of the shower should also mention it in Q29: “Do you usually have difficulty or do you need help with washing, bathing, showering or looking after your appearance?”

Explaining good days and bad days

If a person’s illness or disability varies, they should explain how many good or bad days they have on the average week.

The Citizens Advice diary template provides guidance on how to explain this, as it’s important to include details of the help needed on good or bad days.

Explain if certain tasks take longer

If a person can do some personal tasks on their own but they take a long time, this can be explained on the form.

A person may find it helpful to compare how long it takes for them, compared to a friend or someone else they know who doesn’t have their condition.

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