Disability Living Allowance

Disability Living Allowance is a state benefit paid to people who need assistance with personal care or who have mobility difficulties, as a result of a physical or mental disablement. You may be entitled to claim Disability Living Allowance if you:

• Have a physical disability, or
• Have a mental disability, or
• Have physical and mental disabilities
• Have a disability which results in your needing assistance with personal care, such as washing and dressing yourself, or
• Have a disability which results in mobility difficulties, that is, problems walking
• Are under sixty-five years of age
• Are a resident of Great Britain

Disability Living Allowance is not affected if you are employed or unemployed, nor is it usually affected by any savings that you may have. You are not usually required to attend a medical examination before you can claim. If you are terminally ill and not expected to live more than six months your claim will be specially processed to ensure that you receive your money as quickly and easily as possible.

Disability Living Allowance does not usually count as income if you apply for other income-related benefits. If you are entitled to receive Disability Living Allowance you may however be entitled to an increased rate of any other benefits you are receiving. There are two parts to Disability Living Allowance: a care component if you need assistance with personal care, and a mobility component if you need assistance moving around. You might be entitled to receive one or both elements of Disability Living Allowance. These different elements each have a range of rates at which they are paid. The rate that you will receive will depend on your disability and exactly how it affects you.

The current rates for the Disability Living Allowance components are as follows:

Care Component

• Lower rate - £17.10 a week
• Middle rate - £43.15 a week
• Higher rate - £64.50 a week

Mobility Component

• Lower rate - £17.10 a week
• Higher rate - £45.00 a week

If you believe you are eligible to claim Disability Living Allowance, or you wish to claim on behalf of a friend or relative whose disability prevents them from making the claim themselves, you should contact your local Jobcentre Plus office or call the Benefit Enquiry Line for assistance on 0800 88 22 00. If you are eligible, the benefit will be paid by direct debit into an account you nominate, unless you ask for your Disability Living Allowance to be paid to you in a different way, perhaps so that another person can collect the money for you. You must keep the benefits service informed of any changes to your circumstances as soon as possible, so that they are able to ensure that you are receiving the correct money at all times.

When you claim you may be entitled to one of these components or a combination of both. If you receive one component at one rate, you may receive another component at another rate.