Applying for Attendance Allowance

[FinallyMovingHouse]

Dear all

I have 2 elderly parents; DM who has middle stage alzheimers and DF who is physically getting more frail recently and who cares for DM.

Is it just as easy for me to apply for AA as for him to do it? My mum could sign the form if necessary, but she's decidedly combative about her health (nothing wrong with her!) and would likely be better if just kept out of it entirely. DF finds the keeping her out of it very difficult and hence has not applied for any benefits at all and she is even kicking out at a cleaner as "her house is not dirty". He has a good pension so is not likely to be entitled to anything but AA anyway.

I do have financial and medical POA for both of them, as does my DS.

The attendance allowance form is quite difficult to complete - use AgeConcern for hints on how to do it. Sorry I'm honestly not sure what you do if the person you're completing it for doesn't have full mental capacity.

My mum could sign the form if necessary

Does she still have capacity?

I would get a professional in to do the forms tbh. Welfare rights through the local council are usually pretty helpful.

Fill the firm out for worst case scenario for everything and get her to sign the firm somehow - just tell her she is entitled to it as she has paid into the system

also apply for council tax seriously mentally impaired for your mum and you can ask council tax to send the firm, get doctor to put in date of diagnosis and it will be back paid. They’ll be a 25% discount

I completed my in laws Attendance Allowance online form, it was quite straightforward, have a look at the form before filling it in, so you know what you need to answer. A few questions go back and ask the same questions, so make a note of what your answers are. If in doubt Age UK are very helpful.

I completed the form for my parents.

Thanks all for the advice. I can't find my flipping POA forms for them anyway, so will need to get her to sign!

You don't need POA to sign the form.

Please don't get her to sign, if you think you need to use POA for someone with mid stage dementia it is likely she has no longer got capacity. You cannot fill the form stating she has care needs based on this but then contradict it by having her sign

Your best option is contacting an agency who will do it in their behalf.

The online form is much more straightforward than the paper version.

IIRC There is provision in the form for another person to fill it in on the needy persons behalf if they have POA. I wrote it all out with my dad there to clarify points then he signed it as Mums attorney. Good advice on Age UK and Alzheimer's society Websites on how to fill in. Make sure you include night attendance as this is key to getting higher rate.

If your parents are in England you don't need the forms. Have you created an LPA account online

www.gov.uk/use-lasting-power-of-attorney

The letter sent to you when the lpas were registered have numbers and access codes on them.(You may have to request a new access code online which comes through the post in a few days as they do expire)Once you have them on your account you just hit the button saying create a code for an agency and the DWP will ring you to get this. I did it in early January and it was so easy.
It took less than 3 weeks to start receiving the AA.

You can download a pdf form and fill it in on a PC. You do need to send the POA with it, and they send it back. So keep looking, or get your DS to sign. Doesn't your DF have POA too?

You can fill out the form for them. They can dictate to you as much as possible what to put. Then they can sign it. My mum found the process quite swift once she'd done the forms. And I think me and or a mate did help her flll it in.

I have done my Mum's in the last month. She has Alzheimer's, so I filled in and signed the form as her POA.

Because the POA was registered after 2016(?), I didn't need to send the paper POA form. When they get round to processing it, they will call me for the code.

I don't think you can use the Online application if you are completing and signing it as POA. That is how the website reads to me, so I filled in and sent a paper form.

You don't need to pay a company to help you fill in the form, but it is hard going and you do need to put details when she's at her worst. If you need help, charities such as Age Concern will help. There are plenty of online examples of how to fill it in.

They can't sign it if they don't have capacity.

You have to be careful not to contradict yourself on these forms. Claiming someone has care needs due to mid stage dementia but having them sign the form is dubious

@scanni yeah, I guess if they can't consent. If one of them POA for the other then they could? It does sound tricky.