Attendance Allowance 2022: What changes are happening and do you still qualify?

ATTENDANCE Allowance claimants may need to renew or reapply for their claim in 2022: Here's everything you need to know.

By Samantha Leathers, Lifestyle Reporter

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Attendance Allowance is provided to help cover the additional costs of having a physical or mental disability that requires one to have supervision or assistance. Depending on the type and period of one’s award, claimants may need to renew their claim this year or face losing their benefits accidentally.

Attendance Allowance, unlike Personal Independence Payments, can be awarded for an indefinite period of time. 

However, those with a fixed period for their claim need to renew it before this period ends, providing that they meet the eligibility criteria still. 

If a renewed claim is not made in time, claimants may see their Attendance Allowance stopped and may have to apply for a new claim altogether. 

Claimants on a fixed period should receive a letter and a new claim form from the Department for Work and Pensions roughly four months before their Attendance Allowance ends.

Elderly couple looking concerned at their laptop

Caring for someone who claims Attendance Allowance can make one eligible for Carer's Allowance (Image: GETTY)

The form will need to be completed and sent back before the renewal date noted in the letter.

Claimants are advised that if they have not received a letter within two months before their Attendance Allowance ends to call the DWP Attendance Allowance helpline to ask for a renewal claim form. 

When renewing or having one’s claim reviewed, claimants should try to ensure that they still meet all of the eligibility criteria as they did when they first applied.

Anyone with an indefinite award may also find their claim reviewed by the DWP at any given time, especially if the claimant has reported a change of circumstances. 

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Carer holding an elderly person's hand

Only those over the state pension age can claim Attendance Allowance (Image: GETTY)

This includes:

  • Illness or disability getting better or worse
  • Going into hospital
  • Going into a care home
  • Going into prison
  • Change in name, address, bank or doctor’s details
  • Change in immigration status for non-British citizens
  • Leaving the country for more than four weeks

British citizens living abroad in the EU, EEA or Switzerland may still be eligible to claim Attendance Allowance and more information on this can be found on the Gov.uk website. 

One of the biggest aspects of qualifying for Attendance Allowance is the six month rule. 

Essentially, this states that claimants must have had care or supervision needs for at least six months before they are eligible for the benefit. 

However, this does not mean that claimants need to have a diagnosis before applying and terminally ill claimants with less than six months life expectancy are exempt from this criteria. 

To be eligible for Attendance Allowance claimants must have reached state pension age and the following criteria must be met:

  • Have a physical disability or mental disability or both
  • The disability is severe enough for claimants to need help caring for themselves or require supervision for their own or someone else’s safety.
  • Reside in Great Britain when claiming and have been in Great Britain for at least two of the last three years
  • Not be subject to immigration control

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