Can a husband & wife claim Attendance Allowance?

simon1966

My Mom currently gets Attendance Allowance and state pension/private pension.
Now my Dad visited Heart Failure clinic and they said he should be claiming the Attendance Allowance benefit due to his heart failure and various other medical conditions. He currently claims state pension/private pension.

My question is can a husband and wife both claim Attendance Allowance?

Thanks in advance. :beer:

Mojisola

simon1966 wrote: »

My Mom currently gets Attendance Allowance and state pension/private pension.
Now my Dad visited Heart Failure clinic and they said he should be claiming the Attendance Allowance benefit due to his heart failure and various other medical conditions. He currently claims state pension/private pension.

My question is can a husband and wife both claim Attendance Allowance?

AA is given because someone has care needs. If a husband and wife both have care needs, of course they can both claim.

nannytone_2

but you cant claim carers allowance past retirement age, just an 'underlying entitlement' to it.

this gives you premiums on other benefits. so if they arent claiming other benefits, they wont get premiums

Mojisola

nannytone wrote: »

but you cant claim carers allowance past retirement age, just an 'underlying entitlement' to it.

this gives you premiums on other benefits. so if they arent claiming other benefits, they wont get premiums

As simon's parents have private pensions as well as their state pensions, they probably won't be entitled to the underlying entitlement top-up but it's always worth asking, providing that no-one else is claiming CA for them.

simon1966

Thanks everyone.
Got a nice lady from CAB coming round to help my dad with his form.
Apparently he has been entitled to this for many years but thought he couldn't claim it as his wife was already getting it.
It will help them a great deal.

I live with both of them and care for them.
Due to long term illness i am an unofficial carer. I used to get Incapacity benefit but they have just changed me over to ESA work group although report states i cannot return to work for at least 18 months. Not worked for 20+ years.
Someone suggested i should claim the carers allowance, although it is an overlapping benefit and that way i would not have to fill in the dreaded esa50 form and attend Atos medicals - perhaps you could advise?

princessdon

Does your inability to work counteract your ability to give care for 35 hours a week?

Mojisola

simon1966 wrote: »

I live with both of them and care for them.
Due to long term illness i am an unofficial carer. I used to get Incapacity benefit but they have just changed me over to ESA work group although report states i cannot return to work for at least 18 months. Not worked for 20+ years.
Someone suggested i should claim the carers allowance, although it is an overlapping benefit and that way i would not have to fill in the dreaded esa50 form and attend Atos medicals - perhaps you could advise?

princessdon wrote: »

Does your inability to work counteract your ability to give care for 35 hours a week?

If you are well enough to care for them - and you can only claim one lot of CA even if you care for two or more people - then go ahead.

As your mother already has it in place, claim as her carer then there won't be any delay.

If your father does get AA, someone else could claim CA for him providing they do 35+ hours caring a week and don't earn too much. If there is someone else able to do this, it would give you some respite during the week. Being a 24/7 carer won't help your own recovery.

margaretclare

simon1966 wrote: »

My Mom currently gets Attendance Allowance and state pension/private pension.
Now my Dad visited Heart Failure clinic and they said he should be claiming the Attendance Allowance benefit due to his heart failure and various other medical conditions. He currently claims state pension/private pension.

My question is can a husband and wife both claim Attendance Allowance?

Thanks in advance. :beer:

This has already been well answered, but I'm just chipping in because this point seems to be not widely-known or widely-appreciated.

If both people over 65 in a marriage happen to be sufficiently disabled, then they can both claim AA. This is a very useful benefit to have, especially if you already get a private pension, because it is non-means-testable and non-taxable.

Often people may be differently disabled and can get along by giving each other the care they need, whereas they wouldn't be able to cope alone. Although according to the guidelines, it's possible to claim AA because you need care i.e. help, even if you're not getting the care/help you need!

grummps

simon1966 wrote: »

My Mom currently gets Attendance Allowance and state pension/private pension.
Now my Dad visited Heart Failure clinic and they said he should be claiming the Attendance Allowance benefit due to his heart failure and various other medical conditions. He currently claims state pension/private pension.

My question is can a husband and wife both claim Attendance Allowance?

Thanks in advance. :beer:

Yes each can claim AA. Each can also claim Carers Allowance for each other, although it will not be put into payment due to receiving the State Pension.

However depending on their total weekly income, with Carers Allowance x2 and AA x2 they could be entitled to a top up of Pension Credit.
With those benefits their net minimum weekly income they should be on is £400 a week. Anything less than that it will get topped up to it. And on top of that £400, they will each get their AA payments totalling at least of another £104 a week.

It is always advisable for everyone to claim AA as being old is sufficient enough providing that there are needs arising out of old age. You need not be ill or disabled.

hunters

grummps wrote: »

Yes each can claim AA. Each can also claim Carers Allowance for each other, although it will not be put into payment due to receiving the State Pension.

However depending on their total weekly income, with Carers Allowance x2 and AA x2 they could be entitled to a top up of Pension Credit.
With those benefits their net minimum weekly income they should be on is £400 a week. Anything less than that it will get topped up to it. And on top of that £400, they will each get their AA payments totalling at least of another £104 a week.

It is always advisable for everyone to claim AA as being old is sufficient enough providing that there are needs arising out of old age. You need not be ill or disabled.

So which is it?

grummps wrote: »

I'll disagree with one part of your posting. It is possible that the gentleman's insulin-dependent diabetes may mean that he needs someone there at night to ensure that he doesn't go 'hypo' I've yet to meet anybody, other than a child under 16 that is entitled to DLA or AA on that basis. Yes It may be awarded for complications relating to Diabetes, but not for the normal treatment process.

I am a member of a local Diabetes group as well as a National one and this question always crops up.

Type 1 is easily controlled and certainly does not warrant someone being there at night just in case!

If that was the case every Type 1 sufferer would be getting DLA or AA which they certainly don't.

Finally, I think it is important to point out that getting any award of AA nowadays is just as difficult as getting an award under DLA.
I will admit that AA used to be a 82% certainty with the first claim made.
Now, it appears that most new claims are thrown out. The DWP were far too lenient in the past and appeared to make an award purely on the basis of 'being old'.
I have seen some very strange claims and decisions in the past with AA claims. One case was one old guy over a 6 month period felt dizzy when getting up out of a chair too fast.
He has not had this happen since, all because his GP told him to get up slowly! He was awarded AA for this at the lower daily rate!!

It is not unusual now for 3/4 claims to be made before any award is made.

Just thought that it was important to point this out.

Spamfree_2

I'd like to know what happened to the in sickness and in health bit of marriage vows?

Does nobody help out their nearest and dearest these days unless there is some cash in it for them?