Help & Advice Benefits Children and families
Benefits for children and families
Disability Living Allowance for children who have sight impairments
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is one of the main benefits available to children who have sight impairments who need help with getting out and about and / or their personal care and safety needs.
DLA is:
- Not means tested
- Not taxable
- Not counted as income when assessing entitlement to means tested benefits
- Can increase entitlement or allow access for the first time to other benefits.
To qualify for DLA, the help or supervision that a child who has sight impairments requires must be much more than the help or supervision required by a child of the same age who does not have sight impairments.
DLA comes in two distinct parts: a Care component and a Mobility component. Your child may be eligible for one or both of these. Many children who have sight impairments qualify for the lowest rate of both components.
The Care component
- The Care component can be paid at a lower, middle or higher rate depending on the extent of your child's needs.
- Although it can be claimed from birth, the award cannot start until the baby is three months old.
- A full explanation of the criteria for eligibility can be found the RNIB website
The Mobility component
- The Mobility component can be paid at one of two levels, a higher and lower rate, depending upon the level of need.
- A full explanation of the criteria for eligibility can be found here.
Claiming DLA for your child
To request a DLA claim pack, call the Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 88 22 00 If you return the forms within 6 weeks, DLA can be paid from the date of the phone call. Claim forms are also available in accessible formats such as Braille and large print
You can also claim online
Or you can download a DLA claim form from the Department for Work and Pensions website.
Keep a photocopy of your claim form. This can be helpful in case you need to dispute a decision at a later date
For children under 16, it is normally the parent or guardian of the child who submits the claim on the child's behalf. DLA is paid to the parent or the guardian on behalf of the child. This arrangement ends when the child reaches the age of 16 (except in certain cases when the child has a severe learning disability)
Because children's needs change as they grow, most entitlements are for a set amount of time. Before an entitlement is due to finish, a renewal claim pack will be sent
A statement of special educational needs can be used to support your claim.
How KAB can help with your claim
KAB Rehabilitation workers can help with completing DLA claim forms. Many of the questions on the forms need to be answered so as to give a full account of your child's needs. Give lots of detail about the difficulties your child experiences on the form. Some people are turned down for DLA because they don't give enough information.
Sometimes is can be helpful to include with your claim additional information. For example, you could submit a diary showing all the occasions your child needs extra help during a week.
If you would like to register a claim for DLA, please speak to your KAB Rehabilitation worker to find out how they can help you complete the forms.
Contact your local KAB Rehabilitation team
Other benefits for children and families
The benefits listed below are a selection of those that are specifically for children who have a disability including those who have a sight impairment, and families. Clicking on the name of the benefit will provide you with more information.
Please note this is only a selection of the benefits that may be available to you. For a full list please visit the benefits section of RNIB's website