Attendance Allowance for dementia explained

Attendance Allowance is a weekly benefit for older adults who have a long-term physical or mental disability that means they need extra help. This often includes people with dementia. It is paid directly to the person with the disability.

Who qualifies for Attendance Allowance?

To qualify for Attendance Allowance, there are specific criteria that must be met, which include:

Age

The person claiming must be over State Pension age (younger people may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment).

Medical conditions

The person claiming must have a disability or physical or mental illness, this includes conditions such as dementia as well as sight or hearing impairments.

Other considerations

The person claiming will need assistance with personal care, including washing and dressing. They may also need supervision to keep them safe during the day or night.

In addition, the person claiming will have needed help for the past six months. In the case of terminally ill people, the person can make a claim straight away.

How much is Attendance Allowance?

There are two rates of funding, depending on how much care the person needs:

Lower rate

The lower rate is £73.90 per week and is for people who need frequent help or constant supervision during the day or supervision at night.

Higher rate

The higher rate is £110.90 a week for people who need help or supervision throughout the day AND night, or those who are likely to have less than 12 months to live.

How long is Attendance Allowance paid out?

When a decision is made, it will include whether the benefit is awarded for a fixed amount of time or indefinitely. If it is for a fixed period of time, you will be told when it ends, and a new claim form will be sent to you before the current award ends.

Guidance for applying for Attendance Allowance

What do you need to apply for Attendance Allowance?

To apply, you’ll need the following:

• National Insurance number
• Address and contact details
• Details of the disability or health condition for which the person needs extra help
• GP surgery or medical centre details
• Care home, hospital or hospice details if the person is staying in one of these places

Applying in England, Scotland and Wales

To apply for Attendance Allowance in England, Scotland or Wales, you will need to fill in the Attendance Allowance claim form.

The form should be posted to Freepost DWP Attendance Allowance – you do not need a stamp or postcode.

You cannot submit the form online.

If you would like a hard copy of the form or an alternative format (eg braille, large print or audio CD), contact the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122.

If you have any technical difficulties with the form, contact the helpdesk on 0800 169 0154 or email dwponline.helpdesk@dwp.gov.uk .

Applying in Northern Ireland

You will need to download a different  Attendance Allowance application  form in Northern Ireland.
It can be handed in at a Jobs and Benefits Office, or posted to:

Attendance Allowance
Disability and Carers Service
Mail Opening Unit
PO Box 42
Limavady
BT49 4AN

For any queries, call 0800 587 0912.

Filling out the ‘care needs’ section

The main sections of the application form are the ‘Care needs’ sections – one for care needs during the day, and the other for care needs at night.

These cover what help the person needs with:

• getting into or out of bed
• toilet needs
• washing, bathing, showering or looking after their appearance
• dressing and undressing
• moving around indoors
• falls or stumbles
• eating, drinking or cutting up food
• taking medicine or medical treatments
• communication
• hobbies, interests, religious or social activities
• supervision
• needing help or supervision at night

You will need to answer questions about each of these different areas. Where there is a box for adding additional information, include as much detail as you can about the person’s difficulties.

The section on eating, drinking or cutting up food is one of the most important sections that the assessors will focus on. You will need to make it clear if the person with dementia is unable to plan, purchase and prepare food and drink, especially if they are totally dependent on others for these processes.

When filling out the ‘Care needs’ sections:

• Refer to the Attendance Allowance information booklet
• Base your answers on the person’s bad days
• Include as much detail as you can about the person’s needs, even if it feels obvious to you – the assessor may not have specialist knowledge of dementia and how it affects people
• You can submit information from the person’s health and social care professionals, eg assessment reports, their care plan, prescriptions or other similar documents
• Do not rush the application. Once you have finished, take a few days to consider if there are any details that you have missed
• Read back through the form carefully before you send it in

Attendance Allowance special rules

People who have been told by a medical professional that they are unlikely to live for more than 12 months can apply for Attendance Allowance using ‘special rules’. This can speed up the process, so the benefit is paid sooner.

If the person qualifies under special rules, they will be eligible for the higher rate of payment.

As well as the Attendance Allowance application form, you will need to send in a form called SR1, which you can get from the GP, a nurse or a social worker. They will either fill the form out for you or give it to you to fill out.

Assessment for Attendance Allowance

An assessment is only needed to check eligibility if it’s unclear how a health condition or disability impacts the person applying. If required, they will be invited to an assessment by letter. During their assessment, a medical professional will examine them to determine how they’re impacted.

If the person is rejected for Attendance Allowance

If an application is turned down, the letter will explain why. If the person is unhappy with the decision, they can request a ‘mandatory reconsideration’ within one month of the date on the decision letter.

Challenging the claim

The person can challenge the claim by writing to the address on the decision letter, by phone, or by completing a Mandatory Reconsideration Request Form.

If the person lives in Northern Ireland, you can find out about appealing the decision on the Government services website.

It is best to contest the decision by letter or form so there is a written record of the points they have raised. Make a copy so you can re-send it if it goes missing or refer to it later if they need to.

If the mandatory reconsideration request is not submitted within a month, they can still apply, but they must have a good reason for the delay, eg a hospital admission or bereavement.

If mandatory reconsideration is unsuccessful, they can appeal to a tribunal where a judge will look at the case and decide if the decision is fair.

If circumstances change

If the circumstances of the person receiving Attendance Allowance change, they must let the Department for Work and Pensions know by calling the helpline.

For example:

• The person’s condition changes – ie gets better or worse
• The person’s care needs increase or decrease
• The person goes into hospital for more than four weeks – they should contact the helpline again when they leave hospital
• The person goes into a care home or hospice
• The person moves to another country
• The person goes to prison

Attendance Allowance and other benefits

Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, which means it is not affected by the person’s income, savings, or any other benefits they receive.

Getting Attendance Allowance could actually mean they are entitled to further benefits, or an increase in some benefits, including Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction.

If you care for someone who receives Attendance Allowance, you may be entitled to Carer’s Allowance.

Attendance Allowance and PIP

You will not be entitled to Attendance Allowance if you are already receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP).