Awareness about Attendance Allowance and Council Tax Discount?

[Tangent]

I am wondering what other people's experience is with claiming Attendance Allowance. In hindsight, based on the eligibilty criteria, my wife has been entitled to Attendance Allowance for about 2 years but we only claimed last year when we became aware of it (and Council Tax Discount) via a TV consumer program. The Attendance Allowance was granted, but only from the date we registered our claim, not from when entitlement began. We have mounted an Appeal but it does not look promising.
Two aquaintances of ours say that they were advised about the Allowance at the outset of their need for help, by the attending services, but whilst we have had good medical support throughout, there has been no advice by anyone about some of the benefits that could be available. It seems that you are either lucky to be told about it, or have to spend time searching (when you are already very busy supporting the patient) or find out about it through a TV program. I wondered what other people's experience has been?

 

[Kevinl]

As you say a Mandatory Disregard for council tax and I got mine back dated to my wife's diagnosis.
Attendance allowance and Disability Living Allowance, I also got Carers Allowance, but it does depend on which of the 4 countries of the UK, they reside, rules differ and its where they live not you, assuming you/they are UK based.
K

 

[Tangent]

As you say a Mandatory Disregard for council tax and I got mine back dated to my wife's diagnosis.
Attendance allowance and Disability Living Allowance, I also got Carers Allowance, but it does depend on which of the 4 countries of the UK, they reside, rules differ and its where they live not you, assuming you/they are UK based.
K

Thank you for your prompt response. Our Council is Basildon in Essex. They have indicated they would use the date from which Attendance Allowance was paid, as the date that Council Tax Discount would be applied (but they will accept an appeal for an earlier date, which is what I am doing). Was your claim in England? Did you get Attendance Allowance backdated or only from when you claimed?

 

[sue31]

I am wondering what other people's experience is with claiming Attendance Allowance. In hindsight, based on the eligibilty criteria, my wife has been entitled to Attendance Allowance for about 2 years but we only claimed last year when we became aware of it (and Council Tax Discount) via a TV consumer program. The Attendance Allowance was granted, but only from the date we registered our claim, not from when entitlement began. We have mounted an Appeal but it does not look promising.
Two aquaintances of ours say that they were advised about the Allowance at the outset of their need for help, by the attending services, but whilst we have had good medical support throughout, there has been no advice by anyone about some of the benefits that could be available. It seems that you are either lucky to be told about it, or have to spend time searching (when you are already very busy supporting the patient) or find out about it through a TV program. I wondered what other people's experience has been?

We missed over 3 years of AA and 4 of zero council tax.!
Not a single person mentioned it.
Never having used the social system we had no idea. A nurse happened to mention it when we said how expensive it was getting even more care in place.

 

[Kevinl]

It was backdated to a Qualifying Benefit was being paid to either of us, I think it was me getting AA for her that qualified, but anyone with a severe mental impairment (SMI) is a mandatory disregard so if you have documentation of an smi go for it.
Note though S is severe, not a mild cognitive impairment or just a diagnosis of any form of age related impairment.
K

 

[Kevinl]

Well Basildons you.gov website seems pretty user friendly and spells out the rules, which seem like fair to me, generous possibly.
K