Disability living allowance (DLA) is a tax-free benefit that applies only to England and Wales for disabled children who need help with care costs. You can claim DLA for each disabled child under 16 who requires more care, has difficulty in mobility, or suffers from any physical imbalance. For children aged 16 to 64, personal independence payment (PIP) has replaced DLA.

There are many disability living allowance for children news airing online. DLA is not based on a point-scoring system. Instead, the Department of Work and Pension (DWP) understands the needs of the disabled child and determines the DLA required. The assessment depends on the duration of care, attention, and supervision a child needs.

DLA Eligibility criteria 

The Disability Living Allowance (DLA) demands specific information on the current condition of the child’s health and how it affects his day-to-day life; it is not compulsory to provide examples to confirm the eligibility; this can be very tricky for some parents.

Here are the key eligibility criteria the child must fulfil:

DLA eligibility criteria (GOV.UK)

DLA care and mobility components 

The Disability Living Allowance (DLA) has mobility and care components. Depending on the situation, your child can become eligible for one or both criteria. Each criterion has a different rate of allowance; however, the Department of Work and Pension (DWP) finalizes the amount your child will receive. DLA does not have a points-scoring system for children.

The care component 

The care component usually depends on how much care and supervision your child requires, depending on their condition and health.

• Higher rate: Your child will get the higher rate of £108.55 if they require supervision very frequently both day and night, have been diagnosed, and are not expected to live more than 12 months 
• Middle rate: Your child will get the middle rate of £72.65 if they require supervision not so frequently throughout the day and night and are rarely diagnosed once or twice a week.
• Lower rate: Your child will get the lower rate of £28.70 if they require supervision significantly less frequently some of the day, at least 2,3 hours a day, and not at night.

The mobility component 

The mobility component usually depends on your child’s ability to walk and how hard it is for them to get around places that they don’t know well. Children under 3 are not eligible for the mobility component.

• Higher rate: Your child will get a higher rate of £75.75 if they can’t walk, have no legs or feet, are blind, or are deaf, and they want someone to supervise them every time.
• Lower rate: Your child will get the lower rate of £28.70 if they need someone to guide and supervise them. If your child comes in the middle rate of care component, then he can also get a lower rate of the mobility component. 

Describing your child’s need and condition to DLA

When describing your child’s condition to disability living allowance (DLA), keep in mind the difficulties you and your child have to face on a day-to-day basis, list down the condition properly in a descriptive manner and also provide some reference examples that will benefit you.

Make a proper diary on a day-to-day basis so you don’t miss a single point, and at the time of claim, fill out the form correctly with the help of these DLA points scoring system for children.

State these points about your child in the form.

• eats
• sleeps
• dresses
• uses the bathroom
• moves about
• concentrates at school
• gets on with teachers and therapists
• takes medication
• Interacts with you, your family, friends and strangers.

Provide proper details about your child, his behaviour, day-to-day activity and any issues he faces. Only state valid points. Describe his needs and requirements using examples of how he is facing difficulty due to them, and don’t include unnecessary data. All the essential things about how his condition affects his day-to-day life.

How to apply for DLA Allowance 

To apply for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for a child in the UK, and wales you can follow the steps mentioned below according to your preference:

• Call the Disability Living Allowance Helpline on 0800 121 4600 to request a form and a prepaid return envelope. You can also book a face-to-face appointment with the DLA officials.
• Then, complete the form and return it using the prepaid envelope. Your child’s claim will only start on the date you called the helpline, and you can take six weeks to complete and submit the form.

Also, you can go to the GOV.UK website and download the claim form; however, you will need a copy of the form and fill it out by hand, which you cannot do on your phone or tablet. You’ll need a desktop to print the form.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, we have discussed almost everything related to DLA points scoring system for children. The Disability living allowance (DLA) provides vital financial support to help cover the extra care and mobility costs of disabled children, ensuring individuals can live independent lives. It serves as lifetime support for those who require additional support and care.

The Disability Living Allowance is a UK and Wales-based scheme for children 3 to 16 years old.

It is determined by the Department of Work and Pension (DWP)  and has different criteria and components to ensure that support is reached to every affected family. We hope you understand all about disability living allowance for children news. If there is any update, you can tell us in the comment box.

FAQ

What is the difference between DLA and PIP?

DLA is for each disabled child under 16 who requires more care and has difficulty with mobility. After 16 to 64 years (PIP), personal independence payment has replaced DLA.

What are the rules of DLA?

The rules of DLA include these points:

• be under 16
• pass the care component disability test and the mobility component disability test;
• Meet the qualifying period condition
• pass the residence and presence tests, and
• not be subject to immigration control.

How much is the DLA payment?

Depending on the situation, you can get between £28.70 and £184.30 a week in Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to help care for a child with a disability or health condition.

Click here to know more