Help with filling out DLA form

angelicmary85

Evening All,

I'm trying to fill out an online form on behalf my son. He is only 10weeks old so I'm struggling to answer some of the questions.

Would I be better waiting until he's older to fill out the form so I can answer the questions or just leave them blank and see what happends?

Thanks in adavance for any replies!

Angelic x

NASA_2

DLA for a 10 week old?

What's the disability?

Gemmzie

For care needs the child must be three months.

angelicmary85

Thanks for the replys guys,

NASA - He has Down's Syndrome.

Gemmzie - Job centre said we can apply now but the 1st payment cannot be paid before he's 3months...Is that not the case?

healy

It is best to fill out the form fully as this will give you the greatest chance of success.

If you are having problems it would be better to not do the online form but get a hard copy and seek the help of a welfare rights officer. These can be found at the CAB, local Council and at disability organisations such as DIAL.

angelicmary85

Thanks Healy, I just can't fully answer the questions about movement and communication because he's so young.

NASA_2

angelicmary85 wrote: »

Thanks for the replys guys,

NASA - He has Down's Syndrome.

Gemmzie - Job centre said we can apply now but the 1st payment cannot be paid before he's 3months...Is that not the case?

Jobcentre Seem to be right

Advance awards

02426 An advance award may be possible if a claimant does not satisfy the conditions of
entitlement on the date on which a claim is made but will satisfy them for a future
period. The future period must begin on a day which is no more than three months
after the date of claim. The DM treats the claim as made for a period beginning with
the date from which entitlement will begin. No disallowance is needed for the period
from the date claimed to the date entitlement begins1. The advance award
provisions do not apply to IS, JSA(IB) and ESA(IR) claimants from abroad (including
claimants who are not habitually resident in the UK)2.

1 SS (C&P) Regs, reg 13; 2 reg 13(3) & 13(9)

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

When should I claim Disability Living Allowance for my child?

This is one of the hardest questions to answer, because it depends on each individual child's situation. You should claim when you feel that your child's needs are a lot greater than those of most other children of the same age.
The earliest it is possible to claim is when your child is 3 months old and in some cases, a claim should be made then (for children with medical problems, such as a heart defect, or babies with feeding problems.) Probably most claims should be made somewhere between 6 and 12 months old. See Guidelines to claiming DLA for more detailed information on the DLA rules or contact the Benefits advisers at the DSA.

If you look on this website they give you advise on claiming DLA.

http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/component/content/article/36-benefits/176-4-when-should-i-claim-disability-living-allowance-for-my-child.html

angelicmary85

NASA wrote: »

Jobcentre Seem to be right

Advance awards

02426 An advance award may be possible if a claimant does not satisfy the conditions of
entitlement on the date on which a claim is made but will satisfy them for a future
period. The future period must begin on a day which is no more than three months
after the date of claim. The DM treats the claim as made for a period beginning with
the date from which entitlement will begin. No disallowance is needed for the period

from the date claimed to the date entitlement begins

1. The advance award

provisions do not apply to IS, JSA(IB) and ESA(IR) claimants from abroad (including

claimants who are not habitually resident in the UK)

2.
1 SS (C&P) Regs, reg 13; 2 reg 13(3) & 13(9)

Thanks Nasa...call me daft but does the above mean I should be claiming in a few months when the extent of the Down's is clearer or claim now so the 1st payment can be made when he's old enough?

I don't want anyone to think I'm just after the money, I want him to get it so we can put it into his bank account to help him out in the future so I want to apply when we've got the best chance of success.

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

When to make a first claim for a child with Down’s syndrome

People are given confusing information about when they should make a first claim for
the care component of DLA.

Three months is usually the earliest that it is possible to get DLA because of the
qualifying periods - see page 24 of these guidelines. (You may be able to get it
earlier if your child is very ill - see “The special rules”, page 24). Some children with
Down's syndrome do get DLA at 3 months.

We suggest that the earliest you send in the claim form is when your child is 3
months old. This stops the DWP refusing you simply because "your child hasn't
satisfied the qualifying period". It also gives you a chance to get to know your child
and their developing needs.

When you decide to claim will depend on your child. Children with Down's syndrome are not all the same. You need to ask yourself if your child needs more care than most other children of the same age (see “The care component - the rules”, page 10 of these guidelines). We feel that most parents claim sometime between 3 months and 1 year old.

http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/images/stories/DSA-documents/Publications/benefits/dla_0-3_april09.pdf

angelicmary85

Breast_Cancer_Survivor wrote: »

When should I claim Disability Living Allowance for my child?

This is one of the hardest questions to answer, because it depends on each individual child's situation. You should claim when you feel that your child's needs are a lot greater than those of most other children of the same age.
The earliest it is possible to claim is when your child is 3 months old and in some cases, a claim should be made then (for children with medical problems, such as a heart defect, or babies with feeding problems.) Probably most claims should be made somewhere between 6 and 12 months old. See Guidelines to claiming DLA for more detailed information on the DLA rules or contact the Benefits advisers at the DSA.

If you look on this website they give you advise on claiming DLA.

http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/component/content/article/36-benefits/176-4-when-should-i-claim-disability-living-allowance-for-my-child.html

Thank you for the link, I really should learn to research things before asking other people!

Our main difficulty so far is the feeding, the bigger his bottles are getting, the more time it takes (OH sat for over 2hours last night and bubba wanted his next feed about half an hour later) and we've to take him to physio as the muscles in his upper body aren't as good as they should be.