Disability and getting a free car from the state

I have heard of someone who has had very bad rhumatoid artheritis. I believe they are on some disability allowance and retired. Someone else I know has a real problem with their knee that they can hardly walk. He is based in teh hounslow and having heard about this other person in the Yorkshire area about some car allowance enquired too. However he was turned down. Why is it that this available for some people and not others?
help appreciated. thanks in advance.
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Comments

  • anguk
    anguk Posts: 3,412 Forumite
    I'm assuming you mean a car from Motability? If so in order to get a car you need to be in receipt of Disability Living Allowance mobility component at the higher rate, I think you also need to be awarded that allowance for at least 3 years.

    My hubby has had a motability car for about 9 years now, he was awarded DLA for life then he applied to Motability (they're a registered charity). If Motability accept you your DLA is paid directly to motability for 3 years and you get a car, at the end of the 3 years you then apply again to Motability.

    Some people have found the process very easy, some very hard, I think it depends on the type of disability you have. I know some people have to be assessed at a medical although my hubby didn't. If you are turned down for DLA I think you can appeal.

    There's more info here:
    http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/disability_liv_allowance.asp
    http://www.motability.co.uk/

    Edit: I've just noticed on the DWP site that you need to claim before you reach 65, you say this person is retired are they over 65 if so that could be the reason?
    Dum Spiro Spero
  • This is really a Benefitsforum topic so perhaps a Mod could move it over.

    However while about half of all DLA claimants get their claims awarded without difficulty the other 50% don't.

    A lot of the problems come from a failure of the claimant to understand the DLA criteria and provide evidence directly related to those criteria. Many claimants are their own worst enemy when it comes to claiming and understate their needs and overstate their ability. This is particularly the case with the Mobility Component which enables the claimant to take advantage of the Motability Car Lease scheme, where it is only the distance a claimant can walk OUTDOORS, without the support of another person and BEFORE the onset of severe discomfort.
    At Benefitsnow you will see how the Department of Work and Pensions make decisions about Disability Living Allowance
    Generally speaking when someone has made a claim and not understood the criteria matters can be resolved if they take the matter to the Appeals Service - Your Appeal When the claimant is able to explain their care needs directly to the appeal panel, rather than write it down, the panel can get a much better idea of the care needs and outdoor walking ability.
    Asking for a reconsideration is almost always a waste of your time and theirs so ask to go directly to appeal. They will always conduct a reconsideration before preparing the appeal papers so you just save time by avoiding unnecessary duplication of a process.
    I've pointed out that the most usual reason for failure is the claimant failing to provide appropriate evidence or disqualifying themselves by overstating their ability to walk without discomfort or understating their needs, but Doctors are as bad when it comes to not providing the details the Decision Maker needs. Many people just ring up for repeat prescriptions and claim DLA without making sure their doctor actually knows how much care they need and why. At the back of the Free guides to claiming disability living allowance, attendance ... is a Checklist which you can use to provide them with a summary of your DLA claims to include in your medical notes and to refer to if sent a questionaire from the Decision Maker.
    Getting your claim form or appeal checked by a Welfare Rights Professional is always a good idea but if you have to wait too long you may find the appropriate disability or age concern charity are able to provide an experienced person to guide you through the process.

    Edit: anguk has made the point that for DLA (which has the mobility component) you have to be under 65 when you claim. If this retired person is 65 or over they can only claim Attendance Allowance (AA) which doesn't have a mobility component or the equivalent of DLA low care rate.
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  • The fact that you can't get the higher rate of DLA and thus be eligible for Motability if you are over 65 disgusts me!

    My ex-ma-in-law fell over early last summer and broke her knee whilst on holiday - she was already only walking with the aid of a zimmer frame because of severe pain and immobility problems due to knackered hips. She spent 8 months in hospital and was doomed to be housebound for ever more because she is over 65. She cannot stand up AT ALL because her legs won't support her. She'll never get the hip replacements she needed before her fall, and she's going to spend the rest of her life sat in a chair unable to get up and move around. I am infuriated that my ex-pa-in-law has had to find £5000 that he didn't have, to buy a modified van so that he can get her out of the house and take her places.

    Do you suddenly turn into something worthless when you reach 65? I think not! It makes me so cross to see them struggling to make ends meet when there are others out there who play the system and get money that really they shouldn't be allowed to have (I'm talking about the lazy sods who won't get off their backsides and find work rather than people with genuine problems).

    Now I'm cross again!

    Kate
  • anguk
    anguk Posts: 3,412 Forumite
    I totally agree Katiepops, if you need help it shouldn't matter how old you are. The stupid thing is if you claim before you're 65 you can continue to get it for as long as you need help. So say you claim when you're 64 you continue to get it no matter how old you get, yet if you don't need help until you're 65 it's just tough you have to manage yourself.

    Personally I think it's so very unfair.
    Dum Spiro Spero
  • mini
    mini Posts: 833
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    I'll move it over to the benefits board & see if you get even more information over there....


    regards

    mini
  • margaretclare
    margaretclare Posts: 10,789 Forumite
    Hi katiepops, I completely agree with you. I had my first hip replacement when I wasn't even 50, the left one now needs re-doing for the second time (I'm just 70 a few days ago). I used to get Mobility Allowance but then became mobile again, was still working up to the age of 67 so I don't think I qualify as one of the 'lazy sods' you write about so eloquently!

    Getting free bus-passes is trumpeted as being the be-all and end-all. I can't walk as far as the bus stop at the end of the road. Even then, I'm very very fortunate compared with some, like your poor M-I-L. If we were poor, and couldn't afford a little car, things would be very different. Luckily I've recently been awarded AA @ £60.60 a week payable 4-weekly.

    If I was your M-I-L I wouldn't sit back and take it. I'd be shouting, writing letters, phoning, making a thorough nuisance of myself - like the woman with the shoulder, do you remember, before the last election? M-I-L shouldn't just be left to sit there and rot! Besides, 65 is no age nowadays. She could live another 30 years easily!

    Best wishes

    Aunty Margaret
    [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Æ[/FONT]r ic wisdom funde, [FONT=Times New Roman, serif]æ[/FONT]r wear[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]ð[/FONT] ic eald.
    Before I found wisdom, I became old.
  • AGE CONCERN
    Together with other charities such as Help the Aged have been trying to draw attention to this see Mobilise campaign takes off

    The Mobilise campaign
    • People over 65 who become disabled or ill, suffer blatant discrimination by the Government.
    • Mobilise is a campaign to remove the age bar on Disability Living Allowance and bring about age equality in the provision of disability benefits.
    Find out more about the Mobility campaign or visit the get active page and tell us your experiences.
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  • ben_L.C_Young
    ben_L.C_Young Posts: 5 Forumite
    edited 10 May 2009 at 10:51PM
    me and my girlfriend have just moved in together i claim carers allowance for her and i was wondering whether or not i am eligible to get a dla car or not??, ......she gets low rate and middle rate mobility i have only just started to get carers allowance for her and i am in the middle of doing my driving lessons can anyone help please im not good on things like this
  • Hi, not you cant. You have to be in receipt of higher rate mobility.
    is officially a GLEEK
  • her claim is under review because its been 3 years if she does end up getting higher will i be able 2 then?
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