Disability Living Allowance (DLA) & Carer's Allowance (CA)

What you need to know:

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit for people under 65 who need assistance with their personal care, supervision, or their mobility. DLA can be paid on top of other benefits and it does not matter if you have savings or other income. In fact, receiving DLA may increase the level of other benefits that you are entitled to – Income Support, for example, and can mean that a carer can then claim Carer’s Allowance for looking after the person who is receiving DLA.

Disability Living Allowance aims to help you cope with the extra costs you might incur because of health problems or disability – there are no rules however, about what you have to do with the payment. The benefit is designed to cover all health problems and disabilities and is assessed on how your problems affect you and your ability to cope with your daily life - it is not automatically awarded for particular conditions.

DLA is divided into two parts - Care and Mobility :

The care component has three rates - lower, middle and higher

The mobility component has two rates - lower and higher

You can be paid different rates and combinations of both components.

Care:

You can claim the care component if you find it difficult to cope with your daily routine and need help or supervision with your bodily functions or everyday tasks such as:

You can also claim the care component if you need someone with you to avoid the risk of accidents, to alert you to danger because you are unsteady or you have panic attacks, fits, dizzy spells, or seizures or to encourage or prompt you to look after yourself as you may have spells of confusion or depression and find motivation difficult.

As DLA is intended to cover a wide range of conditions this list does not cover everything and if you need help with other things you may be entitled to claim.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Carer’s Allowance (CA)

Mobility:

You can claim the mobility component for difficulties you have getting around outdoors. The mobility component can be claimed by people between the ages of 3 and 65 only.

You should consider claiming if:

• you can only walk very slowly or have to take frequent stops or
• you find walking difficult or painful on a flat road or
• you get breathless or tired after walking a short distance, less than 50 metres or
• you need someone with you to prevent you getting lost or confused or
• you cannot walk at all or
• you are blind and considered profoundly deaf or
• the effects of walking could lead to a serious deterioration in your health or
• you receive higher rate care component and have severe learning difficulties or severe behavioural problems

Terminal Illness:

Claims for people who are terminally ill are dealt with urgently and have "Special Rules" - the same claim pack is used but you also have to provide a statement from your doctor, called a DS1500 report, confirming that you have a terminal illness.

DLA should be paid straight away at the higher rate care component. The mobility component may also be paid if you can show you have problems getting around - if this is the case you should also complete the mobility part of the claim pack. Please contact us for any advice or assistance with your claim.

Disability Living Allowance for Children:

DLA can be claimed for children who require assistance with their mobility or personal care – the benefit can provide help with the extra costs of bringing up a disabled child. It is paid on top of any other income you may have. It also gives you access to other kinds of help.

Care:

You should consider claiming if your child:

• has breathing difficulties or
• has fits or loses consciousness or
• has a hearing or visual impairment or
• you have to help your child use special equipment for feeding, moving around or physiotherapy or
• you assist them to use medication or to take medication

This list does not cover everything - if you feel that your child requires more care and attention than a child of the same age would, get advice about how to claim. The level of benefit depends on how much help your child needs and whether help is needed during the day, at night or both. DLA will usually be awarded if you can show that your child's needs are far greater than a non-disabled child of the same age. The benefit can be paid from three months old.

Mobility:

The mobility component can be paid from three years old. Claims can be made three months before a child's third birthday.

You should consider claiming if your child:

• cannot walk at all or
• has difficulty walking due to pain or severe discomfort or
• has a visual or hearing impairment which makes it difficult for them to get around or
• has a physical or learning disability that means they cannot go out unsupervised or
• walking causes breathlessness or tiredness

This list does not cover everything and if you feel your child may be entitled to the mobility component you should get advice about how to claim. Again your child has to require more guidance or supervision than you would give to a non-disabled child of the same age.

If you have a child who is terminally ill, a claim can be made under the "Special Rules". These claims are processed more quickly using an additional claim form, DS1500. Your doctor or hospital will complete this additional form.

Making a claim:

Claim forms are available from the Disability & Carer’s Service of the Social Security Agency, which offers an integrated service with easy access for Disabled people and Carer’s or from your local Social Security Office. The form is quite lengthy and can seem daunting but it is important you give as much information as possible about how much help you need.

Our Advice Service can help by advising you on the benefit, the claim process and can help you fill in the claim form.

Challenging a decision:

If your claim is turned down or if you think any benefit awarded should have been paid at a higher rate you can write asking for a revision of the decision within one month from the date of the decision.

It can also be useful to ask for all the evidence that the Disability & Carer’s Service used to make their decision – this can help you decide if you need to get additional medical evidence or add more information about your condition.  If you are still unsatisfied once the revision has taken place you can ask, again in writing and within one month of the revision, to have your case heard by an appeal tribunal.  The Advice Service can help you to ask for revisions or appeals.

Changes in circumstances:

If you are already getting Disability Living Allowance and feel your health condition has deteriorated, or you have another condition which means you need more help, you can ask for your benefit to be revised.  When you ask for a revision it is important to note that the Decision-Maker can look at your whole claim again, even where your original award was made for life – you should always take advice before requesting a revision.

Carer’s Allowance:

Carer’s Allowance (CA) used to be called Invalid Care Allowance. It is a benefit that is paid in some circumstances to the carer of a disabled adult or child. If the disabled person receives the middle or highest rate of the Care Component of DLA care you might be entitled to Carer’s Allowance.  To qualify you will need to be:

• 16 years old or more
• Caring for the disabled person for at least 35 hours a week.
• If you work you must not earn more than an Earning’s Limit – currently £82 a week (after taking off certain childcare costs and other expenses).
• Not in full-time education (this means 21 hours or more a week)

If you don't qualify but someone else helps care for your child, they may be able to claim instead. For example, you might have a relative who helps out while you are at work.

You should take advice before claiming Carer’s Allowance to check that you will be better off. If you, as a lone parent, are getting DLA then it might be financially better for you if someone does not claim Carer’s Allowance but if your child is getting DLA then it will usually improve your family income. Our Advice Service can work this out for you and give you all the information you will need to make your decision.

For further information:

You can get advice on applying for DLA or Carer’s Allowance from Gingerbread – we can help advise you on the qualifying criteria, on how the assessment process works, we can help you fill in the form and deal with revisions, appeals and other relevant benefits.

Gingerbread offers a Freephone Advice Helpline on:

0808 808 8090

Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm (closed 1pm - 2pm )

The Advice is FREE; So is the call!