Disability living allowance is a state benefit. It is paid to the parents or other carer of a disabled child who needs help with:
- Daily living tasks (such as washing, dressing, eating, etc.)
- Getting around (i.e. because they find walking difficult or cannot walk).
How much a family gets will depend on how much help the child needs.
Disability living allowance is not means tested. This means how much a family receives will not be affected by how much they earn. It will also not be affected by any savings they have.
No-one over the age of 16 can make a new claim for disability living allowance. This is because personal independence payments have replaced disability living allowance for over-16s. This is being done on a ‘roll-out’ basis. People aged 16 to 64 may be able to claim a personal independence payment.
Any child currently receiving disability living allowance can apply for a personal independence payment when they reach 16.