Introduction to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people with epilepsy

In this section

Adults

• What Disability Living Allowance is
• How to apply for Disability Living Allowance
• Help with completing the Disability Living Allowance form
• Tips for completing the Disability Living Allowance (adults) form
• Rates of Disability Living Allowance
• Self assessment for Disability Living Allowance

Children

• Applying for Disability Living Allowance for a child

What Disability Living Allowance is

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a tax-free social security benefit for people with an illness or disability who need help with:

• getting around
• personal care, or
• both of these.

You can claim DLA even if you:

• do not actually get the help you need
• live alone, or
• are working.

DLA is made up of two components (parts). You may qualify for just one component or both components.

• The care component - if you need help with your personal care because of your disability.
• The mobility component - if you need help to get around because of your disability.

How to apply for Disability Living Allowance

To apply for DLA, you need to complete an application form. There are two forms - one for people under the age of 16 and one for people over 16. You can order a claim pack by:

• phoning the Benefit Enquiry Line for People with Disabilities:0800 88 22 00 (England, Scotland and Wales) or 0800 220 674 (Northern Ireland)
• contacting Jobcentre Plus: 0800 055 6688, or your local social security office
• downloading an application form from the Directgov website: http://www.direct.gov.uk/

Help with completing the Disability Living Allowance form

Many people find that their claims are more likely to be successful if they have help with completing the claim forms. You can get help from the following sources:

• Benefits Agency: 0800 44 11 44
• Disability Rights UK: website: http://www.disabilityalliance.org/  for downloadable fact sheets
• Citizens Advice: for details of branches in
  England:  0844 4111 444
  Wales:     0844 477 2020
  Text Relay:    0844 4111 445
  website: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/

Tips for completing the Disability Living Allowance (adults) form

• You don’t need to answer questions that don’t apply to you. 
• Don’t assume that the person who deals with your claim knows about epilepsy or its symptoms and effects. Give lots of description and detail about your seizures and recovery time. Include anything that you think is relevant to your epilepsy. Don’t leave something out because you find it embarrassing.
• Include information about any side-effects you experience from your epilepsy medicine.
• Don’t worry if you give the same information more than once. It’s better to give too much information than not enough. 
• Try to explain clearly the type of help you need, the reason you need it and when you need it. 
• Make it clear what you think might happen if you didn't have supervision or someone keeping an eye on you.
• Describe any past incidents to do with your epilepsy that could have resulted in harm to yourself or others if you hadn't had help.
• Make it clear that you need help, even if nobody helps you at the moment. 
• Put what you can’t do, not what you can do. 
• It is a good idea to use the terms ‘bad days’ and ‘better days’ rather than ‘bad days’ and ‘good days’.
• Try to give an average number of bad days over a given period of time (for example eight days out of 14). You stand more chance of succeeding if you can show that you need help on most, or all, days of the week. 
• Keep a diary of your seizures. This can help you to work out how much help you need over a period of time. It can also be used as supporting evidence for your claim.
• If you have other illnesses or disabilities as well as epilepsy, ask for help in answering questions about them. This may be from your doctor or another organisation who knows about that condition. If you would like help to find details of a particular health organisation, phone the Epilepsy Helpline, freephone 0808 800 5050 or send an email to http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/services/ehelpline.html 

Rates of Disability Living Allowance

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is paid at different amounts, depending on the amount of care or help with mobility you need. This table shows the different levels of DLA. It was correct at the time of writing, October 2011.

Care allowance

Mobility allowance

Self assessment for Disability Living Allowance

Epilepsy Action has published a Guide to completing the Disability Living Allowance (adults) form for people with epilepsy. The introductory pages C and D will help you decide whether DLA may be the right benefit for you.

Online self assessment

Go to the online version of the Self assessment form for Disability Living Allowance for adults page. Answering the questions on there will help you decide whether to apply for DLA.

You can order the full guide from our shop, or by ringing the Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050.

Applying for Disability Living Allowance for a child

If you would like to find out if a child with epilepsy may be able to get DLA, you may find it helpful to contact Cerebra: http://www.cerebra.org.uk/: tel 0800 328 1159. They have produced a step-by-step guide to claiming DLA for children under 16 with brain-related conditions, including epilepsy.