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

Well there were some ideas floated around but nothing g was set in stone ,and in case you have been living under a rock we now have a labour government
The Op isn't taking money from anyone

You are the one being ridiculous, the woman said she doesn't need the money. The Tories were about to reduce welfare, so taking from the pot unecessarily reduces cash available for others.

All those using David Cameron as justification are not seeing things clearly. The man is a multi millionaire. There was a moral duty on his part not to claim anything from the state, particularly as he then made it a damn sight harder for those who really could have done with some help to actually get some. ‘Entitled’ does a lot of heavy lifting in Britain today.

You absolutely should claim it for her, and do what you see fit with it, whether that’s spending it on her current needs or saving it for her future needs.

Of course the OP should claim it, it's for her DD and claiming it now may impact future claims/entitlement.

Posters are forever using the word 'entitled'. The OPs daughter is entitled to the money, more so than many who claim and work their 16 hours etc.

If people don't like it then blame the system. It works both ways folks.

Don't be ridiculous that's not the way it works
If a person meets the criteria than they get an award its non means tested so it doesn't matter if someone lives in a mansion with millions in the bank or in a council flat on benefits
If y a person doesn't meet the criteria,they won't get an award even if theirs income is substantially less than the Op,s.

We don’t earn even a third of that and still wouldn’t claim. (Also have a AudHD DD who has been unable to go to school for a year due to severe mental health issues and we’re paying for private medical treatment because CAMHS is woeful) but it doesn’t feel right to me to claim, benefits. They’re there as a safety net and I wouldn’t say we need a safety net even on our joint income.

You will be taking the money out of the hands of those that are desperate for financial support.

Claim it we are on a similar income and use it for weekly private speech therapy and yearly Ed Psych visits to school both of whom always attend Annual Review for my DS EHCP. They are both worth their weight in gold.

100% claim it, she’s entitled to it

1. You pay tax
2. DLA is not means-tested because Disability has extra costs
3. DLA can open doors for more support

Apply for it. If you're entitled, you're entitled

@LostTheMarble
Thank you for your question. My autistic child is now 19. At 16, anyone claiming DLA has to make a new claim for PIP anyway. As a parent I could meet his needs with the help I had from his EHCP - it gave him a 1:1 at school. I do provide ongoing support for him and he claims Disabled students allowance ( not actual money but help getting software to aid his studies and some mentoring at uni). If he found he couldn't cope with life later on, he could apply for PIP then. His diagnosis and EHCP is enough to have achieved the support he needed this far. I didn't claim be because I didn't need to. I claimed for my disabled boy (now 17) because I needed help to pay for the extraordinary amount of extra costs we have faced because of his disability. I claimed that because I really needed the help.

You could set up a irrevocable trust for her future health related needs using your funds. In the US we have long term care trusts or insurance.

DLA is not means tested. There is absolutely no need to tell anyone what your income is or how you spend it. Claim it: if you do not now that you have a diagnosis and an opportunity questions may be asked later. I have had DLA for a very long time. I didn't ask for an increase until covid and made another application for increase. I was asked to explain why I had not applied before. They paid the increase, but all the same, I wished I had not put up with the problems when I could have had it increased.

If you qualify to receive it, you receive it. It is the need. You do not even have to spend it on helpers. The government does not have to know how you spend it; they will ignore anyone who tells them anything about your claim and how you spend it.

In any case, the money is for your daughter, and no matter how much money you have coming in. It is for your DD so that her need is not a burden on the family.

The award is for your daughter, you meet the criteria, it's all fine.
As the parent of an autistic daughter, the extra costs are often hidden but certainly mount up!

I'm torn with this. The needs of my autistic child impacted on my ability to progress with career (couldn't work full time or access specialist childcare etc) so we needed the money both to compensate my loss of earnings, and to cover the expense of food issues etc. We also got a blue badge to allow us to use disabled parking spaces as shopping was problematic for us. Plus receiving DLA meant we could access support services.

If you don't need the extra cash (and honestly, with £300k household income, be honest, you really don't) maybe you could donate some/most/all of her DLA to a local autism charity, but still access the parking/support she would then qualify for.

We don’t earn as much as you and I have to say I felt guilty applying but once my DS was awarded I realised I had no need to feel guilty. He’s entitled to it. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have been awarded. Apply and don’t feel guilty

It’s not the money that DLA brings - it’s the doors it opens.

Our income is not as high as yours but we’re comfortable and make ends meet. We claim DLA to cover any private therapies (SLT/OT etc) our child might need and also it can be used as evidence for accessibility needs so she can be included in events etc.

We don’t need the money (it’s around £100 per week) but we receive DLA for DD (also autistic and has arfid). It’s not for savings but just goes into our main account so is used on a daily basis anyway. However, the act of receiving DLA provides a formal acknowledgement that she is disabled and that in itself has a number of other benefits for her (and us as a family).

The reason DLA is not means tested is because it’s not a benefit that is only for those from poorer families but for all children who are entitled to it.

Then it should be fantasy for everyone, not just the sick and disabled.

And that right there is the problem. There is no consistency in the decision making because it’s not a medical person who decides the length or level of award, it’s a case manager - admin - who make that decision based on substantially flawed assessors’ reports which largely don’t involve the claimants’ own healthcare professionals because any evidence the claimant submits is mostly disregarded in favour of the assessors’ opinion.

First OP's child needs a DLA award which will stop at 16 in any case. Not sure what gives people a 10 year award on PIP. DC has severe learning difficulties cause by a genetic disorder. There is no cure and things will never get better. we got 3 years. despite there being no prospect of any improvement. 🤷

As PIP / DLA are used as eligibility for things like disabled persons railcard, bus / travel pass, blue badge, etc. if you means test disability benefits, you're also means testing those passes for most people.

DLA does indeed stop at 16. But those who were claiming DLA and aged 65 or over on a certain date in 2013 (can’t remember the exact date) were left on DLA until their awards ran out or their circumstances changed. So there are some adults who are still claiming DLA as a legacy benefit with indefinite awards. And indefinite awards are still made for PIP claimants where it’s determined that the condition is unlikely to change. In reality this is a ten year award with a light touch review - sometimes this won’t even involve the claimant as DWP will write to the their healthcare professionals for confirmation that nothing has changed. Once OP’s DD is migrated from DLA to PIP at age 16 she may well qualify for an indefinite award if the disability is substantial and unchanging.