Hi aplogies if I have posted in the incorrect please. My elderly mother 78 has been in receipt of Attendance Allowance for 2 years and it has now come up for review ( I believe she was receiving the higher rate). She has re completed the forms, apparently almost identically but added that her health as worsened but she has been turned down. She asked that the decision be reviewed and received a phone call where she was asked varying questions which she answered honestly and is still being refused any help at all. She showed me a letter yesterday that she intends to write to ask them again to reconsider. Basically she is a very very proud lady and hates the fact that she needs and in my opinion is entitled to the Attendance Allowance. I dont feel her descriptions of her difficulties are in enough detail and I also feel she believes she is actually more able than she really is. Whilst not wanting her to lie I do feel that this may have jeopadised the decision. I suppose my questions are these:-

Is it usual for the Attendance allowance to be taken away completely despite receiving it for 2 years and her conditions / health deteriating?

On what basis is the Attendance Allowance usually awarded? ( maybe I am confused)

Has anyone any suggestions for a good letter / template that we could send back in response to their decision please?

She doesnt want to go to a tribunal as she doesnt feel she is up to it.

Any help / suggestions advice however small gratefully appreciated please.

Thankyou

You need to write a letter. First of all, ask for a statement of reasons. You then go through that and write down why this isn't true. For example, if they state she has no problems getting dressed and she says she does, she needs to state why. What happens if she tries herself and /or no-one helps her?

Thankyou for your reply. Do they usually provide a statement of reasons ? I havent actually seen the forms my mum completed and I wasnt there when she had the phone call . My concern is that she pretended she is so much better than she really is, something she does all of the time. If that is the case and she has said she can put her shoes on for example without help, when actually she cant, and this for example was one of the reasons ( this is all hypothetical) will it cause a problem as it contradicts what is on the form. Sorry I hope these questiosn all make sense !

You need to ask for a statement of reasons. (SoR) This also gives you an extra 2 weeks to submit the appeal. I personally write a brief letter stating why I want to appeal. I then spend the next month or so writing a detailed letter explaining why I disagree with the decision. I back this up with things like photos, etc.

Great thankyou ! Now I just need to convince her to let me help her do this !