With rising living costs, many pensioners are living on very low incomes, yet it has been estimated that more than £4 billion in benefits is unclaimed by elderly people each year. If you are struggling to make ends meet, you may be entitled to benefits you are not receiving.
The benefits system can be a nightmare because the rules are complex and confusing. Our specialist solicitors can help you to get through the benefits maze and help you make sure you are receiving the maximum benefits you are entitled to.
If you have applied for benefits and have been refused, we may be able to help you make an appeal to the Department for Work and Pensions. Read on to find out more about the benefits you may be entitled to, and how we can help.
If you are under 65, you may be able to claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and if you are over 65 you may be able to claim Attendance Allowance (AA). The amount you receive for either of these benefits shouldn't be affected by any other income or savings you have. In some cases, the Department for Work and Pensions will ask you to attend a medical examination in order to get more information about your disability and your needs.
You can claim DLA or AA if you are terminally ill, but in these circumstances, the DWP is very unlikely to insist upon a medical examination, and help exists to help process your claim quickly. The amount that you receive will depend on how your disability and care needs are assessed. There are two different rates for Attendance Allowance. Disability Living Allowance has two components, each of which is assessed separately:
You could be eligible to receive the care component of DLA if you need help looking after yourself, or if you need to be supervised for your own safety. The care component of DLA may be paid at one of three different weekly rates, depending on how your needs are assessed.
You could claim the mobility component of DLA if you have mobility problems. The mobility component of DLA may be paid at one of two weekly rates, depending on how your needs are assessed.
You may be entitled to receive one or both of these components, depending on your disability and care needs.
The Department for Work and Pensions usually ignores Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance as income where they are assessing income-related benefits, which means that people who receive Disability Living Allowance may also be entitled to increases in other benefits, like the Pension Credit. If you think you could be entitled to receive DLA or AA it is worth making a claim as it could help your financial situation considerably.
A large part of our work in the area of Welfare Benefits Law involves helping people whose claims for benefits like Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA) have been refused. Our benefits specialists have considerable expertise in this area and give advice to claimants of DLA and AA, including the growing number of elderly people who rely on these benefits.
We understand how important getting the right benefits can be for people who are coping with physical or mental disability. In cases where benefits have been refused, reduced or stopped, we can help you to appeal against the decision the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has made. People going through the appeals process with the DWP usually have the choice of either a paper hearing (where the a tribunal will make a decision based on paper evidence only) or an oral hearing, where they can attend in person. An oral hearing gives you the best chance of explaining the facts of your case.
We may not be able to attend the hearing in every case, though if the case is particularly legally complex we will try to do so. In situations like this, our welfare benefits solicitors will present your case and make legal representations on your behalf.