Disability Living allowance for a child

62 Pages·2017·1.18 MB·English

Claiming Disability Living Allowance
for a child under 16
Where to send the completed form
Please send the completed DLA Child new claim requests form to:
Disability Benefit Centre 4
Post Handling Site B
Wolverhampton
WV99 1BY
All other Child forms and letters should be sent to the address above.
For further help you can phone the DLA Helpline on 0800 121 4600
or use a textphone and call on 0800 121 4523 if you have speech or hearing
difficulties.
Phone: [phone]
Help using this PDF claim form
You can save data typed into this PDF claim form if you use Adobe Reader XI.
This means that you do not have to fill the form in one session.
This form will only save if:
•the form is saved onto your computer, and
•opened in Adobe Reader XI.
The form will not save in:
•older versions of Acrobat Reader
•other pdf readers, for example Preview on a Mac or Foxit on a PC.
You can download Adobe Reader XI free of charge from the Adobe website
If you are having technical difficulties:
•downloading the form
•navigating around the form, or
•printing the form
Please contact the DWP Online helpdesk.
Phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Opening hours
Monday to Friday: 8.00am - 6.00pm
Closed on weekends and all Public and Bank Holidays.
For help and advice on the information you need to put on the form or about
the benefit you want to claim, contact the office that deals with the benefit.
Disability Living Allowance
for a child under 16
Information booklet
This information booklet will help you fill in the form and will:
lexplain the questions we ask
ltell you how to answer the questions
lgive you examples of other things you can tell us, and
ltell you about Disability Living Allowance (DLA), other benefits and organisations who
can help you
When you see i in the form, use this information bookletto help you understand and
answer the questions.
Please use black ink to fill in the form. Do not worry if you are not sure how to spell something or you
make a mistake. If you want to correct a mistake, please cross it out with a pen – do not use
correction fluid.
This booklet gives general information and doesn’t cover everything.
DLA1A Child July 2018
What is Disability Living Allowance?
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit to help with extra costs if a child under 16 has a
disability, illness or health condition severe enough they:
l need much more looking after than a child of the same age without adisability, or
l have walking difficulties, or both
You may not think of the child as being disabled, but if they need the type of help explained in
these notes, they may get DLA.
Who can claim DLA for a child?
You can claim DLA for a child as long as you look after them as if you are their parent. ‘Parent’
includes step-parents, guardians, grandparents, foster-parents, and even older brothers
or sisters.
DLA is tax-free. You can claim even if you work or if your family has savings or money coming in.
Can I get DLA for a child?
To get DLA a child must normally:
l live in and be present in Great Britain or, live in the European Economic Area or Switzerland and
the United Kingdom (UK) is responsible for paying them sicknessbenefits or
l be allowed to enter or stay in the UK and not be stopped from getting benefits or
l need extra looking after or have walking difficulties or
l need much more day-to-day help than children of the same age and
l have had these needs for at least 3 months and these needs are likely to last for at least
another 6 months unless you are claiming for them under the special rules
The special rules are explained in the claim form on page 2.
When can I claim DLA for a child?
You can claim straight away. We will deal with the claim as soon aspossible.
How is DLA worked out?
There are two parts of DLA – mobility and care. A child can get money for one part or both. The
official word for these parts is ‘component’.
You may see the word ‘component’ in forms and letters. How much they get is based on how
much help they need, not their disability or health condition.
Mobility
There are two mobility rates.
Lower rate
For a child aged 5 or over who can walk but needs extra help from someone to guide or
supervise them to get around outdoors in places they don’t know well.
Higher rate
For a child aged 3 or over who, because of a physical disability:
l cannot walk at all or
l can walk, but their ability to walk outdoors without severe discomfort is so limited they can be
considered virtually unable to walk or
l can walk but the effort needed could seriously affect their health.
A child may also get the higher rate if they:
l have had both legs amputated above the ankle or through the ankle, or were born without
legs or feet or
l are certified as severely sight impaired or blind and meet other conditions relating to their
sight loss or
l are deaf and blind and they need someone with them when they are outdoors or
l are severely mentally impaired with severe behavioural problems and qualify for the highest
rate of the care part
By ‘extra’ we mean much more than a child of the same age without a disability.
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Care
There are three care rates.
Lowest rate
If a child needs extra looking after for some of the day, which can be about an hour.
Middle rate
If a child:
l needs extra looking after several times at short intervals right through the day or
l needs extra looking after more than once a night or once for about 20 minutes or more or
l needs extra supervision right through the day or
l needs someone to be awake at night to watch over them several times or once for 20
minutes or more
Highest rate
If a child needs help during the day andnight.
A child may also get the highest rate if a claim is made under the special rules. The special
rules are explained in the claim form on page 2.
By ‘extra’ we mean much more than a child of the same age without a disability.
How the Department for Work and Pensions collects and uses information
When we collect information about you and the child we may use it for any of our purposes.
These include dealing with:
l social security benefits and allowances
l child support
l employment and training
l financial planning for retirement
l occupational and personal pension schemes
We may get information about you and the child from others for any of our purposes if the law
allows us to do so. Wemay also share information with certain other organisations if the law
allows us to.
To find out more about how we use information, visit our website at www.gov.ukor contact
any of our offices.
Where to get help and advice about DLA and other benefits
You can:
l phone the DLA Helpline on 0800 121 4600
l use a textphone and call 0800 121 4523if you have speech or hearing difficulties
l contact your local Jobcentre Plus. The phone number and address are in the business
number section of The Phone Book
l contact an advice centre like Citizens Advice
l Visit www.gov.uk/browse/benefits
If the child is awarded DLA you may be entitled to:
lCarer’s Allowance or Carer’s Credit.
lExtra money if you or anyone in your household is on Income Support, Jobseeker’s
Allowance, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit. You should contact
the office who pays the benefit to claim the extra money.
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Information about Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Credit
Carer’s Allowance
A person could get Carer's Allowance (CA) if they:
l are aged 16 or over, and
l spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a disabled child
The child must be awarded DLA at the middle or the highest rate of care before the CA claim
is made.
Other CA claim conditions apply.
CA should be claimed within 3 months of the DLA decision being made or the carer could
lose benefit.
Carer’s Allowance and other benefits
Some benefits, allowances or pensions can affect how much CA we pay.
However, extra money could be paid with:
l income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
l income-related Employment and Support Allowance
l Universal Credit
l Income Support
l Pension Credit
l Housing Benefit
Carer’s Credit
This is a National Insurance credit for carers of working age who:
l can’t get CA, and
l look after one or more disabled children for 20 hours or more aweek
If the child or children being cared for don’t receive DLA (at the middle or highest rate of care), the
carer must get a care certificate for each child they look after.
Other Carer’s Credit claim conditions apply.
If you get Child Benefit for a child under age 12, or CA, you will already be getting NI credits.
For more information about Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Credit:
l phone us from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday, or 8.30am to 4.30pm on Friday on
0800 731 0297
l if you have speech or hearing difficulties, you can contact us using a textphone on
0800 731 0317
l visit our website at: www.gov.uk
l email: [email protected]
l write to: Carer’s Allowance Unit, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 2AB
Other organisations who can help
Contact a family
If you need confidential, independent advice about any aspect of caring for a disabled child you can:
lphone Contact a Family helpline on 0808 808 3555 Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm
l visit the website at: www.cafamily.org.uk
Family fund
You may also be able to get help from the Family Fund.You can:
l visit the website at: www.familyfund.org.uk
l write to: Family Fund, 4 Alpha Court, Monks Cross Drive, York YO32 9WN
General tips for filling in the claim form
The claim form asks for a lot of information about the child and what help they need. It may help to
get together any supporting health information such as:
l medical reports
l care or treatment plans
l test results
l up to date prescriptions
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We need you to send in photocopies of this supporting information with the claim form, if you
have it. It will help us make a decision on the amount of help the child needs.
Don’t delay sending in the claim form if you are waiting for supporting information. Tell us at
question 70 what you are waiting for and send us photocopies of the supporting information
when you get it.
We don’t need information like:
l appointment letters
l general information about the disability or health condition from the internet or a leaflet
l general information about medication prescribed for the child
Not all questions will apply to the child, please read the questions carefully along with the
information in this booklet.
You may find it hard to fill in the form in one go. It may help to do it in stages – take regular
breaks before completing the next part.
We understand it may be upsetting to describe in detail what help the child needs. We only ask
for all this information so that we can make sure we make the right decision.
If you can, it may be useful to photocopy the claim form once you’ve filled it in. If we award
DLA and there is a change in the amount of help the child needs or we need to review the DLA
award, it will be useful for you to know what you’ve said previously.
23 About the questions in the claim form
This is about aids and adaptations they use or have been assessed for.
Aids are things like:
l braces
l supports
l crutches
l buggies
l wheelchairs
l commodes
l reading and learning aids such as computer programmes
Adaptations are things like:
l ramps
l slopes
l rails
l alterations to the home, such as widened doorways
You should include any aid or adaptation they can use with or withouthelp.
Here are a few examples of the help they may need to use an aid or adaptation. It’s not a
full list and doesn’t cover everything.
They may need help to:
l use an aid or adaptation safely
l get on and off a raised toilet seat
l put on and take off a back brace or incontinence pants
l maintain a hearing aid, keep it clean and ensure small parts like batteries are not put in their
mouth
l be reminded or encouraged to use the aids
l propel a wheelchair up a ramp or a slope
27 This question is about how far they can walk before they stop because of severe discomfort.
To estimate the distance they can walk it may help you to know:
l an average adult step is just under one metre (one yard)
l a double-decker bus is about 11 metres (12 yards) long
l 12 cars parked end-to-end with a small gap between them would be at least 50 metres (55
yards)
l two full-size football pitches are about 200 metres (218 yards) long
29 This question is about how they walk, please tick any boxes that describe these difficulties.
Here are a few examples of other things you may want to tell us. It’s not a full list and doesn’t
cover everything.
If you want to tell us why you’ve ticked the boxes, any other difficulties or anything else you
think we should know, use the box below.
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They may:
l refuse to walk even if they can physically walk
l have a stiff leg causing uneven steps
l have an upper body stoop which causes a lack of balance
32 These are about needing someone to guide or supervise them most of the time when outdoors.
to Guidemeans to physically lead or verbally direct them to safely find their way around.
Supervisemeans checking routes for dangers or obstacles, keeping an eye on how they are and
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if they can carry on walking. It includes coaxing, encouraging, persuading or talking so they
carry on walking to avoid danger.
For example
If they walk safely next to a busy road without putting themselves or others in danger but can’t
cross a road safely, you would answer like this:
Yes No
Can they:
P
walk safely next to a busy road?
cross a road safely?
P
If you want to tell us why you have ticked the boxes, how their needs vary or anything
else you think we should know, use the box below.
They can go to the local shop on their own. It’s next to a busy road, but they don’t have
to cross it. We took this route together many times before they could go on their own.
Here are a few examples of other things you may want to tell us. It’s not a full list and
doesn’t cover everything.
They may:
l follow simple directions but wouldn’t ask for help if lost
l accept sweets or a ride in a car even if they didn’t know the person
l get upset by traffic noise or crowds, and panic
l suddenly run across the road if they see a friend on the other side
l only be able to cross roads using a pedestrian crossing
l become unsteady and may fall
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37 This is about help needed to get in, out, or settle in bed during the day. It can be
encouragement, prompting or physical help.
For example
If they need encouragement to get out of bed in the morning and again after an afternoon
nap, and it takes 4 minutes each time, you would answer like this:
They need encouragement, prompting How often How long
or physical help to: each day? each time?
get out of bed twice 4 minutes
If you want to tell us why you have ticked the boxes, how their needs vary or anything
else you think we should know, use the box below.
They don’t want to get up in a morning because they’re depressed and would
just lie in bed all day. At least twice a week it takes up to an hour to persuade
them to get up. Their medicine makes them so drowsy they usually have a nap
in the afternoon. It’s not usually as bad to get them up again in the afternoon
as the morning.
Here are a few examples of other things you may want to tell us.
It’s not a full list and doesn’t cover everything.
They may:
l need help to sit up and get out of bed due to stiffness
l not understand it is time to get up or go to bed
l need to be told to get up as they can’t read a clock or hear an alarm
l need to let their medicine take effect before getting out of bed
l be distressed because they are in pain, or need settling and comforting and the covers put in
place
38 This is about help needed to go to or use the toilet during the day. Itcan be encouragement,
prompting or physical help.
For example
If they need to be prompted to go to the toilet, to take their underwear down, to wipe
themselves and to wash and dry their hands, you would answer like this:
They need encouragement, prompting or physical help to:
go to the toilet P
manage clothes P
get on and off the toilet
wipe themselves P
wash and dry their hands P
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If you want to tell us why you have ticked the boxes, how their needs vary or anything
else you think we should know, use the box below.
They won’t go to the toilet unless told. I have to keep telling them or they will soil
themselves. They keep telling me they don’t need to go so it takes a long time. If
they soil themselves they won’t tell me and will smear their faeces. When they are
at the toilet, I have to be with them to tell them what to do.
Here are a few examples of other things you may want to tell us.
It’s not a full list and doesn’t cover everything.
They may:
lhave difficulty moving from a wheelchair to a toilet
lneed to have cream applied after using the toilet
lbe constipated or have diarrhoea and need encouragement or comforting
lrefuse to use toilets other than the one at home
lnot be able to manage zips and buttons
lnot be able to reach or don’t know to wipe themselves after using the toilet
39 This is about help needed to move around indoors during the day. It can be encouragement,
prompting or physical help.
For example
If they need physical help to get up and down stairs, you would answer like this:
They need encouragement, prompting or physical help to:
go upstairs
P
go downstairs
P
If you want to tell us why you have ticked the boxes, how their needs vary or anything
else you think we should know, use the box below.
They can go up and down one or two steps. If there are more than two steps they are
carried. They’ve fallen on the stairs at home as there are too many steps for them to
manage. Going up and down steps makes them very breathless and this makes them
likely to fall.
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