Let Our Social Security Attorneys Handle Your Claim
The most important takeaway here is that anyone who has experienced job loss due to cognitive decline should consult with professionals. The doctor can consider your symptoms, run tests, and may be able to provide effective treatments. If not, the medical records can serve as evidence showing how the impairments will continue to prevent work. An attorney can advise you about your income replacement options and whether your impairments would put you in a position to qualify for them. You are welcome to contact Keller & Keller for this type of consultation.
Making A Claim For Attendance Allowance
To claim Attendance Allowance. phone the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122 or visit the GOV.uk Attendance Allowance page.If you need help with filling in a form, phone the Age Scotland helpline on 0800 12 44 222 for a referral to the Department for Work and Pensions home visiting service or for contact details of a local advice agency which can help you.
Within the next few years Attendance Allowance will be replaced by a new payment from Social Security Scotland for people making a claim for the first time. Call the Age Scotland helpline for more information.
How Local Authority Support Is Calculated
- If you have over £23,250, you will usually have to pay for your care yourself
- For those with between £14,250 and £23,250, you and the local authority will split the cost.
- Under £14,250, the local authority will agree to provide you with a care budget.
Remember, if your circumstances change, you can request another financial assessment at any point.
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How Do You Make A Claim For Pip
You can make a new claim by contacting the DWP, you can find all the information you need to apply on the gov.uk website here.
Before you call, you will need:
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your contact details, for example telephone number
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your date of birth
Once you’ve contacted the DWP, they will send you a document to complete which consists of 14 questions and a section for any additional information.
The questions focus on how your condition affects you – put as much relevant detail in as you can to help the assessor understand your physical and mental health needs.
If you have difficulty filling in your form or understanding the questions, contact your local council and ask for help or Citizens Advice Scotland.
We have a breakdown of all 14 questions here and you can take an anonymous self-test online at Benefits and Work to see how many points you would be awarded for each response.
For more information about PIP, visit GOV.UK here.
How You Are Assessed
You will be assessed by an independent healthcare professional to help the DWP work out the level of help you need.
Face-to-face consultations have now restarted for some claimants, however, telephone and video calls are also available options – we have a full guide on how to prepare for assessments here.
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Who Can Make A Claim
You, or a family member, or someone who cares for you should apply for Attendance Allowance if you have a disability or illness and need help or supervision throughout the day or at times during the night -even if you do not currently get that help.
This might include:
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Help with your personal care – for example getting dressed, eating or drinking, getting in and out of bed, bathing or showering and going to the toilet
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Help to stay safe
You should also apply if you have difficulties with personal tasks, for example if they take you a long time, you experience pain or you need physical help, like a chair to lean on.
Attendance Allowance is not just for people with a physical disability or illness.
You should also claim if you need help or supervision throughout the day or night and have:
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a mental health condition
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a sensory condition – if you are deaf or blind
How To Qualify For Ssi And Ssdi
The Social Security Blue Book lists the impairments with detailed requirements to judge whether or not your medical condition is disabling. In the Blue Book, Early-Onset Alzheimers falls under the category Organic Mental Disorders, , and the required level of severity is met when both A and B are satisfied together, or C alone is satisfied.
A and B together must be satisfied if:
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Qualifying For Social Security Disability With Alzheimers Disease
If you or someone you love has Alzheimers disease, you may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security Administration offers monthly benefits to people who are no longer able to work due to a serious disability. You may be eligible for financial aid to help pay for any medical costs, childcare, in-home nursing, rent or a mortgage, or any other of your financial needs.
Technical Eligibility for Social Security
While the SSA offers both disability and retirement benefits, the two programs are different from one another. You cannot receive Social Security disability once you are eligible for Social Security retirement. This means that you cannot supplement your monthly retirement benefits with disability benefits, regardless of your diagnosis.
If youre unable to work due to a disability and youre eligible for early retirement , we always recommend applying for disability first. If youre approved for disability benefits your monthly payments will be whatever you could have received on retirement had you been able to continue employment. If you take early retirement, youll take reduced benefits.
This unfortunately means that most people who are diagnosed with Alzheimers disease will be ineligible for Social Security disability, as theyll already be at their full retirement age. On the plus side, qualification is very easy if you have Early Onset Alzheimers disease.
Medical Eligibility for Social Security Disability
Starting Your Application
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Certain medications can also affect memory. A lack of sleep and an impaired thyroid function can negatively affect memory. Some of these conditions can also lead to a decreased ability to remember events. In addition to these, natural aging can affect brain function, and may lead to a slowdown in memory. Although this symptom does not necessarily mean that youre losing your memory, it could indicate a problem with your cognitive ability. If you are suffering from either, a medical evaluation is necessary to determine if youre suffering from memory loss. What Benefits Can You Claim if You Have Dementia
In addition to aging, medications can affect memory. Certain antidepressants, anxiety medications, and sleep disorders can all affect memory. A persons mental health can also contribute to memory problems. In some cases, a persons mental state may be affected by the medication they are taking. Some untreated medical conditions can lead to deterioration of the brain and affect the ability to learn and remember. It is also important to see a medical professional if your symptoms persist even after youve stopped taking certain medications.
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Who Cannot Claim Attendance Allowance
You won’t be able to get Attendance Allowance if you already get PIP or DLA to pay for your care.
If you apply for Attendance Allowance while getting DLA, the DWP will usually reassess your DLA award instead.
You can renew your PIP or DLA when the existing award ends as long as you still meet the eligibility criteria.
If your renewal is unsuccessful you can apply for Attendance Allowance instead.
Find out more about Attendance Allowance on the GOV.UK website here.
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Whats The First Step When Applying For Benefits
So, you have a diagnosis of dementia, and now you are asking what benefits can I claim if I have dementia?
The next step is to request a needs assessment from social services.
As the dementia care journey is complex and different for everybody, this assessment can help determine what you need to live well now.
Many people want to remain living in their home, the place they feel safe and happy, for as long as possible.
This help may involve carers visiting to assist with personal or household tasks, modifications to the home space, or specialist equipment.
Also Check: Is Dementia Inherited From Mother Or Father
Your Monthly Compensation Depends On Your Disability Rating
The amount you will receive each month depends on your VA impairment rating. The more convinced VA is that your condition is severe, the higher the impairment rating you will receive. Higher ratings correspond to greater monthly compensation.
For Alzheimers and other cognitive disorders, you will receive a rating of 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, or 100 percent. VA determines your rating using the following Federal Code of Regulations criteria:
Here is the monthly compensation you can expect at each rating as of 2019 for a single veteran with no dependents:
- 0 percent rating: $0 per month
- 10 percent rating: $142.29 per month
- 30 percent rating: $435.69 per month
- 50 percent rating: $893.43 per month
- 70 percent rating: $1,426.17 per month
- 100 percent rating: $3,106.04 per month
Get veterans disability legal help today. Call for a free consultation.
Are All Benefits For People Living With Dementia Means
Not every benefit available to people living with dementia is means-tested.
The eligibility for the NHS Continuing Health Care package, for example, is focused on your primary health needs not on your financial circumstances.
When applying for that funding, it doesnt matter what money you have in savings or assets.
However, Local Authority funding is means-tested, and well explain how the assessor will determine whether you are eligible.
Read Also: When Should Dementia Patients Stop Driving
Does Alzheimers Qualify Me For Disability Benefits Like Ssdi
In many cases, Alzheimers directly affects your ability to perform the job duties necessary to sustain work. However, just being diagnosed with Alzheimers is not necessarily enough to automatically qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.
Alzheimers Disease is mentioned in two separate sections of the Social Security Administrations Blue Book, their listing of disabling conditions. Alzheimers appears in Section 11.17 and in Section 12.02
In these sections, the SSA lists specifically a variety of disabling conditions that applicants may meet or equal in order to be considered disabled. Broadly speaking, these include extreme and/or marked limitations on ones capacity to function physically and/or mentally.
It should be noted that some people who are in the early stages of Alzheimers may still be able to work in some capacity, and may be able to do so for some time, and still lead happy and productive lives. Others, however, may be forced to stop working entirely, or find their work choices to be significantly reduced.
If an applicants Alzheimers Disease either alone or in combination with other medical conditions rises to the level of a severe impairment that will prevent them from sustaining work, and it has or is expected to affect that person for at least one year, or to result in death, they may very well qualify for disability benefits.
Key Points Of This Article:
- There are 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 living with Alzheimers today, and Early Onset Alzheimers is a progressive, terminal disease, which cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed.
- In Kentucky, more than 75,000 people are living with Alzheimers disease the most common form of dementia.
- Social Security benefits are very important to eligible individuals battling Alzheimers who are no longer able to work, require extra care, and have no other income source.
- If you suffer from a severe medical condition that prevents you from working, time is of the essence when it comes to applying for Social Security disability benefits. In some cases, such as an Early Onset Alzheimers diagnosis, the application process can be expedited through the Social Security Administrations Compassionate Allowances program.
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Veterans May Be At A Higher Risk For Alzheimers
Statistics show that one of three seniors die from Alzheimers or a related form of dementia. The numbers alone are staggering. Even more startling, a recent Los Angeles Times article cites a study stating that the traumatic brain injuries endured by many veterans increase their risk of Alzheimers, making them 60% more likely to develop Alzheimers or a late form of dementia.
Other studies have concluded that veterans who have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder are twice as likely to develop dementia than those without PTSD.
With increased risk factors, it is vital that veterans and their families learn how to determine their eligibility and claim the benefits they have been promised.
Can You Receive Disability Benefits For Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers Disease, or AD, can be a terrifying condition to live with. The disease is well-known for its effects on senior citizens over the age of 65the loss of cognitive functions such as memory, language, and judgment which make it progressively harder and harder to cope each and every day.
According to statistics from the Alzheimers Association, an estimated 5.4 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimers disease in 2016. Sufferers of this condition may require support to perform even basic life-sustaining tasks.
This leads many to ask if Alzheimers disease qualifies for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.
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What Is Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimers disease occurs when brain cells, or neurons, become damaged and die, resulting in shrinkage and deterioration of the brain. While the exact cause of Alzheimers is not known, abnormal behavior by brain proteins disrupts the function of neurons, damaging them and breaking with their connections to each other, ultimately resulting in their death. This is a slow process that happens over time, sometimes beginning years before the first signs and symptoms of Alzheimers disease develop.
Alzheimers often starts in the areas of the brain pertaining to memory. Memory loss is typically among the first symptoms of Alzheimers, specifically the loss of newer memories such as recent conversations or events. Neuron loss then begins to affect other, deeper, parts of the brain. This results in the loss of other cognitive abilities. The deterioration of the brain caused by Alzheimers is irreversible and can result not only in loss of memory, but also in the loss of thinking, reasoning, social skills, personality changes, and even physical impairment.
It is important to note that while the majority of cases of Alzheimers disease occur in people over the age of 65, early-onset Alzheimers can occur in people in their 30s, 40s, or 50s. It typically progresses in the same manner as late-onset Alzheimers. Early-onset Alzheimers is heavily due to genetics, while later onset Alzheimers may be a combination of age, environment, and lifestyle habits in addition to genetics.
Alzheimers Disease And Compassionate Allowance
Early-onset Alzheimers Disease is on the SSAs list of Compassionate Allowances which means it is one of the most serious conditions a claimant can have. From the SSAs website:
Compassionate Allowances are a way to quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that, by definition, meet Social Securitys standards for disability benefits. These conditions primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children. The CAL initiative helps us reduce waiting time to reach a disability determination for individuals with the most serious disabilities.
In many cases, being diagnosed with a condition on the Compassionate Allowances list allows for faster processing and a much greater likelihood of being approved. An approval is not guaranteed, however approval does depend on the facts of each individual case, so we recommend speaking with a qualified representative or disability advocate to discuss your particular situation.
If you have been diagnosed with Alzheimers, and have had to leave work before reaching full retirement age, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.
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Social Securitys Compassionate Allowances Program Allows Disability Benefits To Arrive Faster For Some Alzheimers Patients
The Social Security Administration offers hope to some Alzheimers patients and their families through its Compassionate Allowances Initiative . The SSA defines the initiative by identifying debilitating diseases and medical conditions so severe they meet Social Securitys rigid disability standards. Early Onset Alzheimers is covered by Social Security as a disability. According to the SSA, the initiative allows for faster payment of Social Security benefits to individuals with Alzheimers disease, mixed-dementia, and Primary Progressive Aphasia.
Applying for benefits under the CAL program can significantly reduce waiting times to reach a disability determination. And to date, more than 600,000 people with severe disabilities, including Alzheimers, have been approved through this accelerated, policy-compliant disability process. To qualify for CAL, youll need clinical records from your primary care physician or a specialist showing you have progressive dementia.
In most cases, disability claims demand quick approval, and this program can help fast-track cases where people have medical conditions and diseases requiring prompt attention from the SSA. Unfortunately, too many people who should qualify for benefits initially will not. Others may have had their initial disability claim rejected due to an oversight in the paperwork and now require help from a lawyer to help appeal, gather more evidence, present their case, or correct any mistakes quickly.