ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE CLAIM FORM

[g.herschel]

First of all cast your mind back to GORDON BROWNS statements re carers as usual we got the unsung hero crap he then said a carer may be looking after a family member , neighbour or friend doing things such as "SHOPPING , COOKING OR CLEANING " .

As you all know the old doll is in receipt of the Attendance Allowance at the highest level paid by the Department of Works & Pensions this also allows me to claim the Carers Allowance, some time ago we were informed by the old doll`s welfare officer via the Service Personnel & Veterans Agency that if/when the government decide to withdraw the Attendance allowance & possibly the carers allowance to help with the residential social care cost we would be looking at a loss of benefits of £500 per month he informed the old doll that if she was in receipt of the "CONSTANT ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE " paid for by the Service Personnel & veterans Agency her benefits would be secure as would the carers allowance you can only claim the Constant attendance allowance if the veteran has a war disabled pension over 80% as she has a 100% pension she should be ok - therefore i applied for the relevant claim forms which i filled in today the form is much easier than the general claim form but it states quite clearly you can not claim for the following when calculating the hours you work for the veteran each day/week COOKING, CLEANING & SHOPPING i wonder if this is the case on the claim form for those who are claiming Attendance Allowance via the Department of Works & Pensions .
most carers spend the vast majority of their time cooking , cleaning and shopping if they have changed the rules why was this not picked up by carers uk and others if this rule is just for WAR DISABLED VETERANS SO MUCH FOR EQUALITY .

[susieq]

hi George

I've just checked my copy of Mum's AA form (always keep copies so that I can remember what I said !!) and no-where does it specify what the money can/can't be used for. and, unlike CA it also doesn't specify a set number of hours a week - it only asks if the claimant needs help during the day or during the night.

It does ask what help you need and why you need it, but the way it is worded is very open ended. When we completed it we stressed Mum's mobility problems and her inability to do her own shopping/housework/laundry/gardening etc. and that she needs assistance with bathing / dressing and remembering to take her medication. We also mentioned her Alzheimers and how it has affected her confidence and her ability to go out without someone with her.

Mum currently gets the lower rate AA, but if I have to move in with her to provide total 24/7 care then we will apply for it to be re-assessed to the higher level. Like you I am retired so I don't claim Carers Allowance 'cos they would stop my state pension if I did - and as I worked non-stop for 43 years my State Pension is a great deal more than CA would be.

[poppett]

Dad`s AA is eaten up by his local authority sheltered house warden charges. Questioned this last month as his AA was used to provide paid care workers for the things the local authority care workers won`t do. Decision stands and he is now much worse off than he was when he was in housing association property with helpcall, when his AA was used for his paid care workers. Paid care workers still have to come in and be paid, and warden still phones me if there is a problem, so no different from the old alarmcall system he had.

Take care
Meg