Claiming Attendance Allowance for profoundly deaf 91 year old.

Roobags

Hi all, My Father is 91. He has been diagnosed profoundly deaf for over 20 years. Additionally, he suffers from Tinitus which affects his balance, he has a heart condition and is quite frail.  We recently applied for Attendance Allowance to help us support him but last week we received a letter saying no because 'he did not need care through the night'. We are very upset, it was a long form we completed. He needs constant assistance with all communication, he cannot use the phone or hear in meetings without assistance for all financial matters and medical appointments and for every interaction with other people. He can no longer attend church or any social functions and he cannot undertake any household chores or tasks as has difficulty in walking. Obviously, he has had to stop driving so we are giving him lifts everywhere and we are helping with his shopping, cleaning and gardening etc. He gets no other benefits other than his pension.
The application form states one of the matching criterior is profound hearing loss, and there cannot be anyone more deaf and frail than my 91 year old Father but they have refused his application for AA.
Is there anyone on this forum that has experience of how we can make a stronger case for him and with experience in asking for them to reconsider the decision? I have tried RNID and they don't offer advice on this matter.
Thank you.

Brie

Citizens advice can help with an appeal.  Also helps if you have the doctor's surgery being named as the point of reference rather than you as carer (if that's what you did.)

But generally - you have to state things in a kind of worst case scenario.  "Dad cannot hear and therefore can not communicate without our assistance" not "he's ok in some situations" .  Emphasize the threat to his life if he is left alone for more than an hour or two because he can't hear a fire alarm, if he fell he can't call for help etc.  No half measures, all or nothing.  

youth_leader

My aunt is 86 and recently got the highest rate of AA.  Apparently the person from Age Concern said that needing 'personal care' - ie help showering/getting to the toilet etc - is a necessary requirement. 

fatbelly

There's no requirement to need care during the night.

If he can demonstrate that he needs care during the day(whether or not that care is being provided) then he should qualify for AA at the lower rate

https://www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance

Your local CA may have a benefits specialist who can help

elsien

As above, but it’s based on need not on diagnosis.
Concentrate on the criteria and the support he needs. Housework and gardening for example don’t count as personal care. 

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

And don’t say anything ridiculous like emphasising the threat to his life if left alone for more than an hour. Because using that line of reasoning, no profoundly deaf person should ever live on their own.

Really think about the personal care and supervision elements and how it applies to him because that’s the key. It doesn’t matter if he’s not actually getting the help at the moment it’s about the need. And if you look at the age UK guidance it does talk about communication difficulties so again think how to word that to make it relevant.

ETA – does he have a private pension or just the state pension, because he could look at pension credit as well?

ladyholly

Dont use phrases like sometimes needs held doing ????. State he does need help doing whatever.

beanielou

Ask for a review. This is the first step. Were you able to supply medical evidence in support of the claim?  Don’t give up v

calleyw

Brie said:

But generally - you have to state things in a kind of worst case scenario.  "Dad cannot hear and therefore can not communicate without our assistance" not "he's ok in some situations" .  Emphasize the threat to his life if he is left alone for more than an hour or two because he can't hear a fire alarm, if he fell he can't call for help etc.  No half measures, all or nothing.  

No you don't.  You go on what an average day is like. So if they have a bad day once a week you explain that on 6 days they are like x and 1 day a week would be like Y.

Hence why its suggested to keep a diary for a few weeks before filling in the forms so you know what care needs are on a day to day basis

elsien

@Roobags this is a better guide and it gives good examples, not only for things to think about, but also how to word it. 
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bp-assets/globalassets/norfolk/pdfs/attendance-allowance-guidance-2022.pdf

Take note of the bits where it says someone can do the task but it takes longer, causes pain or they need reminding. 

Roobags

Thanks everyone for this helpful advice. We will request a 'mandatory review' as a first step and provide them some more information. Hopefully it will get approved without having to go as far as an appeal. It will take around four weeks, so I will update you on this thread when we get the result. Thanks again, fingers crossed.

teddysmum

The Powers that Be don't really stick to their suggestion that you may need help put are not required to actually have help, as they now suggest that needing help at night means that you need a person who is awake and watching you; this being only necessary in a few cases. To someone on here and my answer after chatting to a nurse involved with old people, it has been stated that if you have a spouse, partner or someone else in residence , they can help , so you don't qualify for night allowance.

That's another way of making AA receivers second class disabled. There is a current parliament petition, asking that mobility be considered for them, as otherwise, some seriously incapacitated individuals are being condemned to stay at home and alone. The petition is open until August but someone ( from the government ?) has said that enough is already spent and people on AA are free to spend their allowance on transport. How crass, as AA is meant to cover the expenses of disability, not including mobility outside, so buying a wheelchair for journeys, would mean that the indoor effect of the ailment would lose support it was supposed to have. (There I would be, if my husband wasn't present and we had some money put by. He is my transport via car or pushing my wheelchair that I can't propel for myself and we are looking to buy a folding power chair, so I can have some independence, which many on AA are denied.)