DLA & Applying for a Mobility car.....Please can you advise us???

[Brobb]

Hello everyone, This is my 1st posting on here after reading so many threads. Our ds3 has ASD & we get DLA for him. I also get Carers allowance. I have just found out that I am PG & would like to look into the chances of getting a bigger car (7 seats). Money is very tight & we thought about mobilty, but know very little about it. I understand there are different rates of allowance & you need the higher rate to qualify for mobilty. I don't know if we are on the higher rate, can anyone tell us how to find out? Do you need to have been getting the allowance for a certain time before you can apply for mobility, we have just re-applied for the second year. I can tell you how much we have been awarded if it will help. We would appreciate any help, Thanks

[slightlymad]

Hi,

You need to be getting the mobility component of DLA (there is care and mobility components) at the higher rate. You also need to have been awarded the higher mobility for a period of 3 years or more to qualify for the motability scheme car.
It will say on your award letter which rates you are getting for which components and for how long.
We just got a car about 6 weeks ago for our DS on the motability scheme.
If your DS is between 3 and 5 - you can ONLY be awarder mobility at the higher rate - lower rate can be awarded after the age of 5. So if you ARE getting mobility - it will be at the higher rate.
My DS has had higher rate care for 3 years - on our re-aplication he was awarded higher rate care and higher rate mobility - we applied for the car as soon as we received the award notice - you don't have to wait.
Oh - and we got a 7 seater too!

Just read this back and it's all waffle! Please shout if I can help any more!

[slightlymad]

Sorry - I read that as if your DS is 3 years old - not Ds3!!! LOL - sorry!!!
I'll correct what I wrote:
If your DS is between the ages of 3 and 5 - you can ONLY be awarded mobility at the higher rate. If he is over 5 - you could get mobility at lower or higher rate, lower rate wouldn't qualify for a car scheme.

Hope that makes sense!!

[Brobb]

Thanks slightlymad, I have just looked at the letter & it says that we are getting higher rate for personal care because DS3 needs constant supervision. It says that for help with getting around we are entitled to the lower rate because ds "needs someone to guide or supervise him when he is walking routes that are unfamiliar", He rarely walks far as he can be a bit of a handfull, so we tend to use the car quite a bit. We are entitled to the award from 10/01/2005 to 24/06/2007, but we have had it from just over a year ago ( we had to re-apply, I think this is normal practice ). I don't understand how they award the higher rate for care, but the lower rate for mobility!! Anyway...thanks again, we tend to be a bit thick when it comes to all this filling in forms malarkey!!!

[JakB]

Brobb, we have a motability car. DD, who is severely autistic, qualified age 3. We applied for the mobility component of DLA and got the leaflet about the car at the same time as the letter confirming the mobility award. The contract is for 3 years so you need to re-apply for a re-assessment saying you feel your DS needs the higher rate of mobility (which it sounds as if he definitely does). Then, hopefully, you will be able to apply for a car. We have a Vauxhall Zafira, took a few weeks to process, everything is paid for, insurance etc, and we pay motability the £45 (or thereabouts) each week for the car rather than keeping the cash. HTH. CAT if you need to!!!

[JakB]

ps But only just passed test so bloody useless at parking the thing.
But very grateful, all the same

[Brobb]

Thanks Jakb, 1 more question. Do we have to use the appeal process that is described on the award letter? Do we have to tell them that DS won't walk far & is dangerous near roads due to his lack of fear? Thanks ( I know that this is 2 questions really

[misdee]

u need to go thro appeal or re-apply for DLA. they will look at the WHOLE claim, not just the mobility part.

We are currently reapplying for dh, he gets atm high rate mobility and low rate care, as his health as taken a turn for the worst we are hoping he will get awarded high rate for both soon.

[sparklymieow]

it is very hard to get High rate mobility for ASD, I get high rate for DS and DD1 but they have Cerebral palsy, so it was awarded with no argument

[misdee]

mieow, what do uthink he chances of dd2 getting mobility when she is 3 are? she can walk, but has no fear, very clumsey, falls over a heck of a lot etc etc. do u think they would let her have mobility with no diagnosis?

[sparklymieow]

hard I would imagine, I did get DLA care without a diagnosis for DS, but when he was 3 we were awarded mobility. I think you may have to take her back to Dr Raffles

[misdee]

oh goody. i have untill june for 'improvements' to be made, then will ask for another referral.

[sparklymieow]

you should't need another referal, he said to bring her back if no improvemnets are seen, so just phone the hospital outpatients and get her another appointment

[misdee]

ok. cheers.

[Brobb]

We don't walk far with DS3 because he has no fear near roads. He has nearly been ran over on 2 occasions because he ran out in front of cars. Scared the life out of me & the woman driving the car because he came from nowhere. It's a major struggle to hold his hand as he fights against you. He always runs ahead & I've had to drop everything & run after him on lots of ocassions. I'm 3 months PG & I know without the car DS3 will be nearly impossible. We need a bigger car & see the mobility as our only option as we don't have much money to play with. DH feels awkward about applying, says he feels like it's begging.

[JakB]

Brobb!!! OMG!
Yes, appeal. We've appealed twice for dd. First time we applied for DLA we were awarded the lower rate for personal care (hello???????). Then we appealed again for the mobility component. Strong letter really spelling it out to them. I invited them to come and observe dd collapsing to the floor and her obvious total disregard for danger. They didn't. Good luck, and CAT me if need be.

PS IT IS NOT BEGGING, IT IS YOUR CHILD'S RIGHT, IT IS FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILY. I always joke that our car should have La La painted on the side (dd's favourite character) as it's her 'chariot'.

[onlyjoking9329]

well two of mine get high rate mobility until they are 16, my DS got high rate both for 12 years, i was amazed as dont know anyone who has got it for that long DD got high both for 8 years, but her twin got high care low mobility for 4 years, the twins were turned down for everything at four, but we battled and won, i think they count on people giving up easily.you can ask them to "look again" which means some other bod looks at the paper work without you having to appeal, but i think you only have 6 months from award date to do that

[JaysMum]

Today we got our award....Higher Care Lower Mobility....J is a danger to himself and others when out and about. He has been hit by a car twice....I will point out that this has happened when he has not been in my care.
J will refuse point blank to walk anywhere he is unsure of...he will not use a buggy....he is 9 and NO WAY would he put his bottom in something that is for "babies".
We live in a very isolated area and need a car to survive. I need a car to take J to the pick up point so he can go to school in Sept. There is no way he could walk the 2 mile treck to the pick up place.
In our independent assessment reports it staes that J has no concept of danger and that crossing the road is a hazardous thing for him as he has no concept of depth persception.

Do you think I should appeal aginst the decission of lower rate mobility and go for the higher???
I'm not sure if many kids with Aspergers get higher rate....but they should.

Has anyone appealed...if so was it a nightmare? Having just finished a lengthy two year battle with the LEA about his statement, I don't think I could take another battle...well not for a while anyway!!!

[onlyjoking9329]

if you have only just recieved your award then you can ask them to "look again" that just means someone else looks at the forms and may give a different outcome, if you phone them up they will try and scare you by telling you that they may drop your care level, i dont know anyone that it has happened to, i think they are hoping you'll go away quietly

[Brobb]

Thanks, I will ask them to look again to see what they say. I am also going to get an appeal form & point out DS3's lack of fear on the roads.

[JakB]

Brobb, when I said I appealed, I meant I asked them to 'look again'. I got my specialist HV to write a letter backing me up.

[JaysMum]

I had a visit from Family Fund today and the very "dishy" chappie spent three and a half hours in our home. He obviously observed J the whole time he was with us and as he left he said that J was quite possibly the first "text" book Asperger child he had ever seen and that in his opinion we should be getting the higher rate mobility.he has advised me to make an appointment with the CAB to get then to deal with the DLA office.

As he was leaving the house he told me he was a Clinical psychologist and that he works voluntarily for the Family Fund because it means he gets to see "Real" families in their own home environment and it gives him a better understanding of what life is really like for families living with ASD.

So not only was he a complete Adonis he was a genuinely nice guy who is doing a job because he wants to help kids....not like our big bearded walrus CP whom we have to see....I could always move to Bristol where he is based!!!

Quick question....
Once they have awarded you the lower rate could they take it off you if you asked them to "look again" at your papers?

[JakB]

That's great, JaysMum. He sounds fab. I've never heard of money being taken away as a result of 'asking again'.

[onlyjoking9329]

no i dont think they will take money away from you but they rely on people thinking that