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 ContributionsNot affected by any savings or (usually) by any income you or your partner may haveUsually ignored as income for Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance claimsFor 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 needThe mobility component is available if you need help getting around. For example, ifYou 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 terminalIllness. 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 itGetting 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 Allowancewhich 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-paidAlso see leaflet HB6 A practical guide for disabled people

DLA Benefit Rates

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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.

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Attendance Allowance: this is a weekly cash benefit for people aged 65 or over who need help with personal care because of an illness or disability.

It is:Not dependent on National Insurance contributionsNot 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
If you are living in or going into an NHS hospital, nursing home or residential home click hereTo get Attendance Allowance (AA) you must normally have needed help with personal care for six months. You can get AA even if no one is actually giving you the care you need. Some people suffer from a terminal illness. There are special rules* for them so that they can get their benefit quickly and easilyGetting AA under the special rules means:Getting £53.55 each week for help with personal care, whether or not you need help.Getting paid straight away. There is no need to wait until you have needed help for six months.Claims are dealt with more quickly

People who:Are under 65 and need help with personal care, or help with getting around, or bothShould claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA)* The special rules apply to people who may not live for longer than six months because of an illness. But it is, of course , impossible to say exactly how long a person may live.

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Invalid Care Allowance: If you spend at least 35 hour a week looking after someone who gets Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for help with personal care, Attendance Allowance or Constant Attendance Allowance, you may be able to get Invalid Care Allowance. But you cannot be earning more than £50 a week.You can claim this if you are aged 16 to 65How to Claim:Get claim pack DS700 (Invalid Care Allowance)

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Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA)
Note ! Severe Disablement Allowance was abolished for new claims in April 2001. If you have been incapable of work for 28 weeks or more, but have not paid enough National Insurance contributions to get Incapacity Benefit, you may be able to get Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA)You must be aged between 16 and 65 when you claim. You may be able to carry on getting SDA after the age of 65 if you were entitled immediately before your 65 birthday.The all work test for incapacity is normally used for SDA. For more information on ‘How incapacity for work is assessed’ read the Incapacity Benefit section. This change will not affect you if you were getting SDA on 12th April 1995 and have continued to do so.If you first became incapable of work after your 20th birthday, you can get SDA only if you are at least 80% disabled or treated as 80% disabled.If you are under 19 and still at school or college you can normally only get SDA if you spend less than 20 hours a week in supervised study. Any time spent in education that would be unsuitable for someone of the same age who does not have a disability is ignoredThere are age-related additions to SDA. It is also tax-freeFor more information: Contact your social security office.
                                                    
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Statutory Sick Pay: If you are an employee and you are sick for four days or more in a row (Including Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays) you may get Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from your employer. SSP is payable for up to 28 weeks in one single spell of sickness. Spells with 8 weeks or less between them count as one spell.

More information:Get leaflet HB3 Payment for people severely disabled by a vaccine, or write to:Vaccine Damage Payment Unit
Palatine House
Lancaster Road
Preston PR1 1HB

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Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit:If after 5th July 1948 you became disabled as a result of an accident at work, you may be able to get Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit provided you were not self-employed. You may also get this if you became disabled as a result of one of the industrial diseases known to be a risk in your job (the industrial diseases are listed in leaflet N12-If you have an industrial disease), provided the disability caused by the accident or disease is assessed at 14 per cent or more (except for certain prescribed respiratory diseases).Diseases you may get benefit for include:

You can get Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit even if you return to work.How much you get depends on how disabled you are.You may be able to get other allowances as well:Reduced Earnings Allowance:Payable if you cannot return to your regular job, or cannot do work of the same standard because of a disability caused by an industrial accident or disease which occurred before 1 October 1990. If you are getting a Reduced Earnings Allowance of £2 or more a week, and you are of state pension age and cease regular employment, your Reduced Earnings Allowance will stop and you may be entitled to Retirement Allowance.Constant Attendance Allowance:Payable if the disability for which you get your Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit is assessed at 95 per cent or more and you need constant care and attention. There are four rates. How much you get depends on how much attention you need.Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance:Payable if you are already entitled to Constant Attendance Allowance at either of the two higher rates, and if the need for attendance is likely to be permanent.How to claim: Leaflet NI6– Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit tells you what form to use in the BI100 series, also leaflet NI2 if you have an industrial disease.

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Workmen’s Compensation Supplement:If you had an accident at work or contracted an industrial disease before 5 July 1948and you are entitled to weekly payments of Workingmen’s compensation, you may be able to get this tax-free supplement.For more information:For more information on how to claim, get leaflet WS1-Extra cash with Workmen’s Compensation.

Pneumoconiosis, byssinosis and miscellaneous diseases benefitsThese are tax-free benefits for people who contracted pneumoconiosis, byssinosis or certain other diseases as a result of employment before 5 July 1948. You may qualify provided you have not been paid Workmen’s compensation, industrial injuries benefits or damages for your disease. How much benefit you can get depends on how disabled you are.You may get an allowance for your wife and children. You may get other allowances as well.If you are a dependant of someone who dies as a result of these diseases, you may get a lump sum payment.If you got pneumoconiosis or byssinosis as a result of employment on or after 5 July 1948 you may be entitled to a tax-free cash benefit under the scheme for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, described aboveHow to claim:If you got any of these diseases before 5 July 1948 use the form PN1A in leaflet PN1.If you got them as a result of employment on or after that date, get the appropriate claim form in the BI100 series. Do not delay or you may lose benefit.More information:Get leaflet PN1-Pneumoconiosis, byssinosis and some other diseases from work.Get leaflet NI3-If you have pneumoconiosis or byssinosis, if you got either disease because of employment after 5 July 1948

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Industrial injuries compensation: If you are injured at work through the fault of your employer, you may be able to claim compensation from that employer. The amount payable can depend on how badly you were injured or disabled, loss of earnings and any negligence on the part of your employer or employees. Your employer has to display a certificate of insurance covering liability for this compensation.More Information:Ask a solicitor or your trade union. The secretary of the local law society will give you an introduction to a solicitor- see the law list in a public library or the Law Centres in this sites main index. Citizens Advice Bureaux also keep a list of solicitors

Recovery of Benefits from Compensation
(previously Compensation Recovery)If as a result of an accident, injury or disease for which you are also making a claim for compensation you are awarded one of the following benefits or allowances:

You should be aware that your eventual compensation award may be reduced to take account of any benefit paid for the same purpose.For further Information:Get leaflet Z3-Recovery of Benefits, from:Compensation Recovery Unit, Reyrolle Building,
Hebburn, Tyne and Wear NE31 1XB Tel: 0191 225 8157

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Armed Forces                                              
The War Pensions Agency looks after War Pensions. The War Pensioners’ Welfare Service helps and advises war pensioners on pension matters or on any other problems. You can get the address of your nearest office from a social security office, or from FB31-Caring for someone?. For the phone number look in the business section of the phone book under War Pensions Agency.War PensionsYou do not have to have been a member of HM Armed Forces or to have served during wartime to get a War Pension. You may be able to get a War Pension if you were injured or disabled as a result of:
service as a member of HM Armed Forces
or service in the 1939-45 war as a member of the of the Polish Forces under British Command, or service in the Polish Resettlement Forces
or enemy action as a civilian or Civil Defence Volunteer during the 1939-45 war
or conditions during a war or detention by the enemy and you
are a merchant seaman, a member of the Auxiliary Services or a Coastguard

You cannot get a war pension for disablement for a period of service which has not ended. How much you get depends on how disabled you are.In addition to a War Pension, supplements or allowances may be payable.For example, you may getAllowance for Lowered Standard of Occupation: If the disability for which you get a War Pension means that you will never be able to earn as much as you could have earned in the job you were in before your service.Unemployability Supplement: If the Disability for which you get a War Pension means that you are unable to work. Even if you do a little light work you may still be treated as being unable to work. You may also get extra allowances for your family.Constant Attendance Allowance: if You get a War Pension at the 80 per cent rate and you need a lot of personal care because of the disability for which you get a War Pension. Mobility Supplement: If because of your disabilities you either cannot walk or have serious difficulty in walking, or you are both deaf and blind and need assistance out of doors. Blindness alone does not mean that you will get the allowance: there would have to be an extra disability that affected your mobility.The rules for claiming these supplements or allowances are complicated, but there is information to help you to decide if you should apply.

More informationGet WPA leaflet 1-Notes about War Disablement and War Widows Pensions and WPA leaflet 9-Rates of War Pensions and Allowances.They can be ordered from:The War Pensions Agency Distribution Unit,
Room 403A, Norcross, Blackpool FY5 3WP
You can also phone the Helpline: 01253 858 858

War Widows PensionYou may be able to get a War Widow’s Pension if your husband died as a result of:Service in the Armed forces between 1914 and 1921 or after 2 September 1939or a 1939-45 war injury as a member of the Merchant Navyor a 1939-45 war injury as a Civil Defence Volunteeror a 1939-45 war injury as a civilianMore informationGet WPA Leaflet 1– Notes about War Disablement and War Widow’s Pensions.They can be ordered from:The War Pensions Agency Distribution Unit,
Room 403A, Norcross, Blackpool FY5 3WPYou can also phone the Helpline: 01253 858 858How to claim a War Pension or War Widow’s PensionIf you need advice or wish to claim, contact the above address.

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Injured by crime ?If you are injured as a result of a crime of violence you can clam Criminal Injuries Compensation. For your application to be considered, you must have been physically/ or mentally injured as a result of a crime of violence and injured seriously enough to qualify for at least a minimum of £1000. You may also qualify if you are a dependant or relative of a victim of a crime of violence who has since died.The amount of award depends on the severity of the injuries sustained.More informationFor more information or an application form contact the:Criminal Injuries Compensation AuthorityTay House
300 Bath Street
Glasgow G2 4JR
Tel: 0141 331 2726

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Disabled Person’s Tax Credit From October 1999 Disabled Person’s Tax Credit (DPTC) replaces Disability Working Allowance (DWA). DTPC is a new scheme which has been specifically designed to help people with an illness or disability to return to, or take up, work by topping up earnings. It is administered by the Inland Revenue and replaces Disability Working Allowance (DWA), currently administered by the Department of Social Security or, in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health and Social Services. If you have claimed DWA before, many aspects of DPTC will be familiar to you.

DPTC is a much more generous scheme. It will help ensure that disabled people are better off working.Two of the main improvements are:
The relaxation of the qualifying benefit test and
The introduction of a Fast Track Gateway  

To be eligible for DPTC you must be getting, at the date of your   application, either

Disability Living AllowanceAttendance AllowanceWar Disablement Pension which includes Constant Attendance Allowance for you or a mobility supplement for youIndustrial Injuries Disablement Benefit which includes Constant Attendance Allowance for youAn invalid carriage or any other vehicle provided under the invalid vehicle scheme, orOne of the range of incapacity benefits at Any time in the 182 days before your DPTC application

From October 2000 a new Fast Track Gateway will offer an alternative route to DPTC.This will help people who become sick or disabled while they are working to remain in work. People will be able to apply via this route if they

Have received Statutory Sick Pay (or equivalent) for 20 weeks.Have passed a disability testHave provided evidence from a doctor that the illness or disability will last a further six months andWill, on returning to work, be receiving earnings at least 20% less than they would have they not have the illness or disability

Further informationFor help with DPTC ring: FREEPHONE0800 597 5976or Minicom line 0800 028 689 6For more general advice and information about your application, phone the Tax CreditHelpline on 0845 605 5858 or textphone 0845 608 8844.In Northern Ireland, the Tax Credit Helpline is 0845 609 7000 or textphone:
0845 607 6078
Also leaflet DPTC/BK1-Your guide to Disabled Person’s Tax Credit

How do I know if I can applyTo apply you need to meet just four basic conditions:

Work at least 16 hoursHave one of a range of incapacity or disability benefits (as listed in eligibility) or have been receiving certain benefits in the 182 days prior to your application (this is more generous than DWA, where the limit was 56 days)Have savings of £1600 or less, andBe resident in the United Kingdom

Already getting Disability Working Allowance?You cannot get paid DWA and DPTC at the same time. So, if you are already getting DWA from October 1999, you will have to wait until the award has ended before you can apply for DPTC. You should be sent an application for DPTC about a month before your DWA is due to run out.How to apply DPTC is administered by staff at the Inland Revenue’s Tax Credit Offices in Preston and Belfast. All applications and correspondence about DPTC go to these offices. If you think you qualify for DPTC use the telephone numbers given in Further information.Applications are made by post on form DPTC1, which is included in the DPTC application pack. You can get a application pack by phoning the Tax Credit Hotline 0845 605 5858 or textphone 0845 608 8844. In Northern Ireland call 0845 609 7000 0r textphone 0845 607 6078.You can also get an application pack from Inland Revenue Enquiry Centres, Benefits Agency an Social Security offices and Employment Service Jobcentres.

Addresses