Attendance allowance& mobility scheme

Limana68

Hi there,
My mum who is 77yrs old and gets the higher rate attendance allowance, and I was chatting to someone the other day who said that she may be able to get a car under the mobility scheme( I would have to drive her about). Does anyone know if this is true, as have been on website but cant work it out.

Many thanks for any help
L

CIS

To use any of the Motability schemes you must be receiving one of the following benefits:

* Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance
* War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement

From what they state, it doesn't look like AA is covered

jenniferpa

As CIS says, mobility is not something that is handled separately under the attendance allowance. See here (about half way down the page) http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/n6m/index/life/benefits/benefits_for_people_who_are_sick_or_disabled.htm

"Attendance allowance is a benefit for people with care needs who are over 65. It does not include help for mobility needs. Once you are over 65, you cannot make a new claim for any help with your mobility needs, but if you are already getting Disability Living Allowance mobility component, you can carry on getting it"

margaretclare

Hi Limana

Like your Mum, I get higher-rate AA for 2 years, started last July.

If it starts after your 65th birthday there is no mobility component. This is a bone of contention, because with all the hype about free bus passes there are some of us who couldn't walk as far as the bus stop! Apparently that doesn't matter. You could be housebound as far as AA is concerned!

It's also the case that there's no consideration given to the fact that you may have difficulty in cooking a meal e.g. bending to take a casserole out of the oven. This kind of thing is considered for DLA but not for AA. I suppose it is thought you could always live on meals-on-wheels (perish the thought!!!)

There are these misconceptions about, wrong information, often it can be classed as just 'pub talk' by people who don't know what they're talking about.

BTW I drive - I didn't for the whole of 2005 because my left leg became so much shorter that I couldn't reach the clutch. Following surgery last December and refresher courses, I can now drive again. Luckily we're not poor, and we'll keep running our little Fiesta as long as we possibly can. She took us up through the Midlands and to Leeds and back last weekend, about 600 miles, not bad, poor little thing!

Best wishes

Margaret Clare

Ted_Hutchinson

Motability Eligibility

Anyone approaching 65yrs who has serious walking difficulties MUST get their claim for DLA in before their 65th birthday.

It makes a tremendous difference for the rest of your days if you become entitled to DLA CARE + HRMobility instead of just the AA care rate.

The other benefit of DLA is the lowest rate of care is easier to obtain. AA is the equivalent of DLA MIDDLE/HIGH RATE CARE.

margaretclare

Hi Ted

Yes, I agree. Unfortunately, in my case the 'serious walking difficulties' were, for some time at least, rectified by total hip replacements. I used to get (the old) Mobility Allowance back in the early 1980s, became mobile again following THR in 1983, had another THR on the other hip in 1987, became mobile again....every time I became mobile again I was re-assessed for Mobility Allowance and because I could walk as far as the front gate it was disallowed. I had a revision of left hip in 1997 and again in 2005. You will have gathered that my bone and joint problems are NOT age-related - the first time I had a total hip replacement I wasn't even 50. My eldest daughter had both hips replaced at age 35. My late younger daughter, and my eldest granddaughter, had knee surgery in their late teens.

Unfortunately, getting these type of benefits just because of hip and knee surgery is quite difficult because the replacement joint surgery is so successful that the condition is regarded as 'temporary', and for the benefits you're meant to have a permanent and irreversible condition.

I am now back to walking in the woods, driving etc, and hopefully my hips will last a good while longer because I do NOT fancy going through the revision process again! Unfortunately, a 77-year old lady like the OP's mum tends to be looked at a bit differently. As I pointed out earlier, no one seems to consider that you would benefit from the independence of being able to drive your own car instead of walking to the bus stop. I still have difficulty bending to get a casserole out of the oven, but that is never taken into account. It's all to do with bodily functions like toileting, dressing and undressing etc, not with regaining independence.

My daughter, now in her middle 40s, has been awarded DLA with mobility component long-term. She uses a walking-stick whereas I don't (except for walking in the woods!) and she has been enabled to replace her little Clio with a newer model thanks to these benefits. She also lives a very busy life. I would not want to have a car if I had to be 'driven about' as the OP suggests! It's all about independence IMHO. To my mind, this encapsulates the difference between DLA and AA. DLA is all about encouraging independence. AA is about the reverse - it assumes, and encourages, dependence.

Margaret Clare