State pensioners with certain health conditions can get up to £5,959.20 per year under Andy Burnham's government with a single claim to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The money comes from the DWP benefit Attendance Allowance, which provides people who have reached State Pension with extra costs if they have a physical or mental disability, or a health condition that requires a certain level of care. The benefit is paid at two different rates, with the amount you get from the DWP determined by the level of care you need due to your condition.
Rates uplifted by 3.8% in April
Both the lower and higher rate were uplifted by 3.8% in April based on the September 2026 CPI inflation rate, giving claimants an extra boost of cash in the 2026 to 2027 tax year.
The lower rate is worth £76.70 per week, while the higher rate is currently £114.60 per week. The exact amount claimants get will vary from person to person depending on the level of care they require, but if you're eligible for full amount you could get up to £5,959.20 per year at the higher rate, while the full lower rate is worth up to £3,988.40 annually.
System inherited from predecessors
New Prime Minister Andy Burnham inherits the current Attendance Allowance system from his predecessors Sir Keir Starmer and now ex-Chancellor Rachel Reeves, with the benefit set to continue under his premiership.
As Mr Burnham has vowed to lead a "cost of living government" it's unlikely that a major overhaul will be made to Attendance Allowance, but if changes are in the pipeline, they wouldn't be announced until the Autumn Budget delivered by new Chancellor John Healey on October 28. And if changes are announced, they would likely come into effect in the next tax year which begins on April 6, 2027.
Eligibility and conditions list
Attendance Allowance is available to people of State Pension age in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but if you live in Scotland you'll instead need to apply for Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) which is paid at the same rate.
The lower rate of both Attendance Allowance and PADP is given to those who need frequent help or constant supervision during the day or at night, while the higher rate is given to those who need help or supervision throughout the day and night, or if a medical professional has said you're nearing the end of life.
To be eligible for either Attendance Allowance or PADP you must have reached State Pension age AND all of the following apply:
- you have a physical disability, a mental disability, or a health condition
- your disability or health condition is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or someone to supervise you, for your own or someone else's safety
- you have needed that help for at least six months
While there isn't a definitive list of health conditions that qualify for Attendance Allowance and PADP, the DWP does have a list of 56 main disabling conditions recorded on its Disability Living Allowance computer system.
If you have one of these conditions you may be likely to qualify for a payment of up to £114.60 per week, but it is important to note that this is not a checklist for qualifying for Attendance Allowance or PAPD, it is simply an overview of the type of conditions that are being supported.
Conditions include Arthritis, Spondylosis, Back Pain – Other / Precise Diagnosis not Specified, Disease of The Muscles, Bones or Joints, Trauma to Limbs, Visual Disorders and Diseases, Hearing Disorders, Heart disease, Respiratory Disorders and Diseases, Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, Cerebrovascular Disease, Peripheral vascular Disease, Epilepsy, Neurological Diseases, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Chronic Pain Syndromes, Diabetes Mellitus, Metabolic Disease, Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia, Major Trauma Other than Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia, Learning Difficulties, Psychosis, Psychoneurosis, Personality Disorder, Dementia, Behavioural Disorder, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Hyperkinetic Syndrome, Renal Disorders, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Bowel and Stomach Disease, Blood Disorders, Haemophilia, Multi System Disorders, Multiple Allergy Syndrome, Skin Disease, Malignant Disease, Severely Mentally impaired, Double Amputee, Deaf/Blind, Haemodialysis, Frailty, Total Parenteral Nutrition, AIDS, Infectious diseases: Viral disease - Coronavirus covid-19, Infectious diseases: Viral disease - precise diagnosis not specified, Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease – Tuberculosis, Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease – precise diagnosis not specified, Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease – Malaria, Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease – other / precise diagnosis not specified, Infectious diseases - other / precise diagnosis not specified, Cognitive disorder - other / precise diagnosis not specified, and Terminally Ill.
