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

[Milesandmilesandmiles]

Just that really - we have an autistic daughter who needs support with most things (although is in mainstream school). Between us DH and I earn over 300k, so we don’t need the money. However, conscious that we won’t be around for ever and we could save it for DD’s needs as she grows. But is this what state benefits are for?

YANBU as previous posters have said this is for your DD. My friend’s DD is an autistic young adult, they didn’t make any claims due to a similar scenario. My friend became a single parent a few years ago and so the landscape has changed, however her DD’s need for support remains.

I think we are of the same opinion on this one. It just annoys me when I hear pensioners saying ‘I’ve paid my NI, now I’m entitled to it’ it being the state pension, NHS treatment, warm home payments etc. The NHS thing is an odd one, of course they should get prompt treatment, but they are no more entitled to it than anyone else. We are now looking at the first generation of people who have literally had access to free healthcare from cradle to grave, but the vast majority don’t seem to understand that they have taken out far more in monetary terms than they ever paid in. It’s not their fault, it’s inflation. When they were young they paid in pennies but now require treatment that costs £thousands. This is really the fundamental problem we are facing. But of course most would rather blame refugees and the disabled instead of looking in the mirror!

Mumsnet is so strange. A wealthy person is asking about claiming non-means tested benefits for her child - and some are saying she is unreasonable because of the family's wealth. The country is skint, why claim if you don't need it.

However, when wealthy (or relatively wealthy) families pay for private school or private Healthcare, because they can afford to reduce the burden on the state - they are vilified. Which is it??

Absolutely claim what you are entitled to - and feel no guilt. That is what it is there for, to help alleviate the cost of living with a disability and it is perfectly fine that you save it for her future. Disability may mean she has a bit more of an uphill climb and extra funds will help alleviate that. Your daughter is indeed privileged wealth wise but others without disability have that privilege. DLA/PIP etc help attempt to level the playing field

It should also be noted that a significant amount of non means tested disability benefits are paid to pensioners who have age related medical conditions. Whether that is morally right, especially in the case of wealthy pensioners who are already getting the state pension and other age related welfare payments, I simply don’t know. Depends on your definition of disability I suppose. In an ideal world it wouldn’t even be a debate, the community should support anyone who is vulnerable, in whatever form that takes.

I don't know either however my mum is 82 and severely disabled my parents have plenty of money but I advised my dad to claim attendance allowance which she now gets ,my mum can't walk at all and rely, s on my dad for everything ( frustratingly they don't allow me or my sister to help very much) but I don't think we can discriminate on age if you are disabled, you are disabled at 2 or 82

if You really feel uncomfortable, apply for it and then donate some of it to a small charity that helps other children with her condition?

You should absolutely claim for her and use it towards therapies /additional tutoring to help her. We use it for private speech therapy for our son now and we used it for private OT when he was younger.. Do not feel bad - it's for her and to help you with her disability..

OPs family probably pays a shitload in tax. So why not claim it?

I don't think there is anything wrong with this I'm sure with your income both parents have paid enough tax and your daughter is entitled anyway

You never applied for it at all?

Your mother should claim attendance allowance and she is entitled to it.

Every time I read or see on TV news about elderly people blocking beds because they cannot access domiciliary care for patients, I think about the Attendance Allowance and wonder why ward clerks do not help the patient to apply for the benefit. I don't know how much money the AA brings in, but it should be enough to pay for a private carer at least a large part of the week?

Have you any idea how difficult it is to get PIP/ DLA
Have you any comprehension of how much tax these parents are paying to fund our welfare state

Get every penny your child is entitled to OP

It's for your DD who is still a child. Claim it.

I cannot understand your attitude. I have had DLA for many years and mine is still called DNA for that reason. The benefit is NOT means tested.

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.

To suggest someone should not claim it if they have higher than most income is ridiculous. In the case of children and young adults, the benefits are suppose to give the disabled family member money to pay for anything to do with disability, AND THAT includes not spending too much of the family benefit at the expense of the fitter members. A disabled child needs a lot of help, and help is costly, especially more so when the wages of cleaners, carers etc rises annually. A disabled child also needs to associate outside the family.

If you don't claim it, then the other children in families will go without.

I wonder how many posters on here realise the significance of disability benefit, how costly it is to be disabled. I suppose a millionaire or billionaire would not claim it, but they can. Fortunes are made and lost all the time.

I don't think some of these posters do. If mothers see the SAT exam papers they will know the size of the 'application form' is about ten times that size.

You get a big book with an unbelievable amount of questions and the award is determined by how many ticks you make. I think these forms are possibly 'marked' by the lowest civil servants.

Every question has a whole week of answers to see how much help claimants need. (How long is a piece of string?). Some of the questions have boxes to tick for every different need every week.

It is a nightmare, and you also have to get letters from surgeries and all hospital workers you need. How on earth would it be possible for someone to claim if they were not disabled? Who would fill in the 'book' and approach hospitals ad surgery if they didn't need it? Would you?

This reminds me of the programmes on the radio when people are able to phone in with comments. One woman phoned up and said the state pension should not be raised, because the old people would waste it on unnecessaries like holidays.

She went on to comment that pensioners have bought all the things they need, so don't have to buy furniture and carpets, so they have more money to spend on getting help.

and after all, they can claim credits, have free meds, dental and eye treatment, collected for appointments and are entitled to free of anything once they apply for pension credit and also are entitled to AA.

That is impossible to live on.

Why? They pay a shitload of taxes that benefit other people. Why shouldn't they get something in return, for once?!

PIP/DLA absolutely should be means tested so no, you shouldn’t be claiming it as you clearly don’t need it. The whole reason this particular benefit is in a state is because it isn’t means tested and those who are genuinely in need of it are seen as scroungers while others who don’t actually need it are letting it pile up in the bank.

This is not the safety-net the welfare state was created for.

It beggars belief that so many are saying, yeah, you’re entitled so go for it but I’m sure would be raising eyebrows at the ‘feckless’ and genuinely impoverished disabled people who actually need it.

@llizzie I know, I completed it for my son 18 years ago
I would give back every penny to have kept him in our local mainstream school
To not put him in a taxi
To not have been abused, hit and harassed by other parents
To not have my other 2 boys demonised and not invited to things (both absolutely beautifully behaved)

BTW he's 23 now
And just got a first
The system helped us
I could earn a million pounds, he needed the support he got

Read my comment above
You have no idea
Have you had your 6 year old try to kill himself
Have you watched your child excluded from activities but still forced to watch the video

You have no idea
No wages can compensate

Absolutely you should spot because it’s for your daughter and if your daughter is eligible then she’s entitled to it.

I know many people that are claiming it that are absolutely not entitled to it but the system is so messed up they get it through lying and exaggerating.

Yeah, I do actually have an idea. Thanks.

@ConstantlyFuriosa well then you know no amount of money can compensate
That it is for the child
And it is incredibly difficult to claim for developmental conditions

This is over and above the huge amount of tax op is paying

So the benefits/welfare bill is out of control and each government is trying to rein it in. How are we supposed to do that if everyone who is ‘entitled’ but doesn’t actually need the money claims, simply because they are ‘entitled’. That should be the catchword of the century.

The OP doesn’t need this money and neither does their child at present. Why claim, then? It just puts a further dent into the taxes that everyone has paid - not just the OP! We all pay them. I have no problem paying into the pot to protect those in need; this op is not in need at present.