To apply for DLA for DD when we have a household income of over 300k?

For all those advocating means testing. Disability benefits are universal benefits because disability is universal, regardless of the means available. Means testing according to income is a race to the bottom and will always leave someone in need ineligible because thresholds are inevitably set low and people end up missing out on substantial support for the sake of a few pounds over the limit.

Income is not a factor and nor should it be. Rich disabled people are the exception, not the rule. How do you means test a benefit meant to cover extra cost, which in a lot of cases is unquantifiable ? And anyone who has undertaken the exhausting and humiliating task of applying for these benefits themselves will know that the process itself acts as a means test because the bar of eligibility is set very high. That’s why no government will apply any other form of means test.

The idea that anyone ever got richer by having a disabled child is just laughable.

Yes, because it will open doors for her later on. She won't be earning massive amounts of money and if it may mean she can access other services. I saved up my son's and he used it to pay for specialised driving lessons which means he could then get himself to and from work.

We are in the same boat and I see it as a tax rebate . As you know we pay way more in to the system that £400 a month so I see that I've paid it already and I'm just taking back the tax 🤷‍♀️

Some families, however, don’t need it for that because their circumstances are different.

But it’s not for you or anyone else to judge. It would be very unusual for a family with a disabled child not to incur additional expense. Most families with disabled children can make good use of the money.

DLA does not guarantee PIP or even make it more likely. Each individual is assessed afresh at the time.

No but once you’ve gathered the evidence and completed the forms it’s much easier to update at renewal. The first time is always the hardest (based on having done several DLA and EHCP renewals). And should we not be around when he’s older, it’ll be much easier for his brothers to help him if they don’t have to start from scratch.

I think it’s helpful to remind ourselves of how lucky our children are.

I think the people who need to remember how lucky they are, are the ones on this thread that were lucky enough to be born healthy but begrudge a disabled child a few pounds a week.

He claimed for his son.

But when he was in government he only took the MP salary, he didn't take the enhanced payments for being Prime Minister.

Anyway his wife is/was loaded as well, it wasn't just him.

And far more than the OP's family income, too!

You pay tax and on that income, the tax will massively outweigh what you get back. So I would apply for it.

It's also true that you still get to use other state-funded services like libraries, street lights etc so why not this one?

Also some benefits are "gateways" to other funding and help, so it might be more about the fact you get it, than the ££ itself.

It would take me all day and it’s all out there for you to look yourself. Vast sums of money wasted on government projects like HS2, huge amounts wasted on PPE unfit for purpose during the pandemic and still costing the tax payer a fortune to store, Covid loans to fraudsters which can never be recovered, waste and mismanagement within the NHS. The list is endless and well in the public domain.

And your point would be………….?

The two allowances - pension/family credit and DLA/PIP are completely different. You get disability benefit because you need it. If you are already on pension credit and are disabled, you can get DLA/PIP.

DLA is only payable to children under the age of 16. There are a few people claiming it as a legacy benefit because they were over the age limit to be migrated to PIP, but there are no new adult claims. And eligibility for PIP stops at age 66 unless you are already claiming it. The only disability benefit that can be claimed at pension age is attendance allowance, which is a maximum of £104 a week for daily living help and does not have a mobility component. Increased pension credit is payable for anyone eligible who is claiming higher rate AA

It’s £104 a week at top rate so would pay for about 5 hours care a week at current rates. Local Authority care should kick in on discharge from hospital but any AA payable will be included in the financial assessment. And the reason ward clerks don’t help patients apply for AA is that claimants are not allowed to initiate a claim while in hospital.

The percentage rate of state expenditure on state pension is just under half the total benefit budget, not 80% of it. On everything else, l agree with you.

Attendance allowance is the only non means tested benefit payable to pensioners and it’s there because eligibility for PlP stops at 66 unless you’ve claimed before that age. AA is actually significantly less than other benefits in monetary terms because it does not have a mobility component so the maximum benefit is £104 a week. The less well off pensioners who are eligible for pension credit can get a higher level of that benefit if they claim the higher rate of AA. And it’s not necessarily for age related illness, it’s awarded on the basis of how much help the person needs with daily care because of a health condition or disability. AA also stops when the person goes into full time care to which the state contributes.

It’s a universal benefit and as a net contributor OP is helping to fund it for others to claim. If her child qualifies there’s no reason she shouldn’t claim it.

Apologies then. I read it as you telling me the form isn’t about justifying expenditure when that is what I said.

You’ve misunderstood. I was agreeing with you.

Attitudes like this annoy me too. I was a disability outreach worker and if l had a pound for every time someone has told me that one of my clients is ‘not as disabled as they make out’ l’d be rich. Unless you live with the person, know everything about their medical history and are privy to the details of their claim and subsequent assessment results then you can’t possibly know whether they qualify or not. The DWP are not stupid and the assessments for disability benefits are very difficult. In my experience more claims were turned down or paid at a reduced rate than were ever accepted at face value. The benefit system doesn’t work that way.

I can tell you categorically and from the viewpoint of a professional disability outreach worker that the DWP do NOT prosecute people for saving up DLA or any other disability benefit. People please stop with this utter nonsense. The DWP are not the slightest bit interested what the benefit is spent on as long as it’s for the benefit of the disabled person. They don’t ask for evidence of spending and there is absolutely no legislation prescribing its’ expenditure. DLA does not set up any trail of evidence beyond the date and level of award and the medical and other evidence used for the award, and you can ask DWP to consider all the medical records they hold when the claim changes from DLA to PIP.

DWP don’t recommend saving DLA/PIP beyond saving for larger purchases etc, as it is meant to cover current costs, but there is nothing stopping parents from saving it for the child as long as they’re aware of the effect of savings levels on other means tested benefits and services. Once more for those at the back, DWP do not prosecute you based on how you spend the money and you are not required to keep records of how you spend the money or justify what you spend it on as long as the disabled person benefits.

The notion that the rich get richer by claiming disability benefits is appalling. This is a universal benefit available to everyone, and it’s universal for a reason - disability is universal. She claiming for her child, and the benefit opens the door to other disability services. The OP is paying more in tax than she will probably ever take out in DLA. So you’re saying she’s expected to help provide these benefits for others but she shouldn’t claim for her own child even though she’s perfectly entitled to do so ? That’s not having a social conscience it’s being smug and self congratulatory at the expense of the child.

Hi. I have 2 daughters on PIP now they are adults but they got dla when younger and imo you should apply but you cannot save the money.

Firstly, dla sets up a trail of evidence. Your daughter will probably need to claim pip when she turns 16 and it is much easier to do this if she already gets dla. She will need pip regardless of your income - for supported living for example, which is hugely expensive.

Secondly it opens the door to services in your locality and an ehc plan if you are in England. Of course you don't need dla specifically for this, but it helps enormously. The letter from the DWP saying she gets PIP is a kind of passport to other services. It can be hard to persuade other services she qualifies if she doesn't get PIP.

Thirdly, your finances could easily change. Ours did. My husband and I both had big jobs but I ended up giving up work to look after our children and then he was made redundant. Other couples often split up as it can be so challenging parenting a child with additional needs. I ended up claiming carers allowance too.

But you can't save the money. The DWP are really clear that they are giving this money to help with the extra costs of disability and they have prosecuted people who have saved it.

And your daughter can't have large sums of money in her name if you want her to access adult social care for supported living. Anything more than about £23k and she won't qualify. You would need to set up a trust so she doesn't inherit too. Best to speak to National Autistic Society or MENCAP about this.

Good luck

So that’s an example in your case of why you need the money and it was therefore worthwhile you applying for DLA. Some families, however, don’t need it for that because their circumstances are different. There has been no indication from the OP that they incur any such costs. Indeed, the OP said they would save the money. DLA does not guarantee PIP or even make it more likely. Each individual is assessed afresh at the time.

And, similarly, even children who will need support as adults are helped hugely by their personal circumstances being good. Being born in the 21st century in a first world country is, in itself, a blessing, because the support is unparalleled in historic terms. You know nothing of my circumstances and have misconstrued what I wrote. And, when things are tough and we want to beat ourselves up for not being superheroes with magic powers (something all parents do from time to time) I think it’s helpful to remind ourselves of how lucky our children are.

Can you not find someone for £20 an hour, locally? It would pay someone for 5 hours a week. It is better than nothing, People don't realise that the local authority social services charge that, even more in some places.

Does your friend use an agency? Agencies charge up to £30 an hour and pay the carer minimum wage. I have private arrangements now. It is shocking that care people and helpers only earn minimum wage. It is not so bad if they are working in one care home all the time, although bad enough, but to have to go from client to client must be stressful - and slave labour.

I started paying carers at £20 an hour. My carer for the last five years had rises, and I was paying £25 an hour. That carer has cancer, so am searching someone until they are better. I am starting at £20 again at the moment while getting someone to fill in until my carer is better.

I don't know what care people usually earn privately, but they are pleased with £20 an hour at the moment, so they are not earning that much now. I pay that for cleaning and gardening too.

Absolutely. But if they can avoid the need to claim means tested benefits all the better. Just because she’s autistic doesn’t mean she won’t be able to work - it depends on the individual. My neighbour can’t work for various reasons (the cannabis addiction being a big one) but he did work in a factory when he was young. I have myself worked alongside autistic people in the Civil Service, one in particular was very good at accounting and held quite a senior job role. There are some very successful people who are autistic. As her daughter is in a non specialist school perhaps she can avoid having to rely on benefits, fingers crossed. 🤞

You clearly have little idea about disability. My child is in a mainstream school with a full time 121. The after school club isn’t funded to be able to support him 121 and I can’t finish work at 3pm every day. So we have an after school nanny for one child (and two others in the club to ensure he gets 121 support). This costs far more than he’ll ever receive in DLA. And no, he won’t ever be able to live independently no matter how much money we throw at it, so he needs the DLA so that his application for PIP and suitable care as an adult will be more straightforward.

Either she meets the criteria or she doesn’t. It isn’t means tested. However, it does worry me that we have an unsustainable benefits system. Children are expensive for everyone. If she is able enough to attend mainstream school, what additional costs are you incurring that you think should be funded? She can’t be preventing you from working if she is at school. The school will provide a TA if her EHCP requires one. In your shoes, my main concern would be ensuring she is on a path to being able to live independently as an adult. You are fortunately to have the means to do that in a way that few people do. Even if that reduces her future eligibility for taxpayer funds, it will probably result in a better outcome for her, as you will be able to control it and ensure she gets what she needs when she needs it.