Disability WORKING allowance????

shopaholic2

Hi,
Can anyone tell me if disability working allowance still exists as i can find any info anywhere.
I believe that you can work on DLA, but as I don't get that it's irrelevant.
I have just been informed by my consultant that i will never get better, as i am now is as i will always be, and i cannot work full time,altho at the mo i do work 18 hrs a week,but i am finding it hard.
My inc ben has been stopped, (they knew about the work, and then it was 16 hours and "permitted"), but my consultants letter, which i will have for my appeal tribunal, should get that back for me, and i will be back to 16 hours.Thing is, permitted work will end in may, and i wondered if there was anything else that will help me as i cannot up my hours, ever.

thanks for any help x

Jo_R_2

Can I clarify, why don't you get DLA? Is it because you haven't applied for it or because you have been refused it?

shopaholic2

I used to get it, then it was stopped about 4 years ago, because a different consultant said stupid untrue things about me, and i so wish i had gone to my usual consultant way back then to get his support then, but i was very depressed at the time, and pregnant, so left it.
anyways, i haven't applied because I am probably not disabled enough iyswim, to qualify, plus the fact that i do work,i am thinking that the rule is that you get dla, then you start to work and can still get it,but not apply for it when you work, does that make sense? lol.

Fran

Do you mean Disabled Family Tax Credit which was around along with Working Families Tax Credit? When they introduced the Working Tax Credit about 6 years ago they put the disabled element under the same name (ie WTC with an element for disabled).

shopaholic2

Hi Fran, No when I used to get Disability living allowance, there was also Disability working allowance.
Obviously not so anymore, but this was only about 5 years ago.
Thankyou anyway!

Kimitatsu

shopaholic2 wrote: »

I used to get it, then it was stopped about 4 years ago, because a different consultant said stupid untrue things about me, and i so wish i had gone to my usual consultant way back then to get his support then, but i was very depressed at the time, and pregnant, so left it.
anyways, i haven't applied because I am probably not disabled enough iyswim, to qualify, plus the fact that i do work,i am thinking that the rule is that you get dla, then you start to work and can still get it,but not apply for it when you work, does that make sense? lol.

You may get Disability Living Allowance if:

• you have a physical or mental disability, or both
• your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or you have walking difficulties, or both
• you are under 65 when you claim

To get the care component of Disability Living Allowance, your disability must be severe enough for you to:

• need help with things such as washing, dressing, eating, getting to and using the toilet, or communicating your needs, or
• need supervision to avoid you putting yourself or others in substantial danger, or
• need someone with you when you are on dialysis, or
• be unable to prepare a cooked main meal for yourself (if you had the ingredients), if you are aged 16 or over

There are three rates of care component depending on how your disability affects you:

• the lowest rate, if you need help or supervision for some of the day or you are unable to prepare a cooked main meal
• the middle rate, if you need help or supervision frequently throughout the day, or during the night, or someone with you while on dialysis
• the highest rate, if you need help or supervision frequently throughout the day and during the night

You can get Disability Living Allowance for your care needs even if no one is actually giving you the care you need, even if you live alone.
If you have mobility needs

To get the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, your disability must be severe enough for you to have the following walking difficulties, even when wearing or using an aid or equipment you normally use:

• you are unable or virtually unable to walk, or you have no feet or legs, or
• you are assessed to be both 100% disabled because of loss of eyesight and not less than 80% disabled because of deafness and you need someone with you when you are out of doors, or
• you are severely mentally impaired with severe behavioural problems and qualify for the highest rate of care component, or
• the effort of walking could threaten your life or seriously affect your health, or
• you need guidance and/or supervision from another person when walking out of doors in unfamiliar places

There are two rates of the mobility component depending on how your disability affects you:

• the lower rate, if you need guidance or supervision out of doors
• the higher rate, if you have any of the other, more severe, walking difficulties

Some people will be entitled to only the care component or the mobility component, others will be entitled to both.

There is no mention of working there, but you could check your entitlement on www.entitledto.co.uk, there you can put in differing scenarios and see if it is worth you claiming DLA. Please also bear inmind that the legal services commission has contracts in place with advisory services such as legal centres and CAB's to provide welfare benefits afdvisors who can help appeal against the DLA decision if it is unfair.

As far as I am aware though DLA is not a means tested benefit, and therefore there should not be a barrier to you working as the benefit is for the disability rather than whether you can work or not. You do have to inform the DWP though of a "relevant change of circumstance" which may affect the rate of DLA that you get (i.e a change in care allowance or disability allowance).

You have nothing to lose by applying for DLA, and seeking further advice if it is turned down, and in addition being in receipt of DLA also opens up doors to higher benefit rates elsewhere.

HTH

Conor_3

You can get DLA regardless of how much work you do.

You can also qualify for the Disability component of the WTC.

jacnorm

My son works full time and he gets DLA. He gets low rate care and high rate mobility. This helps to keep him in work as he was having so many problems getting there and he now has a car on the motability scheme.

lil_me

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/dptctables/

http://www.emplaw.co.uk/researchfree-redirector.aspx?StartPage=data%2f08500203.htm

You can now claim DLA if working or not, if in work then also disabled element of the tax credits is usually payable.

Jo_R_2

shopaholic2 wrote: »

I used to get it, then it was stopped about 4 years ago, because a different consultant said stupid untrue things about me, and i so wish i had gone to my usual consultant way back then to get his support then, but i was very depressed at the time, and pregnant, so left it.
anyways, i haven't applied because I am probably not disabled enough iyswim, to qualify, plus the fact that i do work,i am thinking that the rule is that you get dla, then you start to work and can still get it,but not apply for it when you work, does that make sense? lol.

Why not reapply? You cna get help from Welfare Rights, either your city or county council will have one and form my experience (I have worked with Welfare Rights advisors through work) they have so much experience of completing applications and appealing that they can help with how to best describe your condition and the difficulties you have that nmay arise from it, and the detail you need to put in.

DLA is awarded based on the help that you need for your illness. It does not matter how disabled you consider yourself to be, it's the help that you need because of it that is being assessed. It also doesn't directly matter if you work; you can still get DLA if you work, or if you don't, you can apply for it when working, or not working. You can apply for it when not working, then start work and continue to receive it, although you may have to notify them as it could constitute a change in circumstances.

Fran

shopaholic2 wrote: »

Hi,
Can anyone tell me if disability working allowance still exists as i can find any info anywhere.

The answer to your original question is that Disability Working Allowance was replaced by Disabled Person's Tax Credits. That has now been changed to Working Tax Credit (which has the disability element).

See BBC website.