Pensioners struggling to make ends meet may be able to boost their income if they are medically diagnosed as hard of hearing.
Hearing loss with all the associated difficulties for daily life could mean people are entitled to receive Attendance Allowance.
Qualifying could see recipients receive up to £434 per month depending on the severity of the problem.
It is estimated that there are 12 million adults living with a hearing condition or deafness, yet only 35,633 of them are receiving additional financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP) or Attendance Allowance.
Attendance Allowance is a tax-free benefit for those of state pension age that currently supports more than 1.5 million people.
The support is paid to those who have a disability or illness and need help or supervision throughout the day or at times during the night.
Depending on the level of care the condition requires, recipients could receive either £72.65 or £108.55 per week. This is paid every four weeks and equates to £290.60 and £434.20.
During the 2024/25 financial year, around 8,616 individuals over the state pension age will receive Attendance Allowance payments each week due to a hearing condition. However, this is just a fraction of the number who are entitled to it.
There are 15 main hearing conditions supported by disability benefits and they cover conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and other hearing conditions.
This is not an exhaustive list as the benefit supports a constantly evolving list of conditions.
Hearing conditions which qualify for Attendance Allowance
Conductive hearing loss:
- Chronic secretory otitis media
- Chronic suppurative otitis media
- Conductive hearing loss – Other causes / type not known
- Conductive hearing loss due to Trauma
- Mastoiditis
- Otitis externa – chronic
- Otosclerosis
Sensorineural hearing loss:
- Deafness – congenital
- Labyrinthitis
- Menieres disease
- Presbyacusis
- Sensorineural hearing loss – Other causes / type not known
- Sensorineural hearing loss due to Trauma
Other hearing conditions:
- Mixed hearing loss
- Other diseases affecting hearing and balance
There are more than 40 other health conditions that can qualify a person to receive Attendance Allowance.
Full details about claiming Attendance Allowance can be found on the GOV.UK website here.
