The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has created a new way to claim one type of financial help, and has launched the system this week – but it only works on a Monday. People who claim the State Pension and have some form of disability will now be able to claim Attendance Allowance online.
Attendance Allowance can be worth up to £108 per week for people with a disability. This benefit is claimed by 1.6 million people, but until now could not be claimed through an online application.
The DWP said the new online service will only be able to accept a “limited number of applications each week” – and they will probably only be able to apply on Mondays, reports the MEN.
Pensioners wanting to use the online service will have to get in early on Mondays to have their application processed online, with the DWP limiting the numbers that can use the service each week. It cannot be used by people who are an appointee or have power of attorney for someone to apply for Attendance Allowance.
This rule is because the online application service is still being developed, as made apparent by the message applicants currently receive when attempting to use it. The message reads: “You cannot apply online today. This is because the service is still being developed, only a limited number of people can apply online each week.”
“More applications will become available every Monday. You can still apply by post.”
Claimants wanting to use the service will have to be ready with all their information when they log in to use the service, as it is not possible to save a form halfway through, and so must be completed by a pensioner in one sitting. Benefits and Work also highlighted the beta service’s inability to process additional evidence to support a claim, instead saying that applicants will be contacted by telephone.
You can claim Attendance Allowance if you need extra support during the day or night due to a long-term illness, disability or health condition, you should check out the official eligibility guidance on the GOV.UK website here. The most common conditions people who claim the allowance have are arthritis, dementia, heart disease, respiratory illness, muscle and bone conditions, cerebrovascular disease, back pain, visual disorders, Parkinson’s and neurological conditions.
