Top 10 Tips on How to Apply for Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance packs are available in large print or braille. Interpreters can also be organised.

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When completing the form, don’t underestimate your needs. Be realistic and note the amount of help needed on bad days, as well as on good ones. Things to think about when completing a claim form include:

Washing

Ask yourself, do you need help getting in and out of the bath or shower, washing your hair or shaving?

Going to the toilet

Do you need help going to the toilet during the day or night? Do you suffer from incontinence? Might you need help with changing beds?

Getting dressed or undressed

Consider whether you need help with getting dressed and undressed.

Mealtimes

Are mealtimes a struggle? Do you need any help with eating or drinking? Do you have difficulty operating the oven, opening cans or doing other things in the kitchen?

Medical treatment

Can you operate your medical devices, such as a hearing aid or safely manage any illnesses, such as diabetes by yourself?  Do you understand which medication to take and when?

Getting around indoors

Do you need help navigating from room to room, getting in and out of bed? Would you benefit from aids and adaptations, such as a bed-raiser, a raised toilet seat; shower seat or a walking frame?

Communicating

If you have poor eyesight, do you need help reading your post? If you’re deaf, can you hear the doorbell?

Supervision

Are you in danger of falling? Do you need someone to watch over you in case you have a seizure or a fall? Do you feel you might be in danger if no one is there to support you?

Give as much detail as you can in each section, with examples. It’s also important to describe how another person helps you – or could help you. This is a key reason to qualify for Attendance Allowance.

You may be asked to give your consent for the Department for Work and Pensions to contact your GP, or the people or organisations involved with looking after you. While you don’t have to agree to this, it might result in the benefit not being made available if you don’t.

It’s worth asking someone to write a statement as it helps reinforce your case. It could be a friend, a relative or a professional person, such as a doctor. If that person understands the rules of the allowance, it will be even better, as they will know what relevant information to include.

You must sign the form yourself, so if someone has been helping you to fill in the form, you should read it through before signing. The exceptions to this rule include if the person filling in the form holds a Power of Attorney, or there are other reasons you can’t sign, such as a mental health problem.

Don’t email the completed form as it won’t be accepted, you’ll need to post it.

Once the application has been received, you might also be asked to attend a medical assessment to check your eligibility, which can be at your home if getting to the assessment is difficult for you.

If possible, take someone who cares for you, such as a family member or friend, to the meeting in case anything isn’t clear. At the assessment, you’ll need to provide identification, which could be a: passport, birth certificate, driving licence, life assurance policy or a bank statement.