Nearly 1.7 million people over the state pension age in Great Britain are receiving Attendance Allowance, a lesser-known benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that provides up to £458.40 a month for people with a disability, long-term illness, or physical or mental health condition.
What is Attendance Allowance?
Similar to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or the Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) in Scotland, Attendance Allowance is based on the level of help a person requires, not on their specific diagnosis or the type of help they already receive. The DWP figures reveal 48 specific health conditions recorded on successful claims.
Full list of qualifying conditions
The conditions include: Disease Of The Muscles, Bones or Joints; Learning Difficulties; Coronavirus (COVID-19); Hyperkinetic Syndrome; Haemophilia; Cerebrovascular Disease; Arthritis; Back Pain (Other / Precise Diagnosis not Specified); Metabolic Disease; Major Trauma Other than Traumatic/Paraplegia; Trauma to Limbs; AIDS; Bowel and Stomach Disease; Frailty; Personality Disorder; Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Traumatic Paraplegia; Heart Disease; Chronic Pain Syndromes; Spondylosis; Renal Disorders; Multiple Allergy Syndrome; Multi System Disorders; Multiple Sclerosis; Psychosis; Motor Neurone Disease; Parkinson's; Visual Disorders and Diseases; Blood Disorders; Viral disease (precise diagnosis not specified); Skin Disease; Epilepsy; Dementia; Tuberculosis; Peripheral Vascular Disease; Behavioral Disorder; Cognitive disorder (other); Cystic Fibrosis; Haemodialysis; Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Psychoneurosis; Hearing Disorders; Neurological Diseases; Bacterial disease (precise diagnosis not specified); Respiratory Disorders and Diseases; Asthma; Malignant Disease; and Diabetes Mellitus.
Payment rates and eligibility
Attendance Allowance is paid at two rates: £76.70 or £114.60 per week, depending on the level of support needed. Despite the name, recipients do not have to spend the money on attendants or carers; it can be used for tools and adaptations to maintain independence.
To be eligible, you must have a physical or mental disability or health condition severe enough to require help or supervision for your own or someone else's safety. You must have needed that help for at least six months, though different rules apply for those nearing the end of life. Examples of required help include needing another person or equipment to dress, mobility equipment to get out of bed, or assistance bathing. People with mental health conditions, learning difficulties, or sensory conditions such as deafness or visual impairment are also advised to apply.
Residency and other conditions
You must also: be in Great Britain when you claim (with exceptions for armed forces members and families); have been in Great Britain for at least two of the last three years; be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man, or Channel Islands; and not be subject to immigration control (unless a sponsored immigrant). People already receiving Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Adult Disability Payment, Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance, or Armed Forces Independence Payment cannot get Attendance Allowance. More information is available on the Gov.uk website.
