Article: Welfare Rights - Attendance Allowance Article Body What is Attendance Allowance? It is a tax-free benefit for people over 65 who are severely disabled, physically or mentally, and who need help with personal care or need supervision. What matters is the help you need. You could still live alone and not be receiving any help as long as you would reasonably require help with personal care or supervision. Attendance allowance is paid in full in addition to almost any other benefit, such as retirement pension or pension credit. It is ignored as income for means tested benefits. Therefore, it does not reduce the amount of pension credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit you receive. You must be over 65 and either severely disabled, physically or mentally, and need help with personal care or need supervision. If you require any help / assistance from Welfare Rights, please contact by telephone. The service will arrange to see you to help with the completion of the form and attendance allowance claim pack. This is a free and confidential service Contact details Details of how to contact the Welfare Rights service can be found at welfare rights advice. How you can help Be honest about your disability. You should not exaggerate but neither should you understate your problems. You should put the problems down even if you find them embarrassing. The form is designed to try to ask the relevant questions. So, you should answer the questions on each page. For example, if the question is about getting out of bed do not answer about getting dressed. You do not need to fill every page in full to be entitled. If you don't need help with any function tick no help needed. Your condition may vary. You should put on the form what help you need on the worst days. You should then state that your condition is sometimes not as bad as this. If you are in pain, for example, walking or getting dressed or you feel exhausted afterwards, mention this. Make sure you mention all medical conditions and medication taken. If you have a specialist give full details of this. Always keep a copy of your claim form. You may have a visiting doctor come to your home to examine you and make a report. Any slight inconsistency in your answers may mean you will not be believed about the extent of your condition. You only need to complete section one of the claim form if you are prepared to be examined by a visiting doctor and the decision based on their report. A renewal claim is considered afresh. Always put full information on a renewal form. The rules remain the same whatever your age. So, do not be put off claiming because you think you are "doing well for your age". However, the older you are the more likely you are to receive attendance allowance if you are becoming more frail, are likely to fall or can only perform your bodily functions with great difficulty or take much longer than previously. Additional notes How you fill in the form is very important. If you do not put something down on the form at this stage it is less likely that a decision maker, visiting examining doctor or appeal tribunal will believe you about facts you only mention later. Response times / next steps The Welfare Rights service endeavours to answer the telephone within five rings. Requests for a home visit are acknowledged within six working days. Letters and electronic mail are acknowledged within two working days. Messages left for officers are returned within 24 hours unless notified otherwise.