According to the government website, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is ‘responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy’. This means that it offers support for those in need, specifically for those who suffer from medical conditions and are classified as pensioners.
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As per Express, Brits suffering from one of 56 medical conditions could receive up to £100 a week through the DWP’s Attendance Allowance. It is believed that 1.6 million pensioners are currently claiming benefits from the Attendance Allowance.
So what are the health conditions that could get you a weekly allowance and what are the current rates?
The current rates for Attendance Allowance
According to Express, the current rate of Attendance Allowance has increased by 10.1%, meaning that those claiming the benefit are entitled to more money to make up for the cost of living situation.
There are two rates for the Attendance Allowance, the lower rate and the higher rate. The amount of money you receive is based on how much help you need.
The two rates currently sit at:
- Lower rate: £68.10 per week
- Higher rate: £101.75 per week.
What are the conditions to apply for Attendance Allowance
First, to be able to claim Attendance Allowance, you must be of state pension age and you have to have lived in Great Britain (England, Scotland or Wales) for the last two years. Moreover, to be eligible, you must have needed help for at least 6 months unless the claimant has less than 12 months to live.
As per Express, the claimant doesn’t need a diagnosis in order to claim Attendance Allowance but you won’t be able to apply for this benefit if you already receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), or the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
What are the medical conditions are eligible for Attendance Allowance?
Here is the full list of medical conditions that can qualify for Attendance Allowance:
- Arthritis
- Spondylosis
- Back Pain – other/precise diagnosis not specified
- Disease of the muscles, bones or joints
- Trauma to limbs
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Heart disease
- Chest disease
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Epilepsy
- Neurological diseases
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson's 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 autrition
- 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
- Terminally ill.
Read more:
⋙ Millions could be entitled to £407 if they have these 56 conditions
⋙ Brits can receive multiple payments totalling up to £1,100 from Government, are you eligible?
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Sources used:
Express: ‘DWP offers £100 weekly benefit for these 56 medical conditions - full list’
