Are you ill or disabled? A benefits guide to Attendance Allowance for older people

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1 Can I get Attendance Allowance? Are you ill or disabled? A benefits guide to Attendance Allowance for older people

2 What is Attendance Allowance? Attendance Allowance is a benefit for people who are 65 or over who have a physical or mental illness or are disabled and need a lot of care or supervision. It is paid on top of other benefits and for some people it can increase the benefit they already get, like the Pension Credit or Housing Benefit. You do not have to pay tax on Attendance Allowance. You can have any amount of savings or income and still get it. Who can claim it? You can claim Attendance Allowance if: you are 65 or over; and you need a lot of care or supervision because you have a mental or physical disability, or you have eyesight or hearing difficulties. You must have needed the care or the supervision for six months, immediately before your award begins. You must have lived in the United Kingdom for six months out of the last twelve months to claim Attendance Allowance. Also you may not be entitled if you have restrictions on your immigration status. The disabled person claims Attendance Allowance and it is paid to them. If you are unable to claim yourself, someone can make a claim for you. You can claim Attendance Allowance even if you: live on your own; live with someone else; have a home carer; have a family carer; don t actually get any help (it is the help you need which counts); live in sheltered housing; are working; are retired; are looking for a job; or are sick. If you get Attendance Allowance, someone who looks after you (a carer) might be able to claim a benefit called Carer s Allowance. What does care or supervision mean? These are only examples, there are many other reasons why you may need care or supervision. Remember you do not have to be getting help to get the allowance, what you have to do is show you have a need for some help. Help includes when someone helps you do something yourself or doing something for you because you cannot do it yourself, reminding or encouraging you to do something. It also includes being around because you may need help with things or there could be a risk of harm to you or other people around you. Some examples are: You can t or you find it hard to: get in or out of bed; wash; shave; brush your hair; clean your teeth; get dressed; do up (or undo) buttons; put your shoes on; cook; walk; stand; get in and out of chairs; use the toilet, bedpans or urinary bottles; or get in or out of the bath; or cook; read; get about safely; or communicate with other people because of eyesight or hearing difficulties. You need to be supervised if someone has to: check to make sure you haven t fallen; remind you to eat or drink, take medicines, switch off fires or remember things; stay with you for a long time because you would not be safe on your own or you might put other people at risk of harm, such as forgetting you have the cooker on; or help you to make simple decisions. How do I claim Attendance Allowance? You can get a claim form by phoning the Benefits Enquiry Line for people with disabilities, on They will send you a dated form. You have six weeks to fill in and send it back. Or you can claim online at 2 3

3 How to fill in the claim form What happens after I claim? The form has been shortened and is much easier to fill in. It asks a number of questions and has examples of the sort of things that count towards getting the benefit. It can be difficult to fill in as some of the questions are quite personal. You also need to make sure you have explained the sort of things you have difficulty with even if the help you need is not on the list on the form. Remember it does not matter if you are not getting any help. The DWP want to know what help you need, not what you get. When you fill in the form, remember that the DWP want to know what you can t do, rather than what you can do. If you can do something (for example, get up from a chair), but it takes you a long time, you find it difficult or you are in pain when you do it, write that down as well. If your condition varies, you should tell them. Remember that the person who decides your claim has never met you and they are making their decision on the information you have given on the form so explain all the problems you have, even if it may seem obvious. It can be useful to keep a diary for a few days before you complete the form to remind yourself of the difficulties you have. If someone else helps care for you ask them to look at the form and put down the things they help you with. If you do not have enough room attach a piece of paper with more information. Fill in the form as soon as you can. A number of organisations may be able to help you, these are listed at the back of the leaflet. Terminal illness There is a faster claim procedure for people who are terminally ill. If you are claiming under the special rules you need to get your doctor or consultant to fill in form DS1500, giving details of your medical condition - or a family member, doctor or another person can do this on your behalf. Then send the form to the DWP. After you claim Attendance Allowance, your form goes to a regional Disability Benefits Centre. (The address is at the back of this leaflet.) The person who decides whether to give you the benefit is not a doctor. If they need more information before deciding your claim, they may telephone you or someone who helps you, write to your doctor, or other health professional, or arrange for another doctor to visit you. If you are awarded Attendance Allowance, your papers will be passed to the office in Blackpool who arrange for it to be paid. The DWP will write to you if you are refused Attendance Allowance. If this happens, you can ask the DWP to look at your claim again. How am I paid? Usually Attendance Allowance will be paid in the same way as your Retirement Pension or Pension Credit. The DWP want to try to pay all benefits into a bank or building society account. If you do not have a bank or building society account you may be able to open one or a new Post Office Card account. For advice on this contact one of the organisations at the back of the leaflet. If you cannot open an account let the DWP know as they will still be able to send you cheques in the post. How much is Attendance Allowance? There are two weekly rates of Attendance Allowance. The higher rate is This is for people who need care, supervision or attention during the day and during the night. The lower rate is This is for people who only need care, supervision or attention during the day or during the night. 4 5

4 What can I do if my claim is refused? What if my circumstances change? If the DWP refuse your claim, or you are unhappy with the amount awarded, get advice from one of the organisations listed at the end of this booklet. Write to the DWP and ask them to look at your claim again. You can ask for your decision to be revised or you can appeal to a tribunal. You must write to them within one month. Send in any extra information that you want to, or ask the DWP to contact your doctor, the hospital, your carer, or anyone who knows what problems you have. If your revision is refused, you can still appeal to an independent tribunal. Will Attendance Allowance affect any other benefits? The DWP pay Attendance Allowance on top of most other benefits, for example, you will be able to get Attendance Allowance and Retirement Pension. If you get Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit or Pension Credit, let Camden Council or the Pension Service office know if you get Attendance Allowance. It might mean that you are now entitled to extra benefit. You should get advice. See below for where to get welfare rights advice. If you go into hospital, your Attendance Allowance normally stops after 28 days. You will need to tell the DWP when you go into hospital and also when you are discharged. If you go into a residential care or nursing home, your Attendance Allowance also stops after 28 days, unless you are paying the full costs of your care fees yourself. Useful numbers and where to get advice You can get more information on benefits from the following website: For a full list of all the agencies who can help you, get a copy of the leaflet Where to go in Camden for advice on welfare rights from your library. Citizens Advice Bureaux (CABx) in Camden Holborn - Holborn Library, 32 Theobalds Road, WCl Kentish Town Kentish Town Road, NW5 Kilburn Kilburn High Road, NW6 If you don t get Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit you should consider claiming these benefits at the same time as you claim Attendance Allowance. This means if you are entitled to these benefits they should be backdated to the date of your claim for Attendance Allowance. If you do not claim before the DWP has made a decision on your Attendance Allowance claim, you should claim Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit as soon as you are awarded Attendance Allowance. You may be able to get these benefits backdated. Attendance Allowance is paid on top of these benefits, so some people find they are a lot better off by getting them. There is one phone number for the CABx in Camden. Phone: Neighbourhood Advice Centres Fitzrovia - 39 Tottenham Street, W1 Phone: fitzroviacentre@yahoo.co.uk Age Concern Camden - The Margaret Hepburn Centre 11 St Chads Street WC1H 8BG Phone: info@ageconcerncamden.org.uk DISC (Disability in Camden) 58 Phoenix Road, NW1 Phone/textphone: advice@discnwl.org.uk You should phone to find out the opening hours for your local advice centre. 6 7

5 The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Benefits Enquiry Line This is for people with disabilities to get a claim form and to get help with filling it in. Phone: Textphone: Bel-Customer-Services@dwp.gsi.gov.uk Disability Benefit Centres If you are claiming Attendance Allowance for the first time and you live in NW1, NW2, NW3, NW5, NW6, NW8, N19, N6 or EC1 you should write to: Wembley Disability Benefits Centre Olympic House Olympic Way Wembley Middlesex HA9 0DL Phone: Textphone: Wembley-DBC-Customer@dwp.gsi.gov.uk If you are already receiving Attendance Allowance or you are claiming Attendance Allowance for the first time and you live in W1, WC1 or WC2 you should write to: Disability Benefits Centre Warbreck House Warbreck Hill Road Blackpool, FY2 0YE Phone: Textphone: DBU-Customer-Service@dwp.gsi.gov.uk If you would like this leaflet in large print or braille, audiotape or in another language, please contact: Camden Welfare Rights Team Town Hall, Judd Street, London WC1H 9BF Tel: Fax: Website: wruinformation@camden.gov.uk Produced by Camden Design and Print 05/06/ phone March 2006