Attendance Allowance Official View: It's About Need, Not Diagnoses

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) does not maintain an official list of qualifying medical conditions. Instead, eligibility depends on:

• Whether you’ve reached State Pension age,

• Have a physical or mental health condition—including sensory or cognitive impairments,

• That requires help with personal care or regular supervision,

• And this care has been needed for at least six months (unless you're terminally ill)

  
  

So even if your diagnosis isn't listed anywhere, you may still qualify if it affects your daily living enough to need help or supervision.

“Lists” Derived from DWP Guidance

Having said that though, there are common examples or “lists” of conditions often associated with successful Attendance Allowance claims. These are not exhaustive or official, but helpful to understand the range of conditions considered. Commonly mentioned conditions include:

• Musculoskeletal / Mobility: Arthritis, spondylosis, back pain, diseases of muscles/bones/joints, trauma to limbs, major trauma, paraplegia, tetraplegia, frailty.

• Sensory Impairments: Blindness, deafness, deafblind, visual disorders, hearing disorders.

• Cardiovascular & Respiratory: Heart disease, chest disease, asthma, cystic fibrosis, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, respiratory disorders.

• Neurological / Neuromuscular: Epilepsy, neurological diseases, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, chronic pain syndromes.

• Metabolic / Endocrine: Diabetes mellitus, metabolic diseases.

• Mental Health / Cognitive Conditions: Dementia, learning difficulties, psychosis, psychoneurosis, personality or behavioural disorders, hyperkinetic syndrome, severely mentally impaired.

• Neurological / Cognitive: Cognitive disorders “other/precise diagnosis not specified”.

• Other Conditions: Renal disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, bowel and stomach diseases, blood disorders (e.g., haemophilia), multi-system disorders, multiple allergy syndrome, skin disease, malignant disease, AIDS, haemodialysis, total parenteral nutrition.

• Infectious Diseases: Viral (including COVID-19 and unspecified), bacterial (including TB and unspecified), protozoal (e.g., malaria and unspecified).

• Other: Double amputee, “unknown”, terminally ill status.

  
  

Below is a list of 56-57 medical conditions which could mean that you entitled to Attendance Allowance:

• Arthritis

• Spondylosis

• Back pain – other/precise diagnosis not specified

• Disease of the muscles, bones or joints

• Trauma to limbs

• Visual disorders and diseases

• Hearing disorders

• Heart disease

• Respiratory disorders and diseases

• Asthma

• Cystic fibrosis

• Cerebrovascular disease

• Peripheral vascular disease

• Epilepsy

• Neurological diseases

• Multiple sclerosis

• Parkinson's disease

• Motor neurone disease

• Chronic pain syndromes

• Diabetes mellitus

• Metabolic disease

• Traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia

• Major trauma other than traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia

• Learning difficulties

• Psychosis

• Psychoneurosis

• Personality Disorder

• Dementia

• Behavioural disorder

• Alcohol and drug abuse

• Hyperkinetic syndrome

• Renal disorders

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Bowel and stomach disease

• Blood disorders

• Haemophilia

• Multi system disorders

• Multiple allergy syndrome

• Skin disease

• Malignant disease

• Severely mentally impaired

• Double amputee

• Deaf/blind

• Haemodialysis

• Frailty

• Total parenteral nutrition

• AIDS

• Infectious diseases: viral disease - Covid-19

• Infectious diseases: viral disease - precise diagnosis not specified

• Infectious diseases: bacterial disease – tuberculosis

• Infectious diseases: bacterial disease – precise diagnosis not specified

• Infectious diseases: protozoal disease – malaria

• Infectious diseases: protozoal disease – other/precise diagnosis not specified

• Infectious diseases - other / precise diagnosis not specified

• Cognitive disorder - other / precise diagnosis not specified

• Terminally Ill

• Unknown

  
  

Summary

• There's no fixed official list of medical diagnoses that qualify for Attendance Allowance.

• Common examples often include the 56–57 conditions compiled by secondary sources—but these are illustrative, not exhaustive.

• If your health affects your ability to care for yourself or remain safe, and you've needed help for at least six months (unless terminal), you may qualify, regardless of diagnosis.

• It’s always worth applying or seeking advice, particularly when in doubt or your need for help isn't obvious on paper.

Let me know if you'd like help with the claim process, specifically with Form Writing or Form Checking. You can email maria@benefitiaforms.co.uk or you can visit my website for further information at benefitiaforms.co.uk.