Attendance Allowance is a tax-free benefit for people aged 65 and over.  You can claim this benefit if you need help or support to communicate.  You may also apply for Attendance Allowance if you have care or supervision needs because you have other disabilities.

Attendance Allowance is a tax-free benefit for people aged 65 or over who have an illness or disability and need help with personal care.  If you are deaf, you can claim it if you need help or support to communicate.  Attendance Allowance is not affected by savings, and is not usually affected by any other money you have coming in.

Below is a brief summary of Attendance Allowance.  For full information regarding this benefit, please click

www.direct.gov.uk/disabledpeople/financialsupport/fs/en

www.rnid.org.uk/information_resources/factsheets/benefits
/factsheets_leaflets/attendanceallowance.htm

Who can claim Attendance Allowance?

• You can claim for this benefit if you are aged 65 or over
• Have needed help for at least six months
• Living in Great Britain when you make your claim
• Have lived in Great Britain for 26 weeks in the last 12 months

You can get Attendance Allowance even if you are living on your own. 

If you have care needs

To receive Attendance Allowance you are considered to have care needs if:-

• You need help in connection with bodily functions – this includes things such as eating, drinking and using the toilet
• You need help with washing yourself and dressing
• You need help with medical treatment, for example being given medicine or injections, or using a kidney machine
• You need supervision to stop you being a danger to yourself or other people
• You need to be watched over for most of the night

What if I am away from home?

Attendance Allowance is stopped if you are in an NHS hospital for 28 days or more.

The benefit also stops if you are in a care home for more than 28 days and which is provided with the help of the local authority or another government department.

If you are a private patient paying the full cost of your hospital accommodation, Attendance Allowance will continue to be paid.

If you are paying the full cost of your accommodation in a private care home, Attendance Allowance will continue to be paid.

If you are terminally ill

If you have a life expectancy of less than six months, there are special rules to help you get Attendance Allowance quickly and easily.  You will need to get a medical report from your doctor but you can ask your doctor’s receptionist or nurse or your social worker to arrange this.  You do not have to see your doctor.

The claim can be made by a relative or friend without the ill person knowing.  The benefit will still be paid to the ill person, but they will get a letter saying they can claim Attendance Allowance but 'special rules' and 'terminal illness' will not be mentioned.

How Attendance Allowance affects other benefits

If you start to get Attendance Allowance, it may increase other benefits you are getting, e.g. you may get higher levels of Pension Credit, Council Tax benefit and Housing Benefit.

Medical Examination

You may be asked to have a medical examination by a doctor.  This is likely to be by appointment in your own home. 

How do I claim Attendance Allowance?

Contact the Benefits Enquiry Line (BEL).  It is an enquiry line for people with Disabilities only. This is a free advice line run by the Department for Work and Pensions and they can help you fill in your form.  The BEL will normally call you back within five days of your request for help to fill in the form.

 Telephone no.  0800 882 200

 Textphone no.  0800 243 355

BEL’s opening hours are Monday to Friday:  8.30 a.m. until 6.30 p.m. and Saturday from 9.00 a.m. until 1.00 p.m.

Attendance Allowance Helpline

Disability Benefits Unit, Government Buildings, Warbreck House, Warbreck Hill, Blackpool, FY2 0YJ.  Please note:  This is not a freephone helpline and calls are charged at local rate.
 Telephone no. 0845 712 34 56 Textphone no. 08457 224433
 Fax no. 01253 331266  E-mail:  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Website address: www.dwp.gov.uk

Citizens' Advice Bureau and Community Law Centres can also help with filling in forms and representing clients at an appeal tribunal.  This is free legal advice.

Citizens' Advice Bureau (free legal advice)

There are CAB's in the following areas:-

• Alston
• Appleby-in-Westmorland
• Barrow-in-Furness
• Carlisle
• Cleator Moor
• Egremont
• Keswick
• Maryport
• Wigton
• Workington

To find out the addresses and opening times, please click on the following link:-

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice

Community Law Centre (free legal advice)

For Carlisle the Community Law Centre is at 8 Spencer Street, Carlisle, CA1 1BG.  They are open Mondays to Fridays from 10.00 a.m. until 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. until 4.00 p.m.  You can telephone for an appointment or pop in and make an appointment.  Unfortunately, they cannot fund Sign Language interpreters.  The telephone no. is 01228 515129.

For Copeland area the Community Law Centre is at The Senhouse Centre, Whitehaven, CA28 7ES,  They are open from 10.00 a.m. until 12.30 p.m. on Tuesdays only.

For Allerdale area the Community Law Centre is at West Cumbria Trades Hall Centre 39 Brow Top, Workington, CA14 5DP.  They are open from 1.30 p.m. until 4.00 p.m. on Tuesdays only.

The Community Law Centre also has a mobile bus which will visit:

Maryport: In the Co-op Car Park at 10.00 a.m. until 12 noon (Mondays only)

Cockermouth: In the Wilkinson's car park at 2.00 p.m. until 4.00 p.m. (Mondays only)

Cleator Moor: Outside the Library at 10.00 a.m. until 12 noon (Wednesdays only)

The mobile bus does not visit Maryport, Cockermouth and Cleator Moor every week.  You will need to contact the Community Law Centre in Carlisle to find out which dates the mobile bus will visit these areas.