Spending DSs DLA

[Dlabaddie]

So Not a TAAT but something that often comes up in threads and has currently.

The discussion on what you're allowed to spend DLA on.

We've always put a proportion in one pot for him and anything specific he needs, and the rest in the household pot which covers household bills Inc those which are affected by his disability. We've done this on the basis of me having to quit work to care for him and carers being such a generous amount. DP works but wage isn't great.

But should I be recording where every penny goes and justifying it so extra clothes say due to vomiting with receipts but also proof I buy most of his clothes from our money? £5 towards electricity as bedding washed extra die to vomiting? Lots of people on the thread saying it can basically be checked at any point how it's spent but how do I make sure I keep proper info?

But to counter that a lot of disabilities will mean more use of gas/electric/water so then you could easily argue that DLA should be used to cover some of that.

in reality in most houses it goes into the general pot

I've used mine to pay bills gas /electric /whatever, most people do that.

I find this difficult. You're given a set amount of money that the government deem appropriate for your child's needs. What if your child doesn't need hundreds of pounds spent on them per month? Some children with disabilities won't. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone having to justify where the money has gone, because it's impossible.

I used to work as a fraud investigator for over 20 years, the only time I can even think of that we even asked about how the money was spent was when the appointee was clearly not spending the money on his elderly mother and another relative wanted us to revoke the appointeeship.
And it wasn't an easy thing to do.

Don't worry about keeping anything.

That's ludicrous. What you are doing is what you are supposed to be doing.

Is that quote from a non res father who thinks his ex is misspending all of his CM in the same way?

Ignore it, stop responding to it. It is wrong!

OMG! I don't think you have understood what the DLA is for. EVERY kid requires hundreds of pound to be spent on them. The DLA is there to ensure that the additional financial burden and some fun/educational/therapeutic necessities can be paid for. Whether that is ensuring heat, hot water or going out to a fucking petting zoo. It is ALL appropriate spending once a DLA has been granted.

I’ve never known Anyone requested to account for how/where their DLA is spent. I don’t think you need to keep details at all. Also majority of the people I know who have DLA add it to their family pot, especially if they are low earners.

I’m a single parent and my son receives high rate dla mobility and care . It all goes on him one way or another . Like others say it doesn’t have to be itemised and is to be used in the best interest of the claimant . As long as that is happening there is no issue

Actually I posted because they can come back and check. It is stated on the reward letter. I did not mention keeping receipts. I have known a couple of people who have been reported for misuse of the money and have lost the payment. This was due to it being spent on adults and none of the child, I’m not sure how they found out how it was being spent but it does go to show that they do have ways. I think most of us would be able to show throughout the month the extra expenses that are spent on the child but that post was about the partner who still isn’t confirmed as being the child’s father as poster stated one child wasn’t his. Where the poster was paying our bills and being left with next to nothing whilst partner was left with 900 and wanting to split half of the dla: this is fraud. It’s not going on the child and there was nothing in the post that stated he would be spending it on the child. This unfortunately seems like an abusive relationship

There are definitely no checks on what a child's DLA is spent on. There is a load of shite posted on Facebook benefit groups about checks being made/ receipts being asked for but it is shite.

In 9 years I've never had a single letter asking me what or how it's spent! 🤣 Absolute scaremongering nonsense! People are making this up out of some kind of warped jealousy

My DS receives DLA, both care and mobility. I don’t keep a record of what I spend his money on. It’s there to make life a little bit easier for him and I’ll spend it how I see fit.

What if your child doesn't need hundreds of pounds spent on them per month? Some children with disabilities won't
@Hallyup89 do you have a child with additional needs? it’s always more costly then a child without. They will need extra water, electricity, special equipment, more expensive childcare or childcare but just longer, clothes again particular or just more, travel costs. children on a special diet.
You can’t just send 15 y.o with additional needs on a bus by herself to Primark to buy clothes and give her £3 for McDonald’s. You just can’t. I would love too and many of my friends.
DLA is a great help but it’s not enough. Parents don’t work or work part time / reduced hours. The whole family life is affected.
DWP doesn’t check how you spend DLA because the profile of spendings is different for different families. However the general idea is that it’s for a child to make his/ her life better but what exactly for it depends on child’s needs.

"What if your child doesn't need hundreds of pounds spent on them per month?"

The extra costs will be that much and probably more.

The person on that thread is talking rubbish

I find this difficult. You're given a set amount of money that the government deem appropriate for your child's needs. What if your child doesn't need hundreds of pounds spent on them per month? Some children with disabilities won't.

I don’t know what you find difficult. In 2019, Scope research showed on average families with a disabled child spent an extra £581 per month. 24% spent an extra £1000, and many even more than that. I couldn’t find more up to date data, but I imagine it is significantly more now.

DS doesn't need hundreds spent specially in disability related things, but his disability mean my ability to earn and cover his normal costs is badly reduced.

"What if your child doesn't need hundreds of pounds spent on them per month?"

My DD liked to collect my little pony/hello kitty/horse figures, having the DLA increased her quality of life. She replied on tech a lot more than other children. Her DLA went towards having broadband and sky. The rest of the family could have easily lived without both. Later when she was feeling the isolation that many disabled children feel, it payed for horse riding and having a couple of cats.
My DD is now 24. They don't ask because they know that the majority of families are financially impacted by having a disabled child.
OP ignore what posters on here have to say, some believe that child benefit should be given to the child.

For a few years I spent some of it on a cleaner

Our DLA goes on dd's horse riding, equine therapy, having the bloody lights on in her room all night and running a full hot bath for her as she won't wash any other way. It certainly eases the pressure.

But it's an average. If you took several families who spent over £1000 a month, they'd skew the data. And if you took them out, the average would obviously go down.

Not every person on PIP / DLA has high costs.

It’s even little things like DS peers can walk to school or get the bus. I have to drive DS every day so it covers some of the fuel

My son got DLA and it went on keeping me at home. This was in my sons best interests and allowed me to support him in a way I could not have been done in work.

He now gets PIP. I am back at work but I manage his money for him. It pays for any therapy he needs. Private counselling for example and any other therapy.

Yep and yep.

I doubt there are many, if any, recipients of DLA/PIP who don’t have extra costs because of their disability.

-extra washing.
-extra heating.
-special diet.
-extra fuel needs.
-powering extra devices
-extra cleaning needs
-special clothing/extra clothing.

and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. To get dla/pip you have to have significant care and/or mobility needs