Attendance Allowance rejected

[RememberDecember]

Found out today that mum’s application for AA has been rejected. She has early stage dementia. I was hoping to use it to pay for a carer to come in to help but will have to have a rethink. I’m not sure if there is any point trying to reapply at a later stage, unless things decline substantially. Have others reapplied successfully?

Thank you all, lots of helpful things here to consider. I am feeling a bit useless for not highlighting some of them on the form tbh. I think it is so weighted towards personal care (understandably) which is one area where she is actually ok. Maybe as @Lillixyng says she doesn’t qualify, I don’t know.

in terms of what I actually wanted a carer to do, it was keeping on top of meds and ordering them, taking her shopping and to medical appts, helping with stuff around the house. Maybe that isn’t the purpose of AA, but she is getting in a mess with all of those. I did send the diagnosis letter and list the meds (which have increased since then). Is it worth getting a printout of the prescription meds?

I’ll phone them tomorrow.

Thanks for the input, I’m feeling like I have let her down by not completing the form better.

Please don’t feel like that. I don’t think AA forms are designed for easy understanding. I also think the conditions for qualification are getting stricter.

When my MiL qualified 20 years ago we had never heard of it. A man from the Council came as she had just reach 80, asked her if she struggled with housework. She said she could not use the vacuum. That was it she got a letter and back payments. It actually frightened her because she did not think she qualified. She never spent the money in case they took it back,

AA isn't only for the physically disabled. You may also qualify if you need help with for example remembering to take medication, communicating (like filling in forms) or getting about because you get lost (all of which OPs mum does).

OP you really should ask for the mandatory reconsideration immediately. You have nothing to lose asking for this and many decisions get overturned at this stage without any more evidence.

If your Mum needs someone to accompany her to medical appointments (do you currently need to go in with her?) then highlight that on the form. Similarly if she requires help filling in forms etc.

I have to accompany my DM to mental health and hospital appointments, but she can manage some Dr appointments alone as they know her well and will ring me if necessary. She struggles with completing forms etc so I tend to do those for her. All of that went down on her application and was part of what they asked me about when they phoned. What you want someone to help with coming in is very similar to the list I thought my DM needed help with.

Your description of your mum resonates with me OP - the muddle and mess, growing inability to make a phone call, handle banking, generally deal with life admin, losing things, losing important post... I found my mum's birth certificate and marriage certificate stuffed inside a LIDL brochure and a hundred quid in notes in a junkmail envelope which I was seconds from ripping in half. Tell me, is there endless fussing and faffing with her handbag, keys etc? It just sounds so characteristic of early Alzheimers. Have another go at the form maybe with CAB support - it sounds as if she is really struggling with managing day-to-day life alone even if she has no need for personal care atm. If she would quickly go to pieces without your support, then surely that indicates that she has needs beyond an adult with full capacity.

Nearly 60% of initial applications are rejected. It's worth getting someone to look over the form and then appealing. So much of it is about knowing how to phrase things and not underplaying the need. ( I have helped several people apply and have 100% success rate on initial application)

I’ll say again that the appeals process is long and it would be better to put in a fresh application and get someone to fill the form in for you.
You can wait months and months to even get an appeal date, and if the form hasn’t been filled in well then you could get rejected again.
Just don’t want OP to waste her time.

Yes, appeal. Take the advice of @Craftycorvid and @Theeyeballsinthesky . Think also about all the little arrangements already made to make life easier and about what she’d be like without them. For example, if you offered no help whatever, not even putting tablets in a 7-day organiser, would she be capable of taken the right meds each day? A useful phrase to remember: A need that is met is still a need.

Don’t second guess whether she’s eligible - that’s for them to decide. But you are entitled to put forward your best evidence, and if there’s any wayto improve what you presented the first time, do it.

Explain when you ask to appeal that your mother managed to hide the letter under piles f stuff and you’ve only just seen it. See if you can wangle an extension.

DH's application was successful, as was DM's. We didn't exaggerate, just told it as it is on the worst day. It took a while to remember all the adjustments we had got used to.

Wow! 50 years ago my DM, a wheelchair user in constant pain from the rheumatoid arthritis that effectively killed her, got turned down and had to appeal. She reckoned they turned down everyone to winnow out those who weren’t really serious.

I fill hundreds of these form out, think about times too, if she can get herself dressed, does it take longer? Do she have to sit down now, has she altered what she wears to make it easier to get dressed, such a Velcro shoes, stopped using little buttons? Can she get a bra on ok?
When she is walking around is she furniture walking? Shuffling? Walking slower? Need reminding to get up frequently etc? Medication, do you order for her, put it in a dossett box?
if she is washing does it take longer, does she need prompting etc? Does she have grab rails? Does she need a rest afterwards? It’s so hard to think outside the box so don’t beat yourself up! Feel free to message me and ask any questions. I’ve never had a form rejected for someone as yet so think I’ve got it nailed!

Also I would just apply again and not bother with an appeal or MR!

That is so sad. Yet there we were with Barking and Dangenham Council doing Welfare Checks on people reaching their 80th Birthday. He even completed the form for her, which was one of many he seemed to have.

I think you have to wait maybe six months to apply again ? I may be wrong on that but best to check.. The few that we do have turned down, we get them to ring up and ask for an MR. These people generally get a call back within a week or so and most then get awarded it after speaking to a DWP person. It is only if it has to go to appeal that it takes ages. I had one case that was turned down but was awarded at MR within a couple of weeks. It was very evidently a wrong decision though ( Parkinsons etc ).

I think there is a guide to the criteria online which might help. We got a welfare advisor out to do my dads and dad said he was 'fine' she said they all do that so I added some info.

I used the wording from PIP not sure if that helped but he got it, I said if he could not do things e.g. reliably, safely, in good time.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/attendance-allowance/claiming-attendance-allowance/help-with-attendance-allowance-form/

Questions 26 to 44 ask about your care needs with personal tasks. It's really important that you use the blank boxes to explain if you:

• have difficulty or need someone to help you with personal tasks at least 3 times during the day - for example washing, getting out of bed or getting dressed
• have difficulty or need someone to supervise you throughout the day to make sure you stay safe - for example to stop you falling or to look after you if you have seizures or blackouts
• have difficulty or need someone to help you with personal tasks repeatedly (2 or more times) during the night or just once if it's for 20 minutes or more - for example if you need help getting out of bed, going to the toilet or changing the sheets if you have an accident
• need someone to watch over you or supervise you during the night to make sure you're safe - they need to help you at least 3 times, or just once if it's for 20 minutes or more, for example in case you have a fit while you're asleep, or to stop you falling over if you have to get up

No you don’t have to wait 6 months. By the time they have received your form and made their decision a couple of months have passed anyway so you can put in a fresh claim anytime.

Yes, this. The fact your DM can’t take care of her own admin and you’re doing it for her is evidence of need.

They’re not interested in how cleaning, gardening etc is managed

How does your aunt manage with only help once a fortnight?

One thing to remember is it is about the help you need, not what you actually have. Lots of people living on their own get it, and they don’t have anyone to help them.

Great advice on filling these in on this site, OP.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

Remember that the DWP are only interested in what you can't do, not what you can, and if it takes you longer than normal to do it, you should get points. There's an art to filling the forms in.

And do ask for the MR. You can't appeal without having the MR.
They'll give you some latitude in requesting one a little late. Do phone them today.

AA isn't awarded for mobility. So anything about that isn't considered.

However, general confusion, which makes it slower for your mum to wash, dress, cook, etc - yes, that's considered.

I was about to say exactly this.

Both organisations are skilled at understanding what the assessors are looking for and what the true needs are. And if they come and help you reapply at home they might see things that you see every day and don't realise is an issue. For example- if a question asks 'can you rise from your seat unaided' your parent might say 'yes' but CAB or AgeUk watch her do it and see that it takes 3 minutes and the person needs to lean on things in order to get into a standing position. Or that someone needs to hold onto furniture to get across the room. And so forth.

Our local AgeUk now has to charge for assistance as they lost LA funding to complete the forms. But the cost is fairly negligible when you consider that they have been helping people with these forms for years and will have a really good understanding of what someone's true needs are. It is also often the case that family members fill out the forms thinking of someone's 'best days' rather than their worst days.

I would say she does qualify. The forms are deliberately made difficult and you really do need to know how to fill in the important information and you must provide copies of prescriptions and hospital letters.
I would include copies of the lock smith invoices too, along with an explanation that she cannot go shopping alone because she gets lost and locks herself out.
You need to copy her Px and explain that she needs supervision to take the correct medication at the right time.
I did the forms for my parents and PIL about 20 years ago. It took me several hours to gather all the evidential paperwork, copy it all and fill everything in.