Millions could be missing out on a tax-free Department for Work and Pensions benefit worth an eye-watering £441 a month. The DWP offers a variety of benefits for a range of circumstances, but Attendance Allowance remains significantly underclaimed – with UK households urged to check whether they’re eligible.
Attendance Allowance helps with extra costs if you have a disability severe enough that you need someone to help look after you. It’s paid at two different rates and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need because of your disability, the government says.
You could get £68.10 or £101.75 a week to help with personal support if you’re both physically or mentally disabled and State Pension age or older. But it does not cover mobility needs, the government says in a handy guide to the benefit on its website.
The full list of conditions that can qualify for Attendance Allowance include arthritis, spondylosis and back Pain – other/precise diagnosis not specified. Disease of the muscles, bones or joints is also listed, alongside trauma to limbs, blindness, deafness, heart disease and chest disease.
Asthma, Cystic fibrosis, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease and epilepsy are also listed, as is neurological diseases, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Motor neurone disease, Chronic pain syndromes and diabetes mellitus, as well as metabolic disease, traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia, major trauma other than traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia and learning difficulties, are also listed.
Psychosis, psychoneurosis, personality disorder, dementia and behavioural disorder also make the list, as does alcohol and drug abuse, hyperkinetic syndrome, eenal disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, bowel and stomach disease, blood disorders and haemophilia. Multi-system disorders, multiple allergy syndrome, skin disease and malignant disease are also listed, as is severely mentally impaired, double amputee, deaf/blind, haemodialysis, frailty, total parenteral autrition and AIDS.
Infectious diseases – from Covid to tuberculosis, malaria and being terminally ill are also listed. With it totalling up to £5,291 a year, it could be worthwhile for people to check if they’re eligible.
