Disability Living Allowance

If you have cancer, you should be eligible to claim disability living allowance. This is available to everyone under the age of 65 who needs help with personal care and getting around due to illness or disability. It is not means tested, and you can work while claiming it. Currently for both components at the higher rate this is worth £99.85 per week.

The rate you will receive per week will depend on your care and mobility requirements.

For the care component the lower rate is £15.55 per week, middle £39.35 and higher £58.80

For the mobility component the lower rate if £15.55 and the higher is £41.05

You will need a DLA1 form, which is available from The Disability and Carers Service on 028 90906182, your Social Security office, or Jobs and Benefits office. The only advice that I can give is that when you apply for it, and it asks for details of your disability, write down your worst day. Not one when things were tolerable and you weren’t sick, but the day when you felt that you had virtually died.

Click on the link for details of the disability living allowance http://www.ssani.gov.uk/gbi/benefits/DLA.htm or click on the banner below for the Social Security Agency site and then click on the A-Z of Benefits. It covers carer’s allowance, attendance allowance, motability, etc.