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Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for a child under 16
DLA is the main benefit for disabled children. It is usually paid every four weeks and is not means tested. This means you can be paid this benefit regardless of your financial circumstances. DLA has two parts and either or both parts can be claimed:
Care component
If, because of a physical or mental disability, your child needs a lot of looking after or help with personal care, s/he should qualify for the care component. This is payable at three rates depending on how much extra care your child needs. It can be paid from the age of 3 months.
Mobility component
If your child needs help getting around s/he may qualify for the mobility component. The lower rate of mobility component is for children who can walk but who may need someone to supervise or guide them. The earliest this can be paid is from the age of 5 years. The higher rate is for those who may be unable to walk or have severe difficulties in walking. The earliest this can be paid is from the age of 3 years. Getting the high rate for mobility may mean you can apply for a blue badge for disabled parking and for road tax exemption. If your child receives the higher rate you could become their appointee – this is a person legally appointed by the DWP to act on their behalf. Motability is an independent charity set up as a unique partnership between the government, charitable and private sectors to help disabled people become mobile by offering them (or their appointee) contract hire or hire purchase facilities on cars and wheelchairs. There are two schemes available:
- contract hire - where customers can get a new vehicle from a wide range of approved dealers
- hire purchase
- you’re working
- you’re unemployed
- your partner works
- you don’t have a partner
- you’ve never paid national insurance contributions
- you, or anyone else in your family, is claiming any other benefits (e.g. Incapacity Benefit, Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or DLA) you have savings
- where new or used cars may be bought under a hire agreement scheme offered by Motability. Motability Helpline: 0845 456 4566 www.motability.co.uk/main.cfm
What doesn’t matter when planning to claim DLA?
1. About your child
It doesn’t matter if you don’t consider your child to be ‘disabled’. For the purposes of DLA, ’disabled’ simply means that your child has a long term condition which affects their everyday activities. It also doesn’t matter if you’ve been told by anyone (including the Department for Work and Pensions, your GP, a nurse, social worker etc.), other than a professional welfare rights worker, not to make a claim because your child is not disabled enough. The question of entitlement is a legal one, not a medical one. If in doubt, make a claim.
2. About you (and your family)
When considering whether to award DLA the Decision Maker is only interested in your child and the way their health problems affect them. Your circumstances are not taken into account in any way. So it doesn’t matter whether: Your child will not be ‘registered disabled’ if they receive DLA and it will not make it more difficult to get a job when they become an adult.
DLA and overnight stays away from home
Frequent and regular stays away from home can affect the care component of DLA. This might apply where a child is in hospital, residential school or respite care. The rules are complex and it is very important to seek advice.
DLA and other benefits
See our Guidance for completing DLA forms. Receiving any rate of DLA can help you to qualify for extra amounts on other benefits such as Income Support, income based Job Seekers’ Allowance and Housing or Council Tax Benefit. It can also lead to increased payments of tax credits. Claim using form DLA(1)Child, available from your local Benefit Office. Benefits Enquiry Line (BEL): 0800 88 22 00; 0800 22 06 74 (Northern Ireland); www.disabilitybenefits.co.uk Cerebra publish a very useful guide to filling in the DLA form available from their website at www.cerebra.org.uk or you can email them with your postal address for a copy at info@cerebra.org.uk. Alternatively, write to them at Cerebra Principality Buildings, 13 Guildhall Square, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, SA31 1PR.
