DLA Decision today - good news, but what exactly does it mean?

[proudmum74]

Hi, got decision on DD DLA this morning (2.8 yr old with Down's). She'll continue to get mid level care, but when she turns 3 she'll also get higher rate mobility.

Apart from the additional money, what exactly does that mean? E.g. Can we apply for a blue badge for when she's in the car & if so, when (now or when she turns 3)?

There was also something in there about free tax disc, "if used for sole use of person entitled to disability allowance" - does that mean if DH applies for it (as we use his car as the main family car & he does most of nursery drop off & pick up) that he wouldn't also be able to use his car to get to work after dropping DD off?

Thanks

fab news! You will get a blue badge with hrm, you just need the forms from your council, they're usually available on line to print off, they'll likely hold off sending it out until it's close to her birthday, that's what happened with ours. We haven't done the tax disc thing as we have other children and the car is used for all of them.

We got the tax disc with the motability car. The blue badge was worth the fight.

Well done! We got the tax disc, although the car is the general family car. DH gets the train to work though. We put off getting the blue badge as DS (ASD) is mobile, but I think we might re-think that decision after a couple of meltdowns in the shopping centre where he's sat down and refused to walk. It would have been so much easier if we'd been parked near the main entrance and not had to carry him half way round a carpark as well!

Zen. That is precisely why we got the Blue Badge! Carparks and boys who refuse to walk, or have no sense of danger!

The full policies will be in the information pack you get sent about motability. Tbh we already had a vehicle etc, so we didn't apply and just received the mobility element instead. The money was more useful in terms of buying equipment, trikes, etc, and paying for experienced sitters as despite qualifying for hr care and mobility, she wasn't disabled enough to qualify for respite...

Yes, Hampshire, I'm looking at you.

OK, thanks everyone.

I probably won't try applying for tax disc then, but will ask the council about the blue badge, as DD is going through a stage of refusing to get in her pushchair, and she's getting too heavy to carry.

You will only be able to get blue badge at three, when the mobility element kicks in.

(As in, when the hrm kicks in. So another four months to push. You can only get it before three in very specialist circs ie the necessity to carry huge oxygen tanks and whatnot. For bog standard mobility issues, you have to be past the third birthday)

Ok, thanks madwomaninthe attic , I'll hold off for another 3 months before applying.