State pensioners given £4.20 weekly extra after April DWP change | Personal Finance | Finance
State pensioners with certain health conditions or disabilities are being handed a payment boost of up to £4.20 per week following a benefit uprating in April.
People of State Pension age who have care needs due to a health condition or disability can get help with extra living costs by claiming Attendance Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The benefit is paid at two different rates, with the amount you get depending on how much care you need. The lower rate is awarded to those who need frequent help or constant supervision during day or at night, while the higher rate is given to those who need help or supervision throughout the day and night, or if a medical professional has said you’re nearing the end of life.
The DWP has confirmed a 3.8% rise to Attendance Allowance rates from April 6, which will give eligible pensioners an extra bit of cash.
The lower rate is rising from £73.90 per week to £76.60 – amounting to an extra £2.80 per week, or £145.60 more per year.
But those on the higher rate will get slightly more, with payments going up from £110.40 per week to £114.60 – a weekly increase of £4.20, or £218.40 extra per year.
Attendance Allowance is paid to those who are eligible in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but if you live in Scotland you will need to apply for Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) instead which is paid at exactly the same rate.
To qualify for either Attendance Allowance or PADP you must have reached State Pension age AND all of the following apply:
- you have a physical disability, a mental disability, or a health condition
- your disability or health condition is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or someone to supervise you, for your own or someone else’s safety
- you have needed that help for at least six months
While there isn’t a definitive list of health conditions that qualify for Attendance Allowance and PADP, the DWP does have a list of 56 main disabling conditions recorded on its Disability Living Allowance computer system.
If you have one of these conditions you may be likely to qualify for extra financial support, but it is important to note that this is not a checklist for qualifying for Attendance Allowance or PAPD, it is simply an overview of the type of conditions that are being supported. The conditions include:
