I was a benefit adviser for many years and continue to offer advice and help with application forms to members of the charity which supports members with my own disability.
Firstly remember that with AA, the person needs to have reached state pension age to claim it - working age people claim PIP. The ‘need’ for attendance also has to have been present for at least six months before making the claim. AA is assessed on the ‘need’ for attendance, not actually being in receipt of it. It basically does the same job as the PIP /DLA daily living rates in providing financial support for extra disability related costs - although PIP is for working age people (16-66) and DLA is now only paid to those under 16, and the assessment criteria are different to AA. Unlike PIP/DLA there is no mobility component to AA. It’s also important to point out that unlike DLA/PIP, AA pays the different rates of benefit according to whether you need help during the day OR night, or during the day AND night. Consideration is given to how much help is needed and the frequency.
When completing the forms for AA consideration needs to be given to how the person is on their worst days. There are NO trick questions - they are designed to try to get a full picture of how the condition affects the applicant, whether it fluctuates and for what proportion of the day or night help/supervision is needed. I can’t stress enough the need to check and recheck the form to make sure there are no contradictions and that the information is clear - always a good idea to do a dummy run before completing the actual form.
Consider the length of time it takes to complete each of the activities asked about on the form and whether/how much pain is experienced. Consider whether painkillers are required before, during or after the activity and whether the person needs to rest during or after the activity. Be specific about what help is needed, why and for how long - whether it’s for the entire activity or just part of it, and whether the help is needed by day, night or both.
You also need to consider things like safety - if supervision but not actual physical help is needed, this also counts. For example if someone has dementia which requires keeping them safe, it’s reasonable to assume that they will require 24/7 supervision - so the higher rate will usually be payable if the decision maker agrees. For someone with a physical disability, safety considerations will also be taken into account so it’s important to be clear about any supervision required, why and for what proportion of the day/night.
As an example take washing, bathing and dressing. Someone with a physical disability may take much longer to complete these tasks than someone without that condition - limited mobility may necessitate help in and out of the bath/shower, getting dressed etc. The person may need to stop to rest during or after the activity or may not be able to do it at all until painkillers have taken effect. The person may not need actual help, but still need someone to be present in case of accidents or difficulty. This is supervision on safety grounds and it counts, but the reason it’s necessary needs to be clear - the person may be drowsy because of painkillers or unsteady on their feet, which can be dangerous in a bathroom setting.
For applicants with the various types of dementia or cognitive disorders, as the condition advances additional support may be needed with day to day living. Consider things from a different perspective - the person may not require hands on help with bathing, but may no longer recognise the need to bathe regularly, so encouragement may be needed to motivate them. A person with dementia may be able to dress themselves but can they choose appropriate clothing for things like the weather or different activities ? Can they tell when they need to change clothing for cleanliness, or change for bed ? They may be able to prepare food, but do they recognise that they are hungry in order to motivate them to do so, or do they need prompting and reminding ? Can they manage medication and what would be the consequences of forgetting to take tablets or taking too many ? Do medications such as painkillers need to be taken at night ?
Continence issues affect a wide range of disabilities and it’s one of the areas where people under report because of embarrassment and end up with a lower award. It’s important to be clear on the extent of the problem/help needed and be honest about the severity and frequency of the incontinence. This can range from whether the person has simple, occasional or regular incontinence requiring some help to manage, or has little or no voluntary control and requires frequent help with changing/bathing after accidents or using padding. Also be clear about whether this happens by day, night or both, and whether help is needed to change bedding. Does someone need to be available by day or need to be awake at night to help with or supervise visits to the toilet?
AA does not consider things like the ability to do housework and does not address mobility issues. Once AA is in payment, the Pension Income Guarantee (Pension Credit) rate increases in line with the rate of AA paid, so even if the person didn’t qualify for pension credit before receiving AA, they may do so once they are in receipt of it - but this isn’t reassessed automatically in all cases, so it’s worth checking eligibility with the Pensions Service.
Once AA has been awarded, carers allowance can be paid to someone over the age of 16, who looks after the disabled person for 35 hours per week or more. The carers allowance cannot be paid to someone who earns more than £128 per week or is on any other income replacement benefit which is more than the rate of carers allowance - PIP, DLA and AA are not income replacement benefits so are disregarded, but things like state pension, UC and ESA are. Carers allowance is also taxable.
Sorry for the length of the post, but hope this helps a bit and if anyone wants help with PIP/DLA applications let me know and I’ll start a thread.
