Type 1 diabetes benefits and allowances

Type 1 diabetes benefits and allowances

benefits for people with type 1 diabetesBenefits for under 16 years year old

Children under the age of 16 with type 1 diabetes may be entitled to a social security benefit called Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

DLA may be available if your child needs more care and assistance than other children their age.

You should be given information by your diabetes clinic about the extra supervision required now that your child has type 1 diabetes and how to claim DLA to help cover the extra costs involved with a long term health condition such as type 1.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to get awarded DLA on first application, we encourage you to always do a mandatory reconsideration (MR) and if need be after that request a tribunal if you are not given an award or you feel the award is not as it should be. Managing Type 1 diabetes is a 24/7 job to manage it to try and keep you as healthy as possible.

As of May 2016, DWP have recently updated their decision maker’s guidelines and it could be more likely that awards are now given to 16 years old.   Until now, families often had to reapply after a 1 or 2 year term.

DWP information on Benefits and allowances you may be able to claim for children under 16 years.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children may help with the extra costs of looking after a child who: is under 16 has difficulties walking or needs more looking after than a child of the same age who doesn’t have a disability. They will need to meet all the eligibility requirements.

www.gov.uk/disability-living-allowance-children/eligibility

Diabetes UK has some information on completing the forms. Always submit a week to 10 days care diary with your application form.  To be awarded the middle or higher rate you usually must be giving night time care, so it is helpful to show the frequency of this if applicable. Keep a copy of your completed application form.

Here is the Diabetes UK guide for parents and carers

Here is the Diabetes UK Guide for Healthcare Professional

There is a closed Facebook group which offers support for parents applying for DLA.

Children with Type 1 diabetes have a right to DLA

Parental leave

If you have a disabled child, you may have the right to parental leave for up to 18 weeks’ until their 18th birthday. To qualify, you must be an employee and have at least one year’s continuous service where you work.

Taking time off

If you are an employee, you have the right to unpaid time off work to deal with emergencies involving a dependent – this could be your husband, wife, partner, child, parent, or anyone living in your household as a member of the family.

Benefits for over 16 years

Young people and adults over 16 years old have to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) now instead of DLA.  Some people with their main disability being Type 1 diabetes and no complications have been awarded PIP of varying amounts, however it is more usual to be awarded if you have other conditions or complications.

www.gov.uk/pip

It is a good idea to try and get help from a welfare rights advisor when applying for PIP. It is a complicated system based on meeting descriptors and being awarded points.  There are many charities, councils, housing associations, CAB etc, that can help with benefit forms and appeals.

The descriptors and points system can be viewed here

The PIP claim process

There are 3 stages to your claim:

  1. Start your claim by calling the DWP claims line 0800 917 2222 or textphone 0800 917 7777 – you will be asked the questions in the PIP1 form
  2. Fill in the claim form they send you and send it back within the timescale – this is a PIP2 form
  3. Go to a face-to-face assessment – most people have to do this. The time it takes to get an assessment after applying for PIP varies enormously, this can be from a week to 4 months for PIP.

After 2 WORKING days you can a call DWP and request a copy of your assessment report. This is helpful if you require to ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration.

You then have to wait for the result of your claim. The time it takes to make a decision on your claim also varies enormously, this can be from 10 days to 8+ weeks.

If you are refused or offered a lower award than you feel you should, you can then request a Mandatory Reconsideration, which means your claim will be looked at again.

You will be notified of the decision, if unsatisfactory, the last step is to request a tribunal. Your claim will be looked at again by a panel, which consists of 3 people, a judge, a doctor and a disability representative.  This is normally someone who has a disability themselves or has worked with people with disabilities.  Many people need to go as far as tribunal to have their claim looked at legally by the panel and if you have been refused PIP then you have nothing to lose.  They are not in any way connected to DWP.


Carer’s Allowance (payable to anyone meeting criteria for looking after an adult or child) 

Type 1 diabetes carers allowancewww.gov.uk/carers-allowance

Carer’s Allowance is £62.10 a week (May 2016) to help you look after someone with substantial caring needs.

To claim the person you are caring for must be in receipt of either:

  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP) daily living component
  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – the middle or highest care rate

You don’t have to be related to, or live with, the person you care for.

You must be 16 or over and spend at least 35 hours a week caring for them.

Carer’s Allowance is taxable. It can also affect your other benefits.

You might be able to get Carer’s Allowance if all of the following apply:

you’re 16 or over,

you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone have been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years you normally live in England, Scotland or Wales, or you live abroad as a member of the armed forces you’re not in full time education or studying for 21 hours a week or more you earn no more than £102 a week (after taxes, care costs while you’re at work and 50% of what you pay into your pension)


Online benefit calculators


An award of DLA or PIP may be a passport to other benefits or concessions e.g. Travel support, housing benefits, council tax benefit, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) for students, carers concessions, leisure passes, etc

Solicitor Irwin Mitchell’s guidePIP and DLA Passporting to other benefits and services