Can two disabled people living at the same address both get DLA?

studentphil

Say two disabled are married or live together, can they still both claim DLA in their own right?

limpy-jim

I would have thought they could.

ohreally

Yes, they can.

healy

Yes because the two claims are not connected.

Sultana

It's also possible for both to be awarded carers allowance for looking after each other.

Hapless_2

YES I get DLA as does my daughter, I also claim carers for my daughter and my husband is about to claim carers for me, as advised by jobcentre plus.

Penny-Pincher!!

Yes you can on both counts. If you both claim CA you will benefit from the carers premium if on IS.

PP
xx

emmie1234

Hiya, I am a carer to my daughter and as my husband has recently become out of work, I claimed income support for both of us. I recieve the carers premium too, but the amount of carers allowance I recieve is subtracted from the amount of income support I get. So I get 48.65 per week carers allowance and 71.30 income support. Hope this helps.

welshcakes

I understand why people are wary about having DLA and CA for each other as it can appear to the 'outside world' to be a conradiction in terms ie how come a person is so ill as to need DLA yet they are concurrently well enough to be a Carer.

However, it is not as straight forward as that as many of us who live with disablility as a part of our daily lives, understand all too well. The problem is that someone who is disabled to such a degree as to qualify for DLA is automatically assumed to be physically incapacitated so badly that they can't do anything ... but disability doesn't come in one size or flavour.

It can be physical or mental or both.
It can restrict throughout the day or just whilst performing certain essential tasks.
It can be predictable or sporadic.

My partner gets higher rate DLA and I have just applied for CA after 18mths of postponing as I felt it was my moral and loving duty to care for him and I felt guilty accepting a benefit payment for doing it. However, whilst I don't argue that the DLA he receives is a good ££ amount, the amount it costs to live our lifestyle around his disability is high maintenance.

I gave up work to care for him and there is nothing we would wish harder for than for him to be well again so that I could go back into the workforce instead of relying on a benefit handout to just about manage to pay the bills. DLA does not translate as an 'easy freebie' - our family's income (and therefore standard of living) is considered below the government's poverty line for a UK household.

Society doesn't hear much about the plight of a Carer - though I'm pleased that the issue of young (child) carers is gaining more publicity during the last 18 months. It's a bl**dy gruelling way to spend your life and it can be exhausting mentally, emotionally and physically which is why so many long term Carers end up on anti depressants and a diet of paracetomol and quick snack diets.

Morglin

Yes, they can.

We do.

We don't claim as carers for each other, (no point, as it overlaps with RP and IB), but I think that "emotional support" is part of the criteria, so wouldn't necessarily be a contradiction.

Lin

Morglin

studentphil wrote: »

Say two disabled are married or live together, can they still both claim DLA in their own right?

Phil,

Why don't you just claim DLA for yourself, and stop worrying about what happens if you are married?

Lin :rolleyes: