With the cost of living crisis affecting households across the UK, the rising prices of everyday essentials have left many low-income families struggling to make ends meet.
Those being hit hardest by the climbing costs are being urged to check what help is out there - and some could be missing out on lifeline payments each month. One of these payments is Attendance Allowance, which is paid to help with extra costs for those with disabilities that require someone to help look after them.
If you’re of State Pension age, which is currently 66, or older and receive help at home due to a disability, you could be eligible to receive up to £370 per month. But Attendance Allowance is the most underclaimed benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with eligible people missing out, reports The Express .
READ MORE: Cost of living payments you’re entitled to as families struggle to make ends meet
Attendance Allowance is paid in two different rates of either £61.85 or £92.40 per week, with the amount you get depending on the level of care that you need because of your disability. You don’t need a full-time carer to qualify for the payments, but you must have needed help for at least six months in order to be eligible.
Those who need “frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night” can claim the lower rate of £61.85, according to the Gov.uk website. The higher rate is for those who require “help or supervision throughout both day and night”, or for people who are terminally ill with less than six months to live.
Both physical and mental disabilities are considered when it comes to eligibility for Attendance Allowance, with more than 50 health conditions qualifying for the benefit. Here is the full list:
Arthritis
Spondylosis
Back Pain – Other / Precise Diagnosis not Specified
Disease of The Muscles, Bones or Joints
Trauma to Limbs
Blindness
Deafness
Heart disease
Chest disease
Asthma
Cystic Fibrosis
Cerebrovascular Disease
Peripheral vascular Disease
Epilepsy
Neurological Diseases
Multiple Sclerosis
Parkinson's Disease
Motor Neurone Disease
Chronic Pain Syndromes
Diabetes Mellitus
Metabolic Disease
Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia
Major Trauma Other than Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia
Learning Difficulties
Psychosis
Psychoneurosis
Personality Disorder
Dementia
Behavioural Disorder
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Hyperkinetic syndrome
Renal Disorders
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Bowel and Stomach Disease
Blood Disorders
Haemophilia
Multi System Disorders
Multiple Allergy Syndrome Skin Disease
Malignant Disease
Severely Mentally impaired
Double Amputee
Deaf/Blind
Haemodialysis
Frailty
Total Parenteral Nutrition
AIDS
Infectious diseases: Viral disease - Coronavirus covid-19
Infectious diseases: Viral disease - precise diagnosis not specified
Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease – Tuberculosis
Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease – precise diagnosis not specified
Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease – Malaria
Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease – other / precise diagnosis not specified
Infectious diseases - other / precise diagnosis not specified
Cognitive disorder - other / precise diagnosis not specified
Terminally Ill
Those who think they may be eligible for Attendance Allowance can apply by post using a claim form which can be found on the Gov.uk website . You can't claim Attendance Allowance if you already get Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP).
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