Is DLA available on a temporary basis?

[Blu]

DS will have bone-lengthening surgery this year, starting in Feb / March or maybe early June. he will be in hospital for a couple of weeks and then at home but immobile for about 6 weeks, and then very slowly starting to return to school, using wheelchair and then crutches. This will then go on for about 10 months. Throughout that time we will need to adjust the fixtures on his leg frame, clean the pin sites (45 mons twice a day), do intensive physio and excercises at home with him, and for the fist couple of months at least, DP and I will each reduce our working hours to 50% so that we can look after him.

Would we be eligible for DLA for the duration of bone-lengthening? We don't get it now - although I have never applied. But as we have to reduce our salary by 50% every little wil help!

I think it has to be longer term than that blu

i think you should apply, i dont see any harm in it , ive just sent mine off and been told that im intitled to it for the first year as my lo has a cleft lip and palate

Just got this off the DLA website so maybe its worth a try.

"You may be able to get Disability Living Allowance if you are aged under 65 and you have needed help with personal care or had walking difficulties because of a physical or mental disability for three months and you are likely to need this help or have these difficulties for at least another six months."

Hmmm. I suspect we should have applied before - I know some parents with the same condition as DS have it, because of the appointments and physio on a regular basis, but we didn't really need it and didn't feel it impacted enough on our lives to claim it. Now when we're really going to need it, 10 months might not be long enough. Although there will be endless physio, excercise and appointments after the frame has come off...so that might take it into a year?

I'll have to ask, won't I?

x-posted - oh, thanks, Dusty - it will defintiely be longer than 6 months, so i'll contact them and get a form.

Use one of the websites that tell you how to fill them out. I'll find you a link for the one i used.

this site is good. The guides are long but its worth the effort.

dustystar - thank you so much

Good luck.

Make school aware (sure you have!), as it's a 'planned absence' and he'll need a staged return then I hope your lea has the same arrangements for medical needs that will entitle your son to a part-time tutor who will liaise with school, work (gently) with him and help to settle him back in academically.

Thanks Bramblehooks - have you had experience of longish planned absences from school? The school are being extremely supportive - and in fact we got into his school because they accepted his need to be in a no-stairs environment for part of his school attendance, and they have him down for 'school action plus' - whatever that means. I am trying to get the procedure started in the last half term of his KS2 year so that he can be ready to go back as much as he can at the start of the Autumn term, when we have all had the summer holidays to get practiced with what he needs.

KS1, I mean. He is Yr 2

Bramblebooks....I'm a terrible typist!

Hadn't thought of asking the SENCO to help! Good thinking Batman!

Blu i have experience of long term absence as DS was off school for 2 years due to severe anxiety.

If a child is absent from school for more than 15 days due to medical reasons your LEA is duty bound to provide a home tutor to come into your house and teach him.

if you speak to the SEN Dept at your LEA they should tell you what they will need from you ie doctors letter stating he is likely to be off school for a while and they should get the ball rolling.

HTH

School Action Plus is really a sort of letter of intent to provide support, outlining what they are planning to do; its often used as part of the planning before a statement but in a good school is useful in itself

I hadn't realised he would be entitled to a home tutor - that would help to pass the time and give him some variety, at least!

I don't think he'll miss more than about 6 weeks of school, though. But it makes it a long break if it is from half way through the summer term until the autumn. I'm going to do all i can to make sure he keeps in close touch with his friends.

Blu - we made contact with the tutor in the hospital when dd was in and she contacted school making enquiries about the home tutor. As it was what with the Christmas break she only had three weeks off, two weeks for Christmas and then a staged return so we didn't need them.

Good luck with the DLA application.

apply for DLA, you never know til you try. I did not expect to get it as we had no diagnosis but we did get it first time.

Just a quick word of advice, when filling in the form concentrate on why he need additional support above what is normal for his age, and how that support is met.

I have been puzzled several times when reading the amount of 'extra' support their children need but are turned down. One post I read somewhere recently may have provided the reason. They were turned down because the applicant concentrated on what they had rather then the additional support they needed.

Practically everything we put down I considered was part of being a parent. For instance at the time our daughter had long hair and couldn't wash it properly herself. We need to set the shower temperature as she has poor sense of heat. Though capable of independant travel - ie shops we visited regularly her reactions if she was alone and something went wrong would mark her out as vulnerable immediately.

These were backed by school reports to her reactions to small changes, difficulties with some of the smaller skills in dressing herself, shoe laces and tie in particular. We were shocked to get both elements at the lower levels.

So be sure to emphasise the additional support your child needs. If you do get it and get child tax credit let them know immediately, it will increase them significantly. Also consider applying for carers allowance. Hopefully this will help to alleviate the financial worries during this time.