90 yr old has small private pension and high rate AA can she get any PENSION CREDIT

erm
erm Online Community Member Posts: 70 Contributor
Please if anyone can advise about this persons situation! She is in her 90s owns her home lives alone gets £192 state pension per week, is on high rate Attendance allowance has a private pension of around £200 per month she is poor sighted virtually blind in one eye, and can hardly hear, she has to pay for glasses and dentist, as doesn't get Pension credit, also no warm home discount, cold weather payment or cost of living payment. She gets council tax reduction. People keep telling her she should still be able to get extra help! Please advise if it is worth her ringing up pension credit to ask! She says the government years ago said because of the private pension she cannot access any other help but ends up worse off than her neighbours, most never worked or just part time, and all able to claim PC, so also get WHD CWP COLP , and get free dentist glasses etc. She has injections in her eyes and so constantly has to replace her glasses at hundreds £s a time. It just seems so unfair, she sits in a cold home while her neighbours have heating on, go on holidays, outings etc yet never worked like she did all her life, and sacrificed part of her wage for a PP as told she would be better off in old age which she now finds is the opposite. Would she be able to access any other benefit help? 

Comments

  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,001 Championing
    edited June 2023
    Because she lives alone and gets AA and provided no one receives Carers Allowance or the carer element of UC for being after her the calculation of Pension Credit would include a Severe Disability Addition. Based on the information you provided it looks likely that she could get a small amount of guarantee PC. Any PC would be worthwhile because of the ‘passported’ benefits you have referred to.

    You can can use a benefits calculation to check her figures.
    https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/
    https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator