DLA is money for people who have care needs or mobility needs and is available in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and is not means tested.
Your child/ren must be under the age of 16. For the low rate mobility component they must be over the age of 5 and for the high rate mobility they must be over the age of 3.
DLA can help if your child has extra care and/or mobility needs which is the result of a disability. This is applicable to a child with a cardiac condition. To meet the care component, your child has to have care needs where they need help with 'bodily functions', i.e:
- eating
- getting dressed
- going to the toilet
They also need care in participating in social activities. These may sound like things that 'normal' children need help with but for DLA care your child/ren has to need more care and attention than other children the same age as them. For example, you cannot leave your heart child to 'cry it out' due to the stress it will put on the heart. You have to monitor your child for signs of cardiac issues, eg, going blue, breathing too fast or too slow. You need to administer regular medication for your child to ensure that they can live well enough at home. These are all examples and may not be relevant to your child.
To meet the mobility component of DLA, your child might need assistance in walking outdoors or going an unfamiliar route without guidance or supervision. Your child may be also treated as having mobility issues if they have learning difficulties or severe behavioural problems.
DLA provides you with money to spend as you want for your child's needs/ It is usually paid into a bank or building society and there are different levels for each component:
Care component is spilt into three levels and paid at different weekly rates:
Higher - £77.45 Middle - £51.85 Lower - £20.55
Mobility is spilt into two levels and is paid at two different amounts weekly:
Higher - £54.05 Lower - £20.55
You can get either or both parts.
If you recieve DLA you will automatically qualify for a Christmas bonus of £10.
If you qualify for the higher part of the mobility component ten you could get help to buy or lease a car under the mobility scheme.
For further information on how to claim, call the Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 88 22 00.
For more help on claiming DLA with a heart child please see the following websites:
