People are being urged not to miss out on vital financial support that could help you if you have certain medical conditions. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) gives disability living allowance (DLA) to people with certain disabilities including those with mobility issues or who need certain care.
While DLA has largely been replaced by other benefits, it was still being received by around one million people as of last year and will be continuing this year for many. To get the latest money stories straight to your inbox twice a week sign up to our newsletter here.
DLA along with other benefits is set to rise in April so we've got a full guide on everything you need to know about how to claim it, how much you'll get and which medical conditions could see you qualify for the money.
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What is DLA?
DLA is given to people with certain disabilities including those with mobility issues or who need certain care. It has largely been replaced by other benefits such as PIP and attendance allowance but you can still claim it in Wales if you are under 16. DLA has two components; the ‘care component’ and the ‘mobility component’. To get DLA you must qualify for at least one of these and the amount you get depends on how your disability or health condition affects you. DLA is paid every four weeks, usually on a Wednesday.
According to the UK government, you could qualify for the care component of DLA if you:
- need help with things like washing, dressing, eating, using the toilet or communicating your needs
- need supervision to avoid putting yourself or others in danger
- need someone with you when you’re on dialysis
- cannot prepare a cooked main meal
How much is DLA?
The amount you get depends on your disability but DLA will be rising in April 2024 as part of the UK government's 6.7% increase to most benefits announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt last November. The new rates will be as follows:
Lowest: rising from £26.90 to £28.70
Middle: rising from £68.10 to £72.66
Highest: rising from £101.75 to £108.57
How do I know if I qualify for DLA?
According to the DWP's official guidance, there are 57 main medical conditions that could qualify you for attendance allowance. They are as follows:
- Arthritis
- Spondylosis
- Back pain – other/precise diagnosis not specified
- Disease of the muscles, bones or joints
- Trauma to limbs
- Visual disorders and diseases
- Hearing disorders
- Heart disease
- Respiratory disorders and diseases
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Epilepsy
- Neurological diseases
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson's disease
- Motor neurone disease
- Chronic pain syndromes
- Diabetes mellitus
- Metabolic disease
- Traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia
- Major trauma other than traumatic paraplegia/tetraplegia
- Learning difficulties
- Psychosis
- Psychoneurosis
- Personality Disorder
- Dementia
- Behavioural disorder
- Alcohol and drug abuse
- Hyperkinetic syndrome
- Renal disorders
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Bowel and stomach disease
- Blood disorders
- Haemophilia
- Multi system disorders
- Multiple allergy syndrome
- Skin disease
- Malignant disease
- Severely mentally impaired
- Double amputee
- Deaf/blind
- Haemodialysis
- Frailty
- Total parenteral nutrition
- AIDS
- Infectious diseases: viral disease - Covid-19
- Infectious diseases: viral disease - precise diagnosis not specified
- Infectious diseases: bacterial disease – tuberculosis
- Infectious diseases: bacterial disease – precise diagnosis not specified
- Infectious diseases: protozoal disease – malaria
- Infectious diseases: protozoal disease – other/precise diagnosis not specified
- Infectious diseases - other / precise diagnosis not specified
- Cognitive disorder - other / precise diagnosis not specified
- Terminally Ill
- Unknown
How do I apply for DLA?
You can only apply for DLA if you are under 16. To claim DLA for a child under 16 you need to be their parent or look after them as if you’re their parent. This includes step-parents, guardians, grandparents, foster-parents or older brothers or sisters. If your child currently lives in England or Wales you can apply by either printing off and filling in the DLA claim form or phoning the Disability Living Allowance helpline on 0800 121 4600 and asking for a printed form. Find out everything you need to know about applying for DLA here.
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