Attendance Allowance is a benefit available to people over 65 years old who require significant help and care either through the day, through the night or through both periods.

Attendance Allowance is not means tested and is based instead upon the care you require.

Who is eligible?

You may be eligible for attendance allowance if you are a UK citizen, over 65 and you have a physical and/or

mental disability
that means you need help or supervision to be able to care and look after yourself.

If you have been receiving

Personal Independence Payment
or

Disability Living Allowance
up to the age of 65, you will carry on receiving this benefit.

How much benefit can I get?

The rate you receive will be free from being taxed. Note: Figures correct as of 2nd September 2022.

Daytime needs

You may be entitled to Attendance Allowance if you need frequent care through the day. The care you may need may include:

• Help with dressing
• Help with preparing food or eating
• Help with washing or using the toilet
• Help with reading or communicating
• Help with taking
  
  medication
  or treating a health condition

If you have

diabetes complications, or another health condition in addition to diabetes, that requires regular care through the day you may qualify for Attendance Allowance.

The presence of neuropathy,

visual impairments, deafness, joint problems or complications as a result of heart, stroke or kidney problems could lead to difficulties in one or more of the above activities.

It is also important to take into account whether you need care to ensure you stay safe. This may be relevant if you are at significant risk of

severe hypos
or if you are at risk of falling perhaps as a result of hypos or

motor neuropathy
affecting your ability to walk or climb or descend steps.

Night time needs

You may be eligible for Attendance Allowance if you require care for at least 20 minutes during the night or at require help at least twice each night.

Examples where you may need help could include if you regularly require help going to the toilet more than once during the night. If you a problem with

hypos during the night
and require help with being monitored through the night, this will also be particularly relevant.

How will my application be assessed?

You may need to attend a face to face assessment so that a healthcare professional can assess your eligibility. If this is the case, you be sent a letter giving information on what to expect and where and when it will be.

At an assessment you need proof of ID which can either be your passport or 3 of the following:

• Birth certificate
• Driving licence
• Bank statements or
• 
  Life assurance policy

Before you apply

Before you apply, it is well worth giving yourself a week or so to assess how diabetes and other health conditions affect you through the night and day.

Keeping a diary, or asking someone to help you keep a diary, is a good idea for making sure you include all the different care needs you have.

State the truth but don’t underestimate how much of an effect your condition may have on you.

How do I claim Attendance allowance?

When you’re ready to submit your claim, you can do this by post or online.

If sending by post, the form you need is called ‘AA1A’ and is available to download from the government website or you can call the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0845 712 3456 (or by textphone on 0845 722 4433) Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.

Parents of children with diabetes who are under the age of 16 may be entitled to a tax-free social security benefit called Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

DLA may be available if your child needs more care and assistance than other children their age.

Is DLA means tested?

DLA is not means tested, which means that it makes no difference how much money you or your

child
or your family get in income or from savings.

How much benefit can I receive?

Disability Living Allowance is available over 3 care rates and 2 mobility rates.
If your child has care and mobility needs, he or she may qualify to receive benefits from both the care and mobility components.

The rate is how much will be paid per week. You can usually expect to receive the payments once every 4 weeks and the money received will be tax free.

Note:

Figures may have changed at time of reading.

Is my child eligible for DLA?

The Department of Work and Pensions updated their DLA guidelines for children with type 1 diabetes, stating that children up to the age of 16 will need help from parents and carers during the day. The new guidelines are designed to make it easier for parents claiming for children aged 12 years or older who require day-to-day assistance managing their diabetes.

Children with diabetes are more likely to be eligible for the care component unless they have an additional health difficulty that affects their mobility.

Your child may be eligible for the lower rate of DLA if they require

some

care and supervision, beyond that of other children their age, through some of the day or night.

The middle care rate is available if your child requires

frequent

help or constant supervision through the day or night.

The highest rate is if care or supervision is

required

through both the day and night.

Typical care needs for children with diabetes include:

• Increased help from ana dult for taking insulin or blood tests
• Increased supervision as a result of problems with
  
  hypoglycemia

Will I still receive DLA when my child turns 16?

When your child turns 16, they will need to apply for

Personal Independence Payment
(PIP) to continue receiving a benefit for daily care or mobility needs.

My child is recently diagnosed with diabetes; can I get the Disability Living Allowance?

The DLA is usually available within 3 months of

diagnosis

However, applying before this time allows the relevant authority to provide the DLA from the very first day your entitlement starts.

Before you apply

Take some time to consider how your child’s diabetes, and other conditions they have, affects your day-to-day life. Consider the care your child needs during school term time as well as during holiday periods.

Note down when your child requires help from an adult as well as any instances whereby your child cannot take part in an activity or is disadvantaged as a result of not having help available.

How can I apply for DLA?

You can apply online or download a DLA claim pack from the

government website

You can also get a claim pack by calling the benefit helpline on 0845 712 3456 (or textphone on 0845 722 4433) between Monday and Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Is an assessment involved?

A face-to-face assessment may be required, in which case a letter will be sent to you detailing where and when to go.

You will need to bring ID with you which will either comprise a passport or any 3 of the following:

• Birth certificate
• Full driving licence
• Life assurance policy
• Bank statements

If you have questions about the assessment, call the benefit helpline on the number provided above.

Personal Independence Payment is a benefit that aims to help people with the costs associated with a long term health conditions that limit the ability to comfortable live or move.

PIP replaced Disability Living Allowance for people that are between 16 and 64.

DLA
is still available to apply for children under 16.

Will I be eligible?

The starting entry criteria for PIP are as follows:

• People aged 16 to 64 years old
• UK residents
• Have a long term health condition, which may include diabetes, if it causes difficulties with daily living or mobility

Your eligibility to then receive the benefit will depend on whether your specific needs are sufficient.

How much benefit can I get?

PIP is divided into two levels:

• 
  Standard
  
  level for those whose daily living and mobility is ‘limited’
• 
  Enhanced
  
  level for those whose mobility and daily living is ‘severely limited’

The table below lays out how much you will receive per week depending on which level you are assessed at.

The rates in the table are weekly rates and will be free from tax.

Note:

Figures correct as of 2 September 2022

How will my application be assessed?

You will need to fill out an application form and have an assessment.

The application form includes questions on how your daily living is affected and how your mobility is affected by any physical, unseen or

mental health conditions
you have.  For the questions you answer, you will be given a score between 0 and 12. Note that the maximum score available on each question can vary.

The assessment will usually be a face to face meeting with a health professional employed by either Atos or Capita.

Daily living

Questions will be asked about your daily living ability on the following subjects:

1. Preparing food
2. Ability to eat food
3. Managing your medication or other treatments
4. Ability to wash and bathe
5. Whether you have managing
   
   toilet needs or incontinence
6. How able you are to dress and undress
7. Your ability to communicate verbally
8. How well you can read words, signs and symbols
9. You ability to engage people face to face
10. 
    How able you are to budget

Mobility difficulties

Mobility difficulties includes questions on the following:

1. How difficult it is for you to plan and follow a journey
2. Whether you are able to stand and how far you can walk unaided

How might diabetes contribute to my eligibility?

These are a few examples of how complications related to diabetes may contribute to your eligibility for the benefit.

People with neuropathy that affects the hands may experience problems with dexterity which cause difficulty with dressing (such as doing up or undoing buttons), preparing food or in

taking blood tests
or injections.

If you have lost

hypo awareness
this may also be a factor that affects your ability to adequately monitor your condition by yourself.

Having

autonomic neuropathy
could also increase your eligibility if neuropathy makes managing toilet trips a difficulty.

If you have

stiff joints or frozen shoulder, this may also affect your ability to adequately wash or dress.

Visual impairments
can make a number of tasks difficult, including taking treatment, reading, preparing meals and choosing appropriate clothing.

Mental health issues such as depression can affect a number of daily activities which may include the ability to budget unaided or causing difficulties in dealing with other people.

Mental health issues may also be relevant in terms of managing treatments, such as if it is difficult to make appropriate dosing decisions by yourself or if you need to be prompted to take your

medication
at the appropriate times.

Your ability to stand and walk distances may be affected by factors including

amputation
or complications related to kidney disease.

Before you apply

It’s important to note down any ways in which health conditions affect your life, including complications and any mental health factors, including

depression

It’s therefore advisable to give yourself some time, perhaps a week or more, to note down any situations in which your life is affected by diabetes, or another health condition, as some of the important ways in which your life is affected may not immediately come to mind.

Make a note of any aids you need to use, including magnifying glasses, screen readers, shower seats or special clothing for your condition.

What if my disability needs change?

If your disability needs change, either for the better or worse, you need to inform the DWP of the changes.

How do I apply?

Call or write to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) on telephone 0800 917 2222. ]]> https://www.diabetes.co.uk/vat-exemption.html Tue, 15 Jan 2019 15:39:33 +0000 https://www.diabetes.co.uk/vat-exemption-for-people-with-diabetes/ Diabetes patients are eligible for VAT exemption, meaning that if you have
diabetes you do not need to pay VAT on items such as blood glucose monitors, test strips, lancets and other periphery diabetes products.

Many diabetes patients encounter problems when it comes to paying VAT in
chemists and pharmacies.

Many professionals are simply unaware of the VAT
exemptions.

This page includes a sample claim form from which people with
diabetes are able to download and use in instances when a chemist does not
have a claim form.

• Download the VAT exemption form (PDF)

What if I experience problems with the VAT exemption form?

Ensure you make the retailer aware that diabetes related goods are zero-rated for VAT. Should there be any queries, you or the retailer can call National Advice Service on 0845 010 9000.

What products are VAT exempt?

There is occasionally confusion as to what qualifies as being a diabetes related product or service.

This is typically agreed to be items that would be used solely for diabetes related purposes.

VAT exemption example

For example, a tub of GlucoTabs may not be considered to be totally diabetes related as they may be taken by athletes or sports-people to boost their energy.

However, an item such as test strips can not possibly be used by anyone else other than for the purpose of testing their blood sugar, which is a diabetes related purpose.

For this reason, test strips are exempt from VAT and GlucoTabs are not.

Where can I get help?

Should there be any confusion as to whether a product is, or should be, VAT exempt or not, ask in the Diabetes Forum or call the National Advice Service on 0845 010 9000.

Read more on the GOV.UK website.

What happens with the VAT exemption form?

You should hand over the VAT exemption form to your retailer. They will then use it in their accounting to show where VAT exemption was applied.

There are a number of free welfare benefits that may be available to people with diabetes if complications lead to difficulty in daily life.

In addition, all people with diabetes mellitus in the UK are entitled to

free eye checks
and all people on diabetes medication should receive free prescriptions.

In terms of the benefits related to long term health conditions and disabilities, eligibility for benefits depends on to what extent the life of an individual is affected by diabetes or any addition health issues.

The most likely people to be eligible for these kind of benefits include:

• People with
  
  mental health
  problems (including depression)
• Serious complications
• Learning disabilities
• Older or young people

Diabetes and Benefits

Diabetes Prescriptions

Attendance Allowance

DLA and Diabetes

PIP & Diabetes

What is the purpose of disability benefits?

The aim of disability benefits is to help those people that need it, whilst incapacity benefits are intended for those that, physically or mentally, are unable to work.

What benefits are available to me?

There are a number of benefits available for people with diabetes and/or their carers.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Disability Living Allowance
is available for people over the age of 16 years old with care and/or mobility needs.

For care needs, there are three tiers of benefit from needing care for short periods up to care covering both night and day.

For mobility needs there are two tiers, covering care for those who need guidance and the higher tier for people who find the act of moving around difficult.

DLA for parents of children with diabetes

Parents of

diabetic children
may also claim for disability living allowance if there are significant care needs above those of other children of the same age.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

In 2013,

Personal Independence Payment
replaced Disability Living Allowance for people between the ages of 16 and 64.

For care needs, there are two tiers of benefit for both mobility and daily living needs.

The tier you may qualify for, and therefore how much benefit you receive, depends on the extent of care needs you have, which is assessed on a points basis.

Attendance Allowance for over 65s

If you are over 65 and have specific care needs for safety reasons or to carry out basic tasks, you may wish to claim

Attendance Allowance

There are two tiers available, higher and lower, depending on your specific care needs.

There are two tiers available, a lower tier for day

or

night needs

and

a higher tier for day and night needs.

Employment and Support Allowance

Employment
and Support Allowance may be available to you if you have a disability or illness that affects your capacity to work.

As with all benefits, a number of qualify criteria apply. Since 27 October 2008, Employment and Support Allowance has replaced Income Support and Incapacity Benefit.

However, if you have been receiving either of these benefits previously, you may still be eligible to receive them.

Pension credit

Covering Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit,

Pension
Credit is available to those reaching a minimum qualifying age and satisfying a number of other means tested criteria.

Those who have a disability or caring responsibilities may help increase the chance of eligibility.

Housing benefit

If you’re on a low income and financially in need of help to pay the rent, you may be able to claim housing benefit.

The qualifying criteria for housing benefit includes whether you have savings under a certain level, however, whether you work or not is not an issue.

You can only claim for housing benefit for single room/bedsit accommodation if you’re under 35 and single.

Are there other types of disability benefit?

Other types of disability benefit include Attendance Allowance, which applies in particular for those people over the age of 65 who need supervision for over a six month period.

Furthermore, carers may be entitled to claim some benefits.

The Citizens Advice Bureau is able to check on your benefits eligibility, so if you believe that you are entitled to more benefits than you are getting it is worth contacting them.

For those people seriously affected by

retinopathy, it may also be worth contacting the RNIB for assistance.

How to claim benefits?

To make a claim, call the Benefit Enquiry Line or download the relevant claim pack from the

Directgov website

If you need to appeal

If you wish to appeal against a decisio, you can submit an appeal by downloading the GL24 pack.

The Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to provide you with help towards making your appeal.