Assistance for Pensioner Amputee

LilElvis

Yesterday my sister's mother in law was told that, despite best efforts, she needs to have her leg amputated below the knee. Obviously she is going to need a lot of rehabilitation, adaptations to the house etc. Having looked online I can see that she should qualify for attendance allowance, though I doubt her husband would qualify for carers allowance as he has a private pension in addition to State so his net weekly income would be > £120. Anything else that I might have missed?

Alice_Holt

Pension Credit?

LilElvis

Alice_Holt wrote: »

Pension Credit?

I'll have a look at that, though I would assume it's means tested and though ive no real idea as to their income it's definitely going to be £20k+ pa.

Tabbytabitha

LilElvis wrote: »

Yesterday my sister's mother in law was told that, despite best efforts, she needs to have her leg amputated below the knee. Obviously she is going to need a lot of rehabilitation, adaptations to the house etc. Having looked online I can see that she should qualify for attendance allowance, though I doubt her husband would qualify for carers allowance as he has a private pension in addition to State so his net weekly income would be > £120. Anything else that I might have missed?

I'm not sure why you're confident about her getting AA as there's no mobility component to it.
I'd think it unlikely from what you've said that she'd have care needs for any length of time, which would obviously be a good thing.
I'd think Pension Credit more likely.

Alice_Holt

LilElvis wrote: »

I'll have a look at that, though I would assume it's means tested and though ive no real idea as to their income it's definitely going to be £20k+ pa.

Unlikely then as it is means tested.
But it does have disability and carers premiums which are dependent on a disability benefit award ( I'm assuming one is of PC age).
Without a real idea as to their income, this just becomes speculation.

My suggestion would be an AA application, and then if successful a benefits check.

LilElvis

Tabbytabitha wrote: »

I'm not sure why you're confident about her getting AA as there's no mobility component to it.
I'd think it unlikely from what you've said that she'd have care needs for any length of time, which would obviously be a good thing.
I'd think Pension Credit more likely.

As my MIL has been in receipt of Attendance Allowance since February last year as a result of a broken hip I would expect that an amputee would also qualify.

I don't know why you think it unlikely her care needs would not be for any length of time - she will be unable to go upstairs for many months at a minimum, will need intensive rehabilitation and will not have a permanent prosthesis for at least a year.

I am sure the regular posters on this board will let me know if I'm wide of the mark.

LilElvis

Alice_Holt wrote: »

Unlikely then as it is means tested.
But it does have disability and carers premiums which are dependent on a disability benefit award ( I'm assuming one is of PC age).
Without a real idea as to their income, this just becomes speculation.

My suggestion would be an AA application, and then if successful a benefits check.

They're both in their early seventies, but I would expect that their income would make them ineligible for means tested benefits. Having a further Google it would seem she should qualify for the AA as she will be unable to complete domestic tasks or be able to take care of her personal needs - she has been incapable of them since last autumn and is already in a wheelchair.

Thanks for the help and I'll let my sister know that it will be worth applying for the AA and then taking it from there, depending on the outcome.

Tabbytabitha

LilElvis wrote: »

As my MIL has been in receipt of Attendance Allowance since February last year as a result of a broken hip I would expect that an amputee would also qualify.

I don't know why you think it unlikely her care needs would not be for any length of time - she will be unable to go upstairs for many months at a minimum, will need intensive rehabilitation and will not have a permanent prosthesis for at least a year.

I am sure the regular posters on this board will let me know if I'm wide of the mark.

I was going on my husband's and mother's AA applications and trying to extend that to an amputee's care needs. I'm pretty sure that an inability to get upstairs comes under mobility rather care but no harm in your trying.

Alice_Holt

AA looks at personal care needs which include:
if help is needed to get out of bed;
if help is needed to dress / undress;
if help is needed to wash;
if help is needed to manage the toilet;
if help is needed to get out of a chair;
etc.
For the lower rate it requires that "frequent attention throughout the day in connection with bodily functions" is needed.

Supervision or "watching over" is also part of AA. It's possible that a well written form could include this aspect as necessary for the individual to keep safe and avoid falls when moving around the house. Especially if there is only one bathroom / toilet and this is upstairs.

Information here:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/attendance-allowance/before-you-claim-attendance-allowance/check-if-entitled-to-attendance-allowance/

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/benefits-entitlements/attendance-allowance/

The claimant must have had the condition for at least 6 months.

I would think from my experience of completing AA forms as a CAB volunteer, that a well written form could gain the OP's relation a lower award. It's reasonable to assume she would need help with most of the personal functions listed above.

A higher award is possible if help is needed both day and night.
Probably unlikely, in this case, help may be required to use the toilet during the night - but this may not be sufficient to meet the "repeated or prolonged" criteria that help is required at least 2 (repeated) times during night hours or for at least 20 mins (prolonged).

As an aside, it's a pity posters don't look at the.authoritative information about such benefits as AA readily available online.

Tabbytabitha

Alice_Holt wrote: »

AA looks at personal care needs which include:
if help is needed to get out of bed;
if help is needed to dress / undress;
if help is needed to wash;
if help is needed to manage the toilet;
if help is needed to get out of a chair;
etc.
For the lower rate it requires that "frequent attention throughout the day in connection with bodily functions" is needed.

Supervision or "watching over" is also part of AA. It's possible that a well written form could include this aspect as necessary for the individual to keep safe and avoid falls when moving around the house. Especially if there is only one bathroom / toilet and this is upstairs.

Information here:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/attendance-allowance/before-you-claim-attendance-allowance/check-if-entitled-to-attendance-allowance/

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/money-legal/benefits-entitlements/attendance-allowance/

The claimant must have had the condition for at least 6 months.

I would think from my experience of completing AA forms as a CAB volunteer, that a well written form could gain the OP's relation a lower award. It's reasonable to assume she would need help with most of the personal functions listed above.

A higher award is possible if help is needed both day and night.
Probably unlikely, in this case, help may be required to use the toilet during the night - but this may not be sufficient to meet the "repeated or prolonged" criteria that help is required at least 2 (repeated) times during night hours or for at least 20 mins (prolonged).

As an aside, it's a pity posters don't look at the.authoritative information about such benefits as AA readily available online.

I'm familiar wih the criteria and I also have a friend who's an above the knee amputee - my comment was based on these factors. A genuine application shouldn't need a "well written form" to be successful, IMO.

Alice_Holt

Tabbytabitha wrote: »

A genuine application shouldn't need a "well written form" to be successful, IMO.

I'm afraid your opinion is incorrect.

The AA decision is made by a DWP decision maker on basis of the completed claim-form.
The decision maker may also request a report from the claimant's GP or another health professional named on the form.
In some circumstances the decision maker can arrange for an assessment (usually in the claimant's home).

Now you have this knowledge, can you begin to understand why the information on the AA form is so important?
If the form does not explain fully the claimants care needs, the decision maker will be unaware of them and a genuine claimant then risks their claim being denied.

A DWP decision maker does not have second sight - they are not able to miraculously sense if the claimant is "genuine". They have to make a decision on what is written on the form.

Here are some quotes from online AA guides:
Which say "the answers you give are very important ; but our tips should increase your chances of making a successful claim. Despite its reputation of being difficult to fill in, there is lots of guidance on the form and plenty of examples of the sort of information the DWP is looking for."
https://www.which.co.uk/elderly-care/financing-care/benefits-and-allowances-for-the-elderly/346940-attendance-allowance

Age UK say "You must describe on the claim form how your disability affects you and a medical examination is not normally necessary. The form is quite long and you may want assistance filling it in. You can get help from [an advice agency].....Read the notes and form before you start and then go through the questions carefully. Once you have finished, read through what you have written to make sure it is clear and check you have not missed anything out."
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs34_attendance_allowance_fcs.pdf

Citizens Advice say "Filling in the Attendance Allowance form can be difficult - there are some personal questions which can be emotionally draining. Don't worry though - help is available and you don't have to fill in the form alone - Contact your nearest Citizens Advice and ask if they can help you with your form........The DWP will use your form to decide whether to give you Attendance Allowance. They'll be looking to see:
- what difficulties you have, or how much help you need
- how often you have difficulties or need help
- what sort of help you need ........"
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/attendance-allowance/claiming-attendance-allowance/help-with-attendance-allowance-form/

However Tabbytabitha says "A genuine application shouldn't need a well written form to be successful".

I will leave it to fellow forumites to decide if Tabbytabitha's advice trumps that of Age UK, Citizens Advice, and all the other professionally written online guides by authors with extensive knowledge of our complex benefits system.

___________________________________________________________________________
"Posters seeking advice in this forum need to bear in mind that this is a public site on which anyone can post. You can't assume information is trustworthy, indeed some posters are known to disrupt, post disinformation, and tell tall stories.
The MSE forum team do not moderate this forum.

I would caution forumites to be wary of any advice supplied that doesn't contain a link to an authoritative site. Such sites include adviceguide, entitled to, turn2us, revenuebenefits, gov..uk.
Accredited benefit advice is available from local advice agencies such as Citizens Advice.