How we test
DRAFT - not yet reviewed by a benefits adviser.
Before every release, we run the helper end to end against three invented test cases, built to cover different kinds of need: someone with dementia claimed for by a family member, someone claiming for themselves with a physical condition, and someone claimed for by an attorney. None of these are real people - the exact invented answers used for each live in this site's own codebase, not published here.
The three test cases
Margaret
a fictional 85-year-old with Alzheimer's disease and osteoarthritis, claimed for by her daughter. Needs prompting to eat, help bathing, and someone to check on her several times a night because she has been found trying to leave the house confused.
Derek
a fictional 67-year-old with COPD and heart failure, claiming for himself. Breathless getting dressed and washed, sleeps downstairs because he cannot manage the stairs more than once a day, and needs help changing his oxygen cylinder.
Ron
a fictional 77-year-old with advanced Parkinson's disease, claimed for by his wife, who holds power of attorney and signs the form on his behalf. Needs help turning over at night, dressing, washing, eating and taking medication on strict timings.
What the helper is meant to produce
For each of the three cases, running the helper through every question is meant to produce: the official Attendance Allowance form (AA1), filled in as a PDF; a numbered answer sheet, for claiming online or by hand; and plain wording for the care questions, restating only what was answered - nothing added.
We check that the PDF fills in cleanly, that nothing on the answer sheet contradicts what was entered, and that the wording never states more than the invented answers themselves said.
Date last run
21 September 2026