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BENEFITS FINANCIAL HELP 1 |
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| The
Gateway to Services in the UK |
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The Main Benefits
Disability Living Allowance
Disability Working Allowance
Disability
Living Allowance (DLA) is
a tax-free benefit for people who need help with personal care, with getting
around, or with both. It is made up of two components: the care component,
and the mobility component. Both components are for people disabled before
the age of 65.
It is:
Not dependant on National Insurance Contributions
Not affected by any savings or (usually) by any income you or your partner may have
Usually ignored as income for Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance claims
For people over 65, Attendance Allowance is available for those needing care.
The care component is available if you need help with personal care because you are ill or disabled. For example, for things like washing, dressing, using the toilet. If you are 16 or over this can include preparing a cooked main meal. You can get DLA even if no one is actually giving you the care you need
The mobility component is available if you need help getting around. For example, if
You are over 5 and can’t walk at all or have difficulty walking because you are ill or disabled. And you can get it if you can walk but need guidance or supervision when outdoors for most of the time.
To get DLA you must normally have needed help for at least three months and be likely to need it for at least another six months. Some people suffer from a terminal
Illness. There are special rules for them so that they can get benefit quickly and easily
(The special rules apply to people who may not live longer than six months because of an illness. But it is, of course, impossible to say exactly how long a person will live)
Getting DLA paid under the special rules
means:
Getting £53.55 each week for help with personal care, whether or not you need it
Getting paid straight away. There is no need to wait until you have needed help for three months
Claims are dealt with more quickly
To claim and for more information:
You can get a DLA claim pack by picking up leaflet DS704 Disability Living Allowance
which is available in social security offices, Welfare Rights agencies, Citizens Advice Bureau, etc. DS707 contains brief details of the entitlement conditions and a tear off slip.
You simply fill in your name and address on the tear-off slip and send it off the postage is pre-paid
Also see leaflet HB6
A practical
guide for disabled people
Disability Working Allowance (DWA) is a tax-free, income related benefit for people aged 16 or over who are working 16 hours a week or more on average and have an illness or disability that limits their earning capacity.
Your right to DWA does not depend on National Insurance contributions.
*Note: From October 1999 DWA is replaced by Disabled Person’s Tax Credit
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
To get DWA you must:
Be 16 or over
and — be working for 16 hours a week or more on average
and —have an illness or disability that puts you at a disadvantage
in getting a job
and— you must also be getting:
Disability Living Allowance
or —–Attendance Allowance
or —–War Disablement Pension with War Pensioners Constant Attendance
Allowance or
mobility supplement
or —– Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit with Constant
Attendance Allowance
or —– have an invalid three-wheeler supplied from the DSS
or —– for at least one of the 56 days before your claim you
must have been getting
short-term Incapacity Benefit paid at the higher rate, long-term Incapacity
Benefit
,Severe Disablement Allowance, or a disability premium or a higher pensioner
premium with either Income Support, income based Jobseeker’s Allowance,
Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit
You can get DWA if you are employed or self-employed, but you will not get it if you are on a training scheme getting a training allowance.
You can’t get DWA if you, or you and your partner together, have savings of more than £16,000. Any savings you have between £3,000 and £16,000 will affect the amount of DWA you can get
If you were getting short-term Incapacity Benefit paid at the higher rate, long-term Incapacity benefit, or Severe Disablement Allowance before you started work and began getting DWA, you may go back to your old benefit if, within two years, you are still getting DWA but have to give up your job and are incapable of work.
The disability test: For a first claim you will be asked to read the leaflet in the DWA claim pack, which lists the circumstances that enable you to pass the disability test. If you then decide that you could pass the test, you need only sign a simple declaration that your illness or disability puts you at a disadvantage in getting a job
For renewal claims, a further declaration will be needed, and you may also have to fill in a self-assessment form which lists some of the illnesses and disabilities that could put you at a disadvantage in getting a job. You will be asked for confirmation of your assessment from a professional involved in your care. Only rarely will a medical examination be necessary.
How much you get: The amount of money depends on whether you have a partner, how many children you have living with you and their ages, and how much money you, or you and your partner together have coming in each week. DWA is paid at the same rate for 26 weeks. The amount will normally stay the same even if your income or other circumstances change during that period.
You may also be able to get some of the cost of your childcare charges taken into account when your benefit is calculated
You may also get more DWA if you are working 30 hours or more a week
To claim and for more information: Contact your social security office for a claims form. You may loose benefit if you delay your claim.
Get leaflet DS704 Disability Working Allowance-the cash benefit for disabled people in work from your social security office or Jobcentre
See also leaflet HB4-A guide to Disability Working Allowance for details of other qualifying conditions, or ask at your social security office.
