DWP shares 56 conditions qualifying pensioners for £441 per month

Across the UK, 1,859,539 people claim Attendance Allowance, a disability benefit specifically designed for those over the state pension age who require supervision or assistance due to their health. The Department for Work and Pensions awards claims based on how each person is affected, rather than on diagnosis, and has disclosed the full list of conditions currently being claimed for.

As of February 2025, when the latest data was published by the government, there are 57 conditions listed. One of these is categorised as 'unknown', likely because it's possible to claim the benefit before or without receiving a formal diagnosis.

Other main disabling conditions on successful Attendance Allowance claims:

• AIDS
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Back Pain
• Behavioural Disorder
• Bowel and Stomach Disease
• Blood Disorders
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Cerebrovascular Disease
• Chronic Pain Syndromes
• Cognitive disorder
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Disease of The Muscles, Bones or Joints
• Dementia
• Double Amputee
• Deaf/Blind
• Epilepsy
• Frailty
• Hearing Disorders
• Heart disease
• Hyperkinetic Syndrome
• Haemophilia
• Haemodialysis
• Infectious diseases: Viral disease - Coronavirus covid-19
• Infectious diseases: Viral disease - precise diagnosis not specified
• Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease - Tuberculosis
• Infectious diseases: Bacterial disease - precise diagnosis not specified
• Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease - Malaria
• Infectious diseases: Protozoal disease - other / precise diagnosis not specified
• Infectious diseases - other / precise diagnosis not specified
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Learning Difficulties
• Major Trauma Other than Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Motor Neurone Disease
• Metabolic Disease
• Malignant Disease
• Multi System Disorders
• Multiple Allergy Syndrome
• Neurological Diseases
• Parkinsons Disease
• Peripheral vascular Disease
• Psychosis
• Psychoneurosis
• Personality Disorder
• Respiratory Disorders and Diseases
• Renal Disorders
• Skin Disease
• Severely Mentally impaired
• Spondylosis
• Terminally Ill
• Trauma to Limbs
• Traumatic Paraplegia/Tetraplegia
• Total Parenteral Nutrition
• Visual Disorders and Diseases

According to the Manchester Evening News, the most common condition on Attendance Allowance is Arthritis, with 533,990, followed by heart disease at 135,639 and respiratory disorders and diseases at 113,567.

Attendance Allowance currently offers two different rates depending on the level of support or supervision a claimant requires. The lower rate is £295.60 per month, while the higher rate is £441.60. More details can be found on the Gov.uk website.

The lower rate is for those who need frequent help or supervision during the day, or supervision at night. The higher rate is for those who require assistance or supervision throughout both the day and night, or if they're nearing the end of life according to a medical professional.

This benefit isn't means-tested or contributory, meaning that a person's earnings, savings or National Insurance contributions won't affect their eligibility or how much they receive.

Despite its name, claimants don't need to have a carer to be eligible. They just need to prove that they require the necessary level of support to qualify for the benefit.

The money doesn't have to be used for a carer. It can instead be used to maintain the claimant's independence, such as buying specialised equipment to help them carry out daily tasks like cooking on their own.

However, if they do have a carer then claiming Attendance Allowance could entitle the carer to Carer's Allowance as well depending on their circumstances. Attendance Allowance also opens the gates for people to potentially get extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or a Council Tax Reduction.

People can apply online or by post, those who are applying on someone's behalf because they are an appointee or have power of attorney are not able to apply online. Additionally, people living in Scotland will need to claim Pension Age Disability Payment instead.

Once the claim has been sent, it should take around three weeks to get a response from the DWP which will either by via text or post. This message will explain when the claimant can expect a decision.

Once a decision is made, a letter will be sent explaining the outcome. If the claim is successful, it will also list the date the first payment will be made.