What Disability living allowance is

Disability living allowance can be paid to a person with a disability who:-

• claims before s/he is 65 and her/his care or mobility needs began before s/he was 65; and
• is not permanently in hospital or living in accommodation provided by or funded by a local authority; and
• has lived in the UK for six out of the last 12 months and actually lives in the UK when s/he claims and normally lives in the UK, unless s/he is terminally ill; and
• has care needs - see below; and/or
• has mobility needs - see below.

Disability living allowance can be paid for children under 16. However, there are additional conditions concerning a child's care and mobility needs. A minimum age applies to help with mobility needs. You should consult an experienced adviser, for example, a Citizens Advice Bureau.

Care needs

A person will have care needs if s/he:-

• needs help with ‘bodily functions’, for example, eating, washing, dressing and going to the toilet. It can also include help which enables someone to take part in social activities; and/or
• needs supervision to stop being a danger to her/himself or others; and/or
• needs help in preparing and cooking a main meal, for example, s/he cannot cope with heavy pans or cannot light a cooker; and/or
• is terminally ill.

It does not matter if no one is providing the person with care, but s/he must show that s/he needs the care.

If you are not sure whether your care needs meet the entitlement conditions, you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, a Citizens Advice Bureau.

Mobility needs

A person will have mobility needs if s/he:-

• cannot walk outdoors or go on an unfamiliar route without guidance or supervision from another person most of the time, for example, s/he is blind; or
• is unable to walk or has difficulty in walking. This may mean using a wheelchair, walking very slowly, walking with a lot of pain or effort or being unable to walk very far; or
• has had both legs amputated or was born without legs or feet; or
• is blind and deaf and needs someone to help her/him out of doors; or
• has severe learning difficulties and can behave very disruptively.

It does not matter if no one is providing the claimant with the guidance or supervision s/he needs.  For further information on this and other benefits for sickness and disability, or if you're aged 65 or over (you may be able to claim Attendance Allowance) you can contact us or explore the Advice Guide. Details are on the Home Page.

How We Can Help

Many of our clients have experienced difficulty fulfilling the criteria to be eligible for Disability Living Allowance.  The claim forms for Disability Living Allowance are extensive and many find some questions to be ambiguous or irrelelavant, leaving crucial questions unanswered or badly worded.  In every case where we recommend a client apply for Disability Living Allowance, we also suggest they get help completing the claim forms. If you are not sure whether your care needs meet the entitlement conditions, you should consult an experienced adviser, for example, a Citizens Advice Bureau.  

If we are able to offer you an appointment you will need to telephone the benefit office asking for a Disability Living Allowance claim form.  Call 0800 882200 or 0845 000121

It may take a week or two for the form to arrive, but don't worry, should your claim be successful, your benefit should be paid from the day you requested the claim form.  In the meantime you may consider making an appointment to complete it. The sooner the better, as the appointments are often booked several weeks ahead.