DLA for fused neck?

mae

Hi I have posted on another board and some posters suggested we try to see if our son is entitled to any benefits.

Our son is 17 and has Klippel Feil syndrome which means that one of the symptoms is a fused neck. The bones in his neck are fused (worst it can be fused apparently) which means he has limited movement in his neck. He can walk with no problems. He will shortly be learning to drive and will obviously struggle with some manouvres so may need to have an assessment which would cost £150 and maybe need adaptions like extra mirrors. So I posted on the health board if we could get any help with these costs and someone suggested he may be entitled to the motability part of DLA??

Does anyone have any knowledge on this and think its worth us trying to get him some financial help?

Thanks

stazi

The DLA eligibility details are here-
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DG_10011816
which also tells you how to claim.

mae

stazi wrote: »

The DLA eligibility details are here-
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/FinancialSupport/DG_10011816
which also tells you how to claim.

Thanks I've looked at this and I think with my sons condition its unclear?

mae

I would be interested if anyone has applied for dla with a similar problem and how they got on with it?

Thanks

[Deleted User]

the thing with DLA be it the care or mobility component is that its not the illness/condition that matters but how much help someone needs with either care or mobility,everybodys different and no 2 cases are ever really alike.
The criteria for mobility is basically if they are unable(or virtually unable) to walk,or suffer pain/problems when walking over quite short distances(50-100 metres).
I know its not what you want to hear,but i doubt he would fall into this catergory.
BUT as i often say,when in doubt CLAIM,they can only say no,and they sometimes say yes.

Happychappy

I would doubt that your son complies with the care element of the DLA ? it is intended for provding help with care ? it doesnt sound like he would meet the criteria ? but no harm in claiming to find out

mae

woodbine wrote: »

the thing with DLA be it the care or mobility component is that its not the illness/condition that matters but how much help someone needs with either care or mobility,everybodys different and no 2 cases are ever really alike.
The criteria for mobility is basically if they are unable(or virtually unable) to walk,or suffer pain/problems when walking over quite short distances(50-100 metres).
I know its not what you want to hear,but i doubt he would fall into this catergory.
BUT as i often say,when in doubt CLAIM,they can only say no,and they sometimes say yes.

Thanks. The idea of claiming only really sprung from asking if there was any help available for the costs of adapting a car and the assessment so if he is not eleigible for dla we wouldn't be disappointed but it would be nice to know its not going to cost him/us for the adaptions. Maybe we should be the CAB and ask their opinion?

mae

Happychappy wrote: »

I would doubt that your son complies with the care element of the DLA ? it is intended for provding help with care ? it doesnt sound like he would meet the criteria ? but no harm in claiming to find out

I completely agree, he would not qualify for any care element as he does not require any care so we would not even try on these grounds. My only concerns are for his ability to drive and the costs of any assessments and adaptions to the car.

Thanks

dmg24

mae wrote: »

Thanks. The idea of claiming only really sprung from asking if there was any help available for the costs of adapting a car and the assessment so if he is not eleigible for dla we wouldn't be disappointed but it would be nice to know its not going to cost him/us for the adaptions. Maybe we should be the CAB and ask their opinion?

If you have a look at this link (go to Volume 10, Chapter 61, points 61255 - 61256) you will see how high the criteria is for the mobility element of DLA.

Whilst I would say that there is no harm in applying, I would be realistic, particularly considering the amount of time that the forms take to complete.

Conor_3

mae wrote: »

I completely agree, he would not qualify for any care element as he does not require any care so we would not even try on these grounds. My only concerns are for his ability to drive and the costs of any assessments and adaptions to the car.

Thanks

The mobility side has nothing to do with that. It is to do with how well he can get around on his own two feet. You get mobility if your mobility is reduced, i.e you cannot walk far or get up stairs...that kind of thing.

You would do better to see if there is a charity for his condition as they tend to offer finance for such adaptations.

TBH, I'd be more inclined to try and dissuade the driving. Being able to look from left to right freely is very important and with current traffic, you need to be able to do it quicker nowadays. Roundabouts and junctions are going to be quite dodgy and no amount of vehicle adaptation can compensate for that.

mae

Conor wrote: »

You would do better to see if there is a charity for his condition as they tend to offer finance for such adaptations.

TBH, I'd be more inclined to try and dissuade the driving. Being able to look from left to right freely is very important and with current traffic, you need to be able to do it quicker nowadays. Roundabouts and junctions are going to be quite dodgy and no amount of vehicle adaptation can compensate for that.

Thanks but there are no charities for his condition as its quite rare. I don't want to dissuade him from the driving, as he gets older its quite probable he will be in pain and also may need some kind of fixation surgery so i would prefer him to learn to drive now while he is in little pain and also so that he will be able to keep some independence when he does become in pain.